On Friday, June 25, the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine celebrated our graduating residents at B&A warehouse.

The Foundation for Anesthesia Education (FAER) has selected Ahmed Zaky, M.D., MSc, MPH, FASA, professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, as the recipient of the FAER Research in Education Grant. FAER is a 501(c)3 charitable and related organization of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

Whether we're meeting daily to assess the current COVID pandemic and its impact upon the health and wellbeing of our patients and colleagues—or we're planning respite rooms and meals to comfort those on the frontlines—or we're sharing our innovative best practices for COVID-era intubation and airway management with external colleagues—everyone has been busy adjusting to the new normal. 

The Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine's Simulation Program has announced two MOCA simulation courses for fall 2021. 

Michelle Tubinis, M.D., assistant professor of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, has enthusiastically accepted the position of Assistant Director of Faculty Scheduling, effective April 1, 2021.

Congratulations to the following physicians who will be joining our residency program in June 2021. Program Director Susan Black, M.D., reports that after a strong interview season, 21 residents have been matched from 18 medical schools. 

The University of Alabama at Birmingham has received the Society of Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP) designation of "Center of Excellence." The SOAP Center of Excellence (COE) designation was created to recognize institutions and programs that demonstrate excellence in obstetric anesthesia care and set a benchmark of expected care to improve standards nationally and provide a broad surrogate quality metric of institutions providing obstetric anesthesia care.  

Scott Margolies, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, has enthusiastically accepted the position of Anesthesia Medical Director at UAB West, effective February 1, 2021.

The department is pleased to announce that Hari Kalagara, M.D., FCARCSI, EDRA, assistant professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, has enthusiastically accepted the inaugural position of Director of Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS).

After a rigorous interview and selection process, it is with great pleasure that the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, as well as the Division of Multispecialty Anesthesia, announces the appointment of Promil Kukreja, M.D., Ph.D., CMQ, as the Director of Trauma and Acute Care Anesthesia. 

Division of Pain Medicine Assistant Professor Brooke A. Bell, M.D., was named interim medical director of the UAB Highland Pain Treatment Clinic effective December 1. This position was held previously by Brandon S. Brooks, M.D., who now serves as the interim vice-chair and director of the Division of Pain Medicine.

The first pediatric patient at Proton International was cared for by a NORA core team that included Bethany Yopp, CRNA; Brad Page CRNA; and Justin Routman, M.D.

We are pleased to announce the 2021-22 Pain Medicine Anesthesiology and Pediatric Fellowship match results. Please join us in congratulating the following: 

On behalf of Dan Berkowitz, M.D., Alfred Habeeb Professor and Chair

Dear all, 

I am delighted to announce the promotion of a number of our faculty to Associate or Full Professor in the Department:

Associate Professor Songwei Wu, M.D., has been awarded funding from the UAB Office of Research in response to their call for Urgent High-Impact COVID19 Research 2.0.

Wu's proposal, "Penehyclidine protects lung from SARS-CoV-2-induced endothelial barrier disruption via limiting MLC2 phosphorylation - A novel intervention to ARDS in COVID-19," will receive $40,000 in support of his research.

The department will host a virtual seminar series featuring research from the Rapid REINVENT and School of Medicine COVID-19 grant recipients throughout the months of July and August.

Organized by Kevin Harrod, Ph.D., the seminar series will highlight all new clinical, translational, and experimental research knowledge. By quickly sharing this information, the forum encourages new teams to form and emerge, increasing the impact and scope of all research endeavors.

In a recent episode of UAB MedCast, Theresa Northern, DO, MPH, sat down to discuss best practices relating to anesthesia, intubation, and airway management during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Department is pleased to announce our fellows for the 2021-2022 academic year: 

Adult Cariothoracic (PD - Brad Meers, M.D.): 

Joseph Babcock, Anesthesiology, UAB 
Jacob Enslin, Anesthesiology, UAB
Martin Steine, Anesthesiology, UAB  
Ryan Gill, Anesthesiology, UAB
Riley Camp, Anesthesiology, UAB

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our regular Spring REINVENT cycle was deferred and the Rapid REINVENT program was implemented in April. The purpose of the program was to promote and encourage innovation in COVID-19 research. Seven projects received funding in the first cycle in April and five projects received funding in May. Congratulations to those awarded!