Charl de Wet, MBChB

Charl de Wet, MBChB, obtained his medical degree at the University of Pretoria and started anesthesia residency training in South Africa. He was a resident in the Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care at the University of Chicago and subsequently completed a fellowship in Critical Care Medicine at Stanford followed by a pediatric cardiac anesthesia fellowship at University of California San Francisco. He joined the Department of Anesthesiology 2000 and is currently professor of anesthesiology and surgery. He has been the medical director of the Cardiothoracic ICU since 2005. His main areas of interest include TEE, cardiothoracic anesthesia and adult cardiothoracic critical care. Prior to entering medical school, he played cello and piano and was a piano major at Peabody Conservatory of music in Baltimore where he studied with Leon Fleisher.

Charl ran his first marathon in 2009 in St. Louis and has since completed 16 marathons including Boston, New York, Chicago, Paris and Berlin. His favorite marathon is Paris which he has done 5 times now. He enjoys running with colleagues and residents and has completed several half marathons and has twice taken part in the 200 mile relay race from Mount Hood to the coast in Oregon.

During the COVID pandemic, he started Duolingo French and is trying to reach a 2-year streak. His main passion in life is classical music and opera, and post-COVID, he hopes to travel more, attend concerts, and visit friends all around the world.