Anesthesiology Residency
Core Faculty
Neil Macdonald, MD, MPH, FASA
Education
Doctor of Medicine – University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI
Master of Public Health – University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI
Bachelor of Arts, Psychology – University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Postgraduate & Specialty Training
Fellowship, Anesthesiology Research – Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH
Anesthesiology Residency – Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH
Internship, Transitional Medicine – Henry Ford Hospital and Medical Center, Detroit, MI
Board Certifications
American Board of Anesthesiology - Diplomate
Background
Dr. Neil Macdonald serves as Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at Carilion Clinic and is an Associate Professor at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. He is Senior Vice President and sits on the Carilion Clinic Board of Governors, contributing to executive leadership and system-level strategic development. Dr. Macdonald has held numerous leadership roles within Carilion Clinic, including Medical Director of the Anesthesia Department, Chief of Staff for Carilion Medical Center, and system-wide committees related to quality, governance, peer review, perioperative services, and educational leadership.
In addition to his administrative leadership, Dr. Macdonald maintains an active academic role including curriculum development and participation in medical education research and faculty development initiatives. Dr. Macdonald’s professional focus includes pediatric anesthesia, perioperative systems optimization, quality, and performance improvement, enhancing interdisciplinary collaboration, and sustainability in anesthesiology.
He is a long-standing member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Medical Society of Virginia, and Virginia Society of Anesthesiologists. Dr. Macdonald is a native of California, and his wife Patricia is from Massachusetts. They spend any free time traveling coast to coast, visiting their three children and extended family.
Michael A. Saccocci, DO, MPH, FASA
Background
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) - University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) School of Osteopathic Medicine
Master of Public Health (MPH) - UMDNJ School of Public Health
Bachelor of Science, Public Health (cum laude) - Richard Stockton College of New Jersey
Postgraduate & Specialty Training
Anesthesiology Residency - Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (Chief Resident)
Internal Medicine Internship - UMDNJ/Kennedy Memorial Hospitals
Harvard Medical School - Training to Teach in Medicine Certificate Program
Board Certifications
American Board of Anesthesiology, Primary Certification
American Board of Anesthesiology, Adult Cardiac Anesthesia Subspecialty Certification
National Board of Echocardiography - Advanced Perioperative TEE Certification
Biography
Dr. Saccocci is an Associate Professor at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Associate Program Director for the Carilion Clinic Anesthesiology Residency. A board‑certified anesthesiologist with subspecialty certification in Adult Cardiac Anesthesia and advanced perioperative TEE, he serves as Chief of the Organized Medical Staff for the Department of Anesthesia at Carilion Medical Center.
Dr. Saccocci’s clinical practice focuses on cardiovascular, trauma, and high‑acuity perioperative care in a Level I trauma center. He is active in resident education, high‑fidelity simulation, point of care ultrasound, quality improvement, and developed a PGY‑4 cardiovascular anesthesia rotation for area military anesthesiology residents. His background includes service in the U.S. Air Force Medical Corps with deployment to the Joint Theater Hospital in Afghanistan.
He is recognized for clinical excellence, leadership, and teaching, and currently serves as Secretary of the Virginia Society of Anesthesiologists. He is an adjunct member of the ASA Committee on Trauma and Emergency Preparedness (COTEP).
Nicholas Clark, MD
Education
Doctor of Medicine — University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA
Bachelor of Arts, Economics and Psychology; Minor in Astronomy — University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Postgraduate & Specialty Training
Fellowship in Pain Medicine — University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA
Anesthesiology Residency — Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
Board Certifications
American Board of Anesthesiology, Board-Certified in Pain Medicine
American Board of Anesthesiology - Diplomate
Background
Dr. Clark is an Assistant Professor at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, where he contributes extensively to curriculum development and education in Pain Management. He also serves as Vice Section Chief and Director of Education for Chronic Pain Management at Carilion Clinic. His clinical and academic interests focus on interventional pain management, opioid stewardship, and medical education. Dr. Clark has presented research at national and regional professional meetings, with scholarly work spanning interventional pain procedures, radiofrequency ablation research, and perioperative anesthesia management.
He maintains active membership in multiple national pain and anesthesiology societies, including the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience, the North American Neuromodulation Society, the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, and Virginia Society of Anesthesiologists. When he is not providing patient care, Dr. Clark enjoys reading, running, and exploring southwest Virginia with his wife and two boys.
James Harris, DO
Education
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine — Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, VA
Bachelor of Science, Biology (Microbiology/Immunology) — Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
Bachelor of Science, Biochemistry — Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
Postgraduate & Specialty Training
Fellowship, Critical Care Anesthesiology — University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
Anesthesiology Residency — Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD
Transitional Internship — Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC
Board Certifications
American Board of Anesthesiology - Diplomate
American Board of Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine
American Board of Anesthesiology, Adult Cardiac Anesthesiology
National Board of Echocardiography – Basic PTE Diplomate; Advanced PTE Testamur; Critical Care Echo Testamur
Background
Dr. Harris is an Assistant Professor at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and is the Section Chief for Anesthesiology Critical Care. As a fellowship‑trained critical care anesthesiologist, he maintains expertise in advanced perioperative transesophageal echocardiography, structural heart anesthesia, ECMO and LVAD management, and the perioperative care of high‑acuity cardiac surgical patients. As such, he is a member of the cardiothoracic anesthesia and structural heart teams. Active in professional development, Dr. Harris has presented at regional anesthesiology educational workshops, including serving as faculty for the Virginia Society of Anesthesiologists Point-of-Care Ultrasound Workshop. His extensive clinical experience spans academic, military, and community practice settings.
He holds membership in the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Virginia Society of Anesthesiologists, the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists and Society for Critical Care Anesthesiologists. His spare time is spent with his wife and three kids, hiking, baking, raising dogs, reptiles, and hopefully chickens soon.
Keith O'Conor, MD
Education
Doctor of Medicine — University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH
Bachelor of Science, Molecular Biology (Summa Cum Laude) — University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Postgraduate & Specialty Training
Anesthesiology Residency — Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Board Certifications
American Board of Anesthesiology - Diplomate
Background
Dr. O’Conor is an Assistant Professor at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and is Section Chief for Acute Pain Management. His clinical and research interests span perioperative medicine, regional anesthesia, acute and chronic pain management, and the neurobiology of pain. He has authored or co-authored peer-reviewed journal articles in Pain Medicine, BMJ Open, and Journal of Neuroscience.
He holds professional memberships in the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, and the Virginia Society of Anesthesiologists.
His personal interests include long-distance endurance training. Outside the hospital, he enjoys spending time on the Roanoke River Greenway with his wife and children or mountain biking on Mill Mountain.
Pamela Zollinger, MD
Education
Doctor of Medicine — University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
Bachelor of Science, Biology — Wofford College, Spartanburg, SC
Postgraduate & Specialty Training
Fellowship in Neuroanesthesiology — Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC
Anesthesiology Residency — Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC
Internship in Anesthesiology — Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC
Board Certifications
American Board of Anesthesiology - Diplomate
Background
Dr. Zollinger is the Section Chief for Neuroanesthesiology. At Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, she contributes to medical student and resident education in anesthesiology with focus areas in perioperative considerations for spine surgery, neurophysiologic monitoring, visual evoked potentials, and postoperative visual changes. Dr. Zollinger’s scholarly activity includes postoperative neurologic outcomes, particularly related to recurrent laryngeal nerve injury following cervical spine surgery.
She holds professional memberships in the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the Virginia Society of Anesthesiologists. In her spare time, Dr. Zollinger likes reading, painting, traveling, skiing, vintage shopping, and anything by the water.
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