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Senior Associate Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
Boston Children's Hospital
Nelson Aquino is a Filipino American, Pediatric Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, and clinical researcher at Boston Children's Hospital (BCH), where he has dedicated the past 25 years to advancing nursing and pediatric anesthesia. His journey began with an undergraduate bachelor's degree in nursing, followed by a master's degree in Nurse Anesthesia from Northeastern University and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Seton Hall University. Recently, he was selected as a 2025 Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (FAANA) and will be awarded the 2025 AANA Researcher of the Year at the AANA Annual Meeting, a testament to his unwavering commitment to excellence and his impactful contributions to anesthesia research.
Aquino is recognized for his exceptional leadership and innovative research, particularly in enhancing perioperative care for transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals. His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at numerous national and international conferences. Notably, he established a specialty anesthesiology team known as the Gender Affirming Surgical Perioperative Program, which has become a benchmark for interdisciplinary collaboration and has inspired similar initiatives at other institutions. As a content expert in gender-affirming care, Aquino mentors Doctor of Nursing Practice students, interdisciplinary colleagues and graduate students nationally.
In collaboration with other institutions, he co-created the PARTAY (Perioperative Anesthesiology Registry for Transgender Adults and Youth), a multicenter database that includes two academic pediatric and four adult hospitals. This registry collects and benchmarks national data, informing clinical practice, advocacy, and meaningful solutions to address critical gaps in care for TGD patients.
Through his clinical research, Aquino is transforming the landscape of anesthesiology and championing the health equity of marginalized communities in healthcare, thereby positively impacting both his patients and the broader medical community.