Sam Sharar

Sam Sharar, MD, refers to himself as “an academic anesthesiologist.” He is a board-certified anesthesiologist and cares for seriously injured children and adults at Harborview Medical Center. He is also a Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at The University of Washington. Dr. Sharar teaches and advises medical students as a College Faculty Mentor and is Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs and Development of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine. Additionally, he is the Associate Medical Director for King County Medic 1, where he provides training to paramedics.

Dr. Sharar is the Principle Investigator of the Virtual Reality Pain Relief lab which studies the efficacy, safety and mechanisms of non-pharmacologic approaches for treating acute pain. He joined the founders of the VR Analgesia program at Harborview in 2000, investigating virtual reality pain relief in clinical and experimental settings, with a focus on providing innovative new pain management techniques for burn victims. “Immersing patients in a vivid and interactive virtual world helps to distract the patients and minimize their pain.”

Dr. Sharar’s personal motto is “Learn something new every day because there’s so much out there to learn.” He would like to be remembered as “someone who didn’t take himself too seriously.” He lives on Bainbridge Island with his wife of 31 years and enjoys his daily bicycle ride to and from the ferry.