Neurologist Susanne Muehlschlegel is an internationally known clinician-researcher who specializes in critically ill patients as well as understanding and improving shared decision-making, and the ways physicians derive and convey health care recommendations and prognostication to families of neuro-critically ill patients. Her empirical family- and patient-centered research intersects with decision-science, mixed-methods research, neurology, neurosurgery, and critical care medicine. She strongly believes that involving families and other stakeholders in her research will positively impact the clinical care of neurocritically ill patients.

Dr. Muehlschlegel earned her medical degree at Philipps-University in Marburg, Germany. She completed an internship in internal medicine followed by residency training at Shands Hospital and Malcolm Randall Veteran Affairs Medical Center at the University of Florida College of Medicine. She finished her fellowship training in neurocritical care at the Harvard Combined Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and she obtained her master’s degree in public health at the Harvard School of Public Health.

She is the co-chair of a large international guideline on neuroprognostication, a joint guideline between the Neurocritical Care Society and the German Society for Neuro-Intensive Care Medicine (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurointensivmedizin). She recently served as the leader of the “Curing Coma” Common Data Elements subgroup for “Goals of Care Decisions / Family Data” with national and international group members. She has also served as co-chair of the NIH/NINDS-funded Family Experience Workshop after Cardiac Arrest and Severe Neurotrauma.

Dr. Susanne Muehlschlegel is a clinician-researcher with a nationally and internationally known clinical research program in neuroprognostication, clinician-family communication, and shared decision-making for surrogate decision-makers of neurocritically ill patients, especially those with traumatic brain injury, and ischemic or hemorrhagic strokes. Her empirical research lies at the intersection of neurology, neurosurgery, and critical care medicine using mixed-methods research, stakeholder involvement, intervention design, and clinical trials. Her research has been funded by the NIH and foundations, and she has published >100 research articles and book chapters.  She has earned both national and international recognition for her expertise, as evidenced by invitations to speak at national and international research and consensus conferences, international collaborations, participation in NIH study sections, her role as co-Chair of a large international neuroprognostication guideline in neurocritical care, and an invitation for a State-of-the-Art review in neuroprognostication and shared decision-making in the British Medical Journal.

Dr. Muehlschlegel is a highly sought-after mentor and has successfully mentored >40 medical students, residents, fellows, visiting research scholars, and PhD students. She is passionate about promoting curiosity, scientific rigor, and her love for neurocritical care. As a results, she was nominated for the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Mentoring in 2020.

Additionally, Dr. Muehlschlegel is a leader in academic faculty development. She has served the institutional faculty development programs at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School for the past decade and has directed the institution's Junior Faculty Development Program, a national, intense model for junior faculty development for five years. She is particularly interested in advocating for women in medicine. She has led an author group within the international Neurocritical Care Society who have published on gender parity in membership and leadership as well as grants and recognition awards within the Society.