Tania Torres-Sanchez, MD

Tania Torres-Sanchez, MD, is a general surgeon who specializes surgical critical care. She performs both routine and emergency surgeries to care for patients with such common conditions as gallstones, hernias, bowel obstructions, and appendicitis, and cares for critically ill patients who have been in serious accidents or are victims of trauma.

“I chose to subspecialize in surgical critical care because I wanted to be able to take care of our sickest patients and their families,” Dr. Torres-Sanchez says. “A person’s hospitalization, especially if it includes some time in the intensive care unit, can be a bit of a black box for families. Anything we can do to bring people through that experience is important.”

Dr. Torres-Sanchez says she finds communication—making sure people feel heard and cared for, and understand what is happening—can make an important difference for them, especially in an emergency room or intensive care unit. “We really do meet people on one of the worst days of their lives, and we need to remember that something that may be routine for us as medical providers is still most likely very much out of that person’s routine,” she says.