BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Frederick A. Hensley Jr., M.D., has been named the Benjamin Monroe Carraway Endowed Chair in Anesthesiology, tenured professor of anesthesiology and vice chair and director of the Division of Cardiothoracic Anesthesia at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).
His clinical practice will focus on the anesthetic management of adult and pediatric patients undergoing cardiothoracic procedures, including myocardial revascularization, valve replacements, heart and lung transplantation, insertion of cardiac mechanical assist devices and lung resection for cancer and other pulmonary disorders.
"Dr. Hensley is a national leader in the field of anesthesiology in general and in cardiothoracic anesthesiology in particular," said Tony Jones, M.D., Alfred Habeeb Professor and chair of the UAB Department of Anesthesiology. "He is known as a champion of resident and fellow education and as a leader committed to the development of patient safety and efficient, collegial and productive clinical practice environments."
Hensley comes to UAB from Bassett Healthcare, Cooperstown, N.Y., for which he has served as anesthesiologist-in-chief and chief of perioperative services. He earned his medical degree from Penn Sate University College of Medicine and completed a residency in anesthesiology and a fellowship in cardiothoracic anesthesia there. Hensley also completed a cardiothoracic anesthesia fellowship rotation at the UAB School of Medicine.
Hensley was on the editorial board of the Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia from 1989 to 2005 and was a case-conference section co-editor and senior editor for that journal. He also has been a guest consultant for Chest, Anesthesiology, and Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, among others.
He is an elected member of the Association of University Anesthesiologists and a senior board examiner for the American Board of Anesthesiology. He was a member of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists and one of its directors from 1996 to 1999.
Hensley has presented papers and moderated at numerous technical and professional meetings and lectured widely at conferences and grand rounds and for review courses. He has published numerous articles, letters and editorials in peer-reviewed journals as well as more than a dozen book chapters. He is the senior editor of A Practical Approach to Cardiac Anesthesia, 4th edition (Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins; 2008). This popular text written 20 years ago is used by the majority of anesthesia residency-training programs in the United States.
About UAB
The UAB Department of Anesthesiology is a recognized leader in the fields of clinical anesthesia, graduate and postgraduate education and scientific inquiry through basic and translational research. Key areas of research focus include free radical biology, inflammatory diseases, acute lung injury, cardioprotective effects of alcohol and mechanisms and treatment of pain.