Oluwaseun “Seun” Johnson Akeju, MD, MMSc
Oluwaseun “Seun” Johnson Akeju, MD, MMSc, is the Anesthesiologist-in-Chief at Mass General Brigham, and the Henry Isaiah Dorr Professor of Research and Teaching in Anaesthetics and Anaesthesia at Harvard Medical School. A physician scientist and nationally respected leader in academic anesthesiology, Dr. Johnson Akeju is known for advancing patient care, research, and education at the intersection of anesthesia and neuroscience. He earned his medical degree from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, completed residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, received a Master of Medical Science degree from Harvard Medical School, and a Master of Business Administration from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Clinically, he focuses on anesthesia for neurosurgical procedures and has led NIH funded trials aimed at reducing the risk of postoperative delirium in older adults. Dr. Johnson-Akeju’s early research integrated neuroimaging, high-density EEG, and clinical studies to characterize the neurophysiology of the anesthetized brain and reveal how anesthetic drugs disrupt network dynamics to induce unconsciousness. His current work investigates the molecular and systems-level biology of postoperative delirium, aiming to uncover neuroimmune mechanisms of injury and identify actionable targets for early detection and intervention. Beyond delirium, these insights may shed light on how surgical or chronic immune stress contributes to cognitive decline, with broader implications for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
Dr. Johnson-Akeju has been recognized for his scientific and leadership contributions with numerous honors, including the James E. Cottrell Presidential Scholar Award from the American Society of Anesthesiologists. He currently serves as President of the International Anesthesia Research Society, which supports the global advancement of scientific discovery and knowledge dissemination in anesthesiology. He continues to shape medical practice through mentorship, translational research, and collaboration across clinical, biomedical, and quantitative sciences.