CONGRATULATIONS to Dr. Michael Avidan and the BAG-RECALL investigators.
Dr. Michael Avidan has been awarded a grant by The American Society of Anesthesiologists for his project entitled "BAG-RECALL: BIS or Anesthesia Gas to Reduce Explicit Recall". The study is a 6000 patient, dual-center clinical trial to compare the efficacy of a bispectral index-guided protocol with an end-tidal anesthetic gas-guided protocol in preventing anesthesia awareness. The investigators leading the study are Dr. Michael Avidan and Dr. Alex Evers at Washington University and Dr. Michael O’Connor and Dr. David Glick at the University of Chicago. An abstract of the grant can be read by Clicking Here.

Congratulations to Dr. Peter Nagele
Dr. Peter Nagele has been awarded the Mentored Research Training Grant from the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER) for his project titled "Pharmacogenetics of Adverse Outcomes After Nitrous Oxide Anesthesia" FAER's mission is to promote the generation of new knowledge in anesthesiology that advances patient care and fosters development of anesthesiologists dedicated to research and education in perioperative, critical care and pain medicine. Peters abstract can be read by Clicking Here.

Congratulations to Dr. Peter Nagele
Dr. Peter Nagele received the Elmer-Zsigmond award from the International Society for Anesthetic Pharmacology for his abstract "Influence of Mutations in the MTHFR Gene on Homocysteine Levels after Nitrous Oxide Anesthesia" presented at the ISAP 27th Annual Meeting in San Francisco. Peter's abstract can be read by Clicking Here.

Congratulations to Dr. Dave Murray
Dr. Dave Murray has been awarded the Ellison C. Pierce, Jr., MD Research Award by the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) for his project titled "A Web-Based Training Program for Ultrasound-Guided Central Line Insertion". The APSF Grant Program supports research directed towards enhancing anesthesia patient safety. Its major objective is to stimulate studies leading to prevention of mortality and morbidity resulting from anesthesia mishaps. The abstract for Dr. Murray's project can be read by Clicking Here.

Congratulations to Konrad Meissner
Konrad Meissner has been awarded the 2008 Clinical Scholars Research Award by the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS) for his project titled "The Role of P-glycoprotein in Cerebral Morphine Disposition and Analgesia". The purpose of the IARS Clinical Scholars Research Award is to further the understanding of clinical practice in anesthesiology and related sciences through clinical investigations. The abstract for Konrad's project can be read by Clicking Here.

Pain Breakthrough
Researchers separate analgesic effects from addictive aspects of pain-killing drugs
Led by Zhou-Feng Chen, Ph.D., associate professor of anesthesiology, of psychiatry and of molecular biology and pharmacology, report their results online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Washington University Pain Center researchers identify a gene for itch sensation!
The "itch gene" is GRPR (gastrin-releasing peptide receptor), which codes for a receptor found in a very small population of spinal cord nerve cells where pain and itch signals are transmitted from the skin to the brain.
The researchers, led by Zhou-Feng Chen, Ph.D., found that laboratory mice that lacked this gene scratched much less than their normal cage-mates when given itchy stimuli. Their results will be published in the July, 2007 issue of the journal Nature.

Congratulations to the recipients of the annual Department of Anesthesiology awards!

Dr. G. Lee Collins: Outstanding Teacher Award for 2006-2007

Dr. Ben Chang: Peter E. Krucylak Prize for Outstanding Resident in Cardiothoracic Anesthesia - 2006-2007

Dr. Larisa Zhurav: Leonard W. Fabian Award for Outstanding First-Year Resident in Anesthesiology - 2006-2007

John McAllister, M.D., Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Pediatrics , has been appointed as the Clinical Director for the Division of Pediatric Anesthesiology.

Anshuman Sharma, M.D., Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, has been appointed as the Pediatric Fellowship Director for the Division of Pediatric Anesthesiology.

The new Chief Residents for the 2007-2008 Academic year are: Mitchell Fingerman M.D., Breandan Sullivan M.D., and Jordan Coffey M.D. These chief residents were selected by a vote of the Residents and Faculty. There were many highly qualified and deserving individuals in the CA2 class, several of whom received a significant number of votes. The Department is confident they will do an excellent job continuing to elevate our Residency Training Program. Congratulations!

The Midwest Anesthesia Residents Conference 2007 was held at the Millennium Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri on April 13-15.  There were 694 attendees and 457 presentations by residents from 35 anesthesiology departments in the Midwest. The event was a huge success.

Congratulations to our three first place winners at MARC 2007 general/scientific sessions: Mitchell Fingerman M.D., Breandan Sullivan M.D., and Ramin Darbandi M.D. Read More

Dr. Kevin Finkel was voted President-Elect for the Resident component of the Missouri Society of Anesthesiologists at the MARC 2007. Congratulations Dr. Finkel. Photo

Click Here For a complete list of winning MARC 2007 Presentations

Special Thanks to our Program Committee which included: Michael S. Avidan, MBBCh, FCA, G. Richard Benzinger, M.D., PhD, Thomas E. Cox, M.D., Joseph F. Kras, M.D., D.D.S., Sharon Stark and Becky Snider.

OSA Taskforce wins 2006 Team Award for Quality Improvement from Barnes Jewish Hospital. A multidisciplinary taskforce, led by Michael Avidan and Colleen Becker, won this award for implementing wide ranging changes aimed at improving safety for patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in the perioperative period. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has announced that reducing the risk of post-operative complications for patients with OSA is a National Patient Safety Goal for 2008. Members of the Anesthesiology Department who participated in the OSA Taskforce included Michael Bottros, Debra Pulley, Kevin Finkel, Eric Jacobsohn, Heidi Tymkew, Michael Avidan and James Shear.

Dr. Chak Lattanand rejoined the Department of Anesthesiology in February 2007 and has been appointed as Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Chief of Anesthesiology at Progress West Hospital in St. Charles County. Chak is a former Chief Resident in our program.

Dr. Michael Wall, a nationally recognized expert in Cardiothoracic anesthesia and critical care, joined the faculty of our department in February 2007 and has been appointed as Associate Professor and Clinical Chief of Anesthesiology at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Dr. Wall will be responsible for day-to-day operations and policies in the four BJH operating room pods as well as in CPAP and the PACUs. Dr Wall will also be an attending anesthesiologist in the ORs and ICU. Dr. Wall is coming to us from University of Texas Southwestern (Dallas) where he is currently Vice-Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology.

Congratulations to David J. Murray, Professor of Anesthesiology, Director of the Clinical Simulation Center and Associate Director of the Division of Pediatric Anesthesiology who has been named to the Carol B. and Jerome T. Loeb Professorship in the School of Medicine. [READ MORE]

MOVING UP! The Department of Anesthesiology is again ranked #2 in the United States for NIH support of anesthesiology research. Congratulations to our research team.
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Congratulations to Evan D. Kharasch, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Anesthesiology and Chief of the Division of Clinical and Translational Research who has been named the Russell D. and Mary B. Shelden Professor of Anesthesiology. [READ MORE]

Takia Oglesby, M.D. receives the 2006-07 Diversity Initiative Award - The Barnes-Jewish Hospital Center for Diversity and Cultural Competence has given 19 awards resulting from its Residents and Fellows Diversity Initiative. These competitive awards go to BJH-employed residents and fellows who have demonstrated a commitment to enhancing diversity among the BJH house staff and improving the hospital's ability to provide culturally competent health-care services to the St. Louis community. These are the first awards under the newly-established initiative.

Congratulations to the recipients of the annual Department of Anesthesiology awards!

Dr. Thomas Cox: Outstanding Teacher Award for 2005-2006

Dr. Troy Wildes: Peter E. Krucylak Prize for Outstanding Resident in Cardiothoracic Anesthesia - 2005-2006

Dr. Mitchell Fingerman: Leonard W. Fabian Award for Outstanding First-Year Resident in Anesthesiology - 2005-2006

Dr. Peter Nagele was selected as the winner of the Otto-Kraupp-Prize for the best habilitation in Austria in 2005. Peter was selected for this prestigious award from over 100 applicants in all medical specialties. Congratulations Dr. Nagele!

Researchers find potential targets for new pain therapies -A team led by Robert W. Gereau IV, Ph.D., associate professor of anesthesiology, reported in the April 6 issue of the journal Neuron the identification of a potassium channel that plays a crucial role in what scientists call pain plasticity, the ability of molecules in the spinal cord to amplify or diminish the response to a painful stimulus. [READ MORE]

Midwest Anesthesia Residents Conference 2006 in Chicago Kevin Finkel, M.D. received First Place for his Scientific - Airway poster entitled “Obstructive Sleep Apnea: The Silent Pandemic”at the Midwest Anesthesia Residents Conference 2006 in Chicago. Other participating at the conference were: Michael Bottros, Brian Cohen, M.D., Ramin Darbandi-Tonkabon, M.D., R. Matthew Noble, M.D., Leif Saager, M.D., Jeremy A. Scarlett, M.D., and Rosalie M. Truong, M.D. Congratulations to all on a job well done. (See Resident Education for Abstracts)

C. Michael Crowder, M.D., Ph.D. receives McKnight Neuroscience of Brain Disorders Award: Dr. Crowder was one of five scientists selected from 208 applicants to receive the award. $300,000 has been awarded to him over a three year period to support his research entitled: The Identification of Genes Regulating Survival Following Hypoxic Insult in Caenorhabditis elegans. This ultimate goal of the research is to identify mechanisms of survival following hypoxic injury that might be utilized for development of novel therapies for stroke and myocardial infarction.
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Pain Center Appoints New Faculty Member: Yu-Qing Cao, Ph.D. has been appointed as Assistant Professor in the Washington University Pain Center's Basic Research Division in the Department of Anesthesiology at Washginton University School of Medicine.
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Alex Evers elected to Institute of Medicine : Alex S. Evers of Washington University School of Medicine has been elected to the prestigious Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors medical scientists in the United States can receive.
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