Nicole Z. Spence, MD
Assistant Professor
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Anesthesiology

MD, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
BS, Emory University



Dr. Nicole Spence received her medical degree from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School before completing her anesthesiology residency at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University in New York, NY. She then pursued advanced training through an accredited fellowship in Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Management at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA. She is a board-certified anesthesiologist.

With a strong dedication to advancing perioperative care, Dr. Spence focuses on improving pain control, enhancing patient satisfaction, and implementing opioid-sparing strategies through the use of regional anesthetic techniques. Her academic interests include anesthesia in women’s health, innovation in pain management, and medical education.

In her clinical practice, Dr. Spence specializes in orthopedic, obstetric, regional, and perioperative anesthesiology. She has significant expertise in caring for complex obstetric patients, including those with high-risk comorbidities including substance use disorders, ensuring safe and compassionate management during childbirth. She is deeply committed to teaching and mentoring students and trainees, and she has authored numerous institutional guidelines designed to standardize practice, optimize safety, and elevate patient outcomes.

Dr. Spence is the Director of the Acute Pain Service and Interim Director of Quality and Patient Safety for the Department of Anesthesiology.

Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.

iCite Analysis       Copy PMIDs To Clipboard

  1. Baker MB, Achu-Lopes R, Mullins H, Binda DD, Dienes E, Joachim R, Spence NZ. Acute Pain Service Utilization as a Lens on Inequities in Trauma and Inpatient Management. Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Nov 27; 13(23). PMID: 41373310; PMCID: PMC12691915; DOI: 10.3390/healthcare13233094;
     
  2. Schwartz DM, Leiba R, Feldman CL, Spence NZ, Oratz R, Wald HS, Roth S. Misleading Allegations and Failure to Recognize the Shifting Faces of Antisemitism: A Response to J.J. Amon. J Relig Health. 2026 Feb; 65(1):480-501. PMID: 41251931
     
  3. Nguyen H, Spence N, Liu E, Cannon R, Dienes E, Norris M, Woodhams E, Achu-Lopes R. The safety of deep sedation for uterine dilation and evacuation in medically complex patients: a retrospective analysis at an urban center (2018-2024). Int J Obstet Anesth. 2025 Nov; 64:104728.View Related Profiles. PMID: 40701127
     
  4. Schwartz DM, Leiba R, Feldman CL, Spence NZ, Oratz R, Wald HS, Roth S. Correction to: Social Media, Survey, and Medical Literature Data Reveal Escalating Antisemitism Within the United States Healthcare Community. J Relig Health. 2025 Feb; 64(1):224. PMID: 39913026
     
  5. Schwartz DM, Leiba R, Feldman CL, Spence NZ, Oratz R, Wald HS, Roth S. Social Media, Survey, and Medical Literature Data Reveal Escalating Antisemitism Within the United States Healthcare Community. J Relig Health. 2025 Feb; 64(1):206-223. PMID: 39616591
     
  6. Feldman CL, Spence NZ. Responsibilities of Medical Professionals Amidst Geopolitical Conflict. J Gen Intern Med. 2025 Apr; 40(5):1169-1174. PMID: 39557749; PMCID: PMC11968607; DOI: 10.1007/s11606-024-09189-5;
     
  7. Roth S, Wald HS, Spence NZ, Oratz R, Schwartz DM. Hypocrisy of moral imperatives in the Israel-Hamas war. Lancet. 2024 Apr 20; 403(10436):1542. PMID: 38608685
     
  8. Das S, Vasudevan A, Nieves-Rivera A, Edwards H, Spence NZ. Perceptions about perioperative communication among anesthesiologists and surgeons and the impact of perceived status hierarchies on teamwork in the operating room. JCA Advances. 2024; 10012. View Publication
  9. Yeh K, Spence N, Beaulieu-Jones BR, Taylor M, Jhaveri A, Centola K, Charise T, Orf J, Richman A. Reduced rates of pneumonia after implementation of an electronic checklist for the management of patients with multiple rib fractures at a Level One Trauma Center. Surg Pract Sci. 2023 Sep; 14:100192.View Related Profiles. PMID: 39845864; PMCID: PMC11749920; DOI: 10.1016/j.sipas.2023.100192;
     
  10. Holland E, Gibbs L, Spence NZ, Young M, Werler MM, Guang Z, Saia K, Bateman BT, Achu R, Wachman EM. A comparison of postpartum opioid consumption and opioid discharge prescriptions among opioid-naïve patients and those with opioid use disorder. Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM. 2023 Aug; 5(8):101025.View Related Profiles. PMID: 37211090
     
Showing 10 of 23 results. Show More

This graph shows the total number of publications by year, by first, middle/unknown, or last author.

Bar chart showing 23 publications over 9 distinct years, with a maximum of 4 publications in 2023 and 2024 and 2025

YearPublications
20051
20162
20181
20203
20212
20222
20234
20244
20254


2025 FASRA, Fellow of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
2020 Boston Medical Center: Great Catch Award for Patient Safety
2009 Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School: Abdol Islami MD Foundation Scholarship
2008 Emory University: 100 Senior Honorary
2007 Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society
2006 Emory University: Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-Medical Honor Society, Georgia Beta Chapter
2006 Emory University: Nu Rho Psi: Neuroscience & Behavioral Biology Honor Society
In addition to these self-described keywords below, a list of MeSH based concepts is available here.

opioid stewardship
Regional Anesthesia
education
Obstetric Anesthesia
acute pain management

Available to Mentor as: (Review Mentor Role Definitions):
  • Co-Mentor or Peer Mentor
  • Diversity Mentor
  • Project Mentor
Contact for Mentoring:

617.638.8000
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