This month, we are saying farewell to Ramachandran Ramani, MBBS, MD, a Professor of Anesthesiology in the Division of Neuroanesthesia and an internationally known expert on functional MRI, who has retired after five years with our department.
Dr. Ramani joined us in January 2016 from Yale University School of Medicine. He served as an Associate Clinical Professor in our department until becoming a Professor in 2018. He earned his Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from University College of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, India, and completed his residency training in Anesthesia (MD in Anesthesia) from the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India.
Dr. Ramani was a prolific author who made numerous contributions to the field. His primary research focus was functional MRI and its applications in anesthesia, and he also had a special interest and expertise in neurophysiologic monitoring in craniotomy, spine surgery, and neurovascular procedures.
“His commitment to teaching and learning was not only evident in his daily work with residents and through organizing the weekly education sessions for the faculty and fellows of the division, but also in his willingness to embrace new responsibilities in the form of medically directing intraoperative neurophysiology,” said Christoph Seubert, MD, PhD, Professor of Anesthesiology and Neurosurgery.
Dr. Ramani served on the Operating Room MRI Safety Committee at UF Health since 2016, a position in which he was responsible for developing the required safety standards for the 3T MRI equipment in the HVN tower, as well as developing procedures, protocols, and didactic training for staff in the MRI operating rooms. He also served on the Siemens 3T working group, through which he facilitated the development of research with 3T MRI in the McKnight Brain Institute and advised researchers interested in conducting MRI studies under sedation and anesthesia.
Dr. Ramani was the editor of a textbook titled Functional MRI: Basic Principles and Emerging Clinical Applications for Anesthesiology and the Neurological Sciences published in 2018 by Oxford University Press. The book received a positive review published in the January 2021 issue of Anesthesiology. The review noted that “the topic is complex, but the book is able to convey the basics in a way that those unfamiliar with this imaging will be able to understand” and that it would “prove very useful” to clinicians in understanding the complex imaging modality. He has also authored eight book chapters and edited an issue of International Anesthesiology Clinics on updates in imaging techniques and two issues of Current Opinion In Anesthesiology (neuroanesthesia issue) in 2011 and 2012.
Additionally, Dr. Ramani was an active member of the Education Committee of the Society for Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care and the Postoperative Visual Loss study group. In 2012, he was elected as a member of the Association of University Anesthesiologists. He also served as an ad hoc reviewer for many journals such as Anesthesia & Analgesia, the European Journal of Neurology, and PloS ONE.
“He was an excellent teacher and was internationally known for his work with functional MRI, with several publications and a recent textbook,” said Lauren Berkow, MD, Professor of Anesthesiology and Chief of the Division of Neuroanesthesia. “We will miss him and wish him well in his retirement!”
Thank you for your many contributions and best wishes, Dr. Ramani!