Cecilia Canales

Cecilia Canales is an Assistant Professor-in-residence in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, within the field of Medicine. She holds the position of Medical Director of the UCLA Simulation Center, appointed in 2024, and serves as Faculty Sponsor for the Minority Housestaff Organization. Canales received her MD from the UC Irvine School of Medicine in 2018 and completed her anesthesiology residency at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine in 2022. She also earned a Master of Public Health and a Master of Science in Clinical Research. Board certified in anesthesiology by the American Board of Anesthesiology since 2023, she brings over 18 years of experience in simulation-based education, clinical research coordination, and administration at UCLA. Prior to medical school, she conducted research in the UCLA Anesthesiology department and coordinated simulation training; she later established and led UC Irvine’s simulation center from 2010 as Director of Operations and Curriculum Development.

Her academic interests center on perioperative outcomes in older adults, perioperative neurocognitive disorders, language equity in perioperative care, frailty assessment using point-of-care ultrasound, and humanism training in anesthesiology residency. Canales developed the Perioperative Care Partner Program, integrating risk reduction, early diagnosis, and cultural-linguistic competence to mitigate postoperative delirium in limited English proficient populations. She created virtual simulation cases employing standardized patients and technologies to train clinicians on interpreter use for language-other-than-English older adults. Key publications include “Information and Counseling Gaps on Perioperative Neurocognitive Disorders Among Older Adults” (Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2025), “Body Mass Index and Postsurgical Outcomes in Older Adults” (JAMA Network Open, 2025), “A Prospective Observational Cohort Study of Language Preference and Preoperative Cognitive Screening in Older Adults” (Anesthesia & Analgesia, 2024), “Preoperative Point-of-Care Ultrasound to Identify Frailty and Predict Postoperative Outcomes” (Anesthesiology, 2022), and “Perioperative Brain Health in the Older Adult: A Patient Safety Imperative” (Anesthesia & Analgesia, 2022). Among her honors are selection as a KL2 Awardee in the UCLA Clinical & Translational Science Institute 2024 cohort, National Academy of Medicine Scholar in Diagnostic Excellence, Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research National Institute on Aging pilot grant, Scientist in the Center for Health in Minority Elders, and UCLA CTSI Career Development Award. Her contributions enhance patient-centered research and equity in anesthesiology.

Professional Email: ceciliacanales@mednet.ucla.edu