The 2025 Gulf Atlantic Anesthesia Residents’ Research Conference (GAARRC) was hosted by the University of Florida (UF) from May 2-4 in St. Pete Beach, Florida. UF Department of Anesthesiology faculty Lauren Berkow, M.D., FASA, professor of anesthesiology, and Tim Feldheim, M.D., assistant professor of anesthesiology and assistant program director of Resident Wellbeing, were the co-directors of the event.
Our UF Department of Anesthesiology residents were joined by residents from the University of Central Florida, University of South Florida, HCA Florida (Oak Hill Hospital and Westside Hospital), Mayo Clinic Florida, Memorial Healthcare, and the University of Florida – Jacksonville. Residents were each given ten minutes for oral presentations and two minutes for questions. Awards were given for the top case report, literature review, and original research presentations, with the top three overall given monetary prizes.
CA3 resident Robert Hutnik, M.D., praised the conference as a supportive environment to practice oral presentation skills as well as a great place to meet residents from other programs. “My favorite part of GAARRC is the opportunity to get new perspectives on anesthetic practices at different institutions,” he said. “Because every institution utilizes different anesthetic medications and techniques, GAARRC serves as an opportunity to learn more about these different options so we can be more adaptable anesthesiologists as we face ever more challenging cases.”
Our residents excelled at the conference, taking home several awards. “I’m extremely proud of our residents who presented,” said Feldheim. “The time and effort they put into their presentations really shone brightly at the conference.” Hutnik came in first place overall, with his presentation also taking first place in the case report category. CA1 resident Rachel Baker, M.D., took second place overall and second place for case reports. Third place overall was a tie between our CA2 Michael Berentzen, M.D., and Dylan Irvine, D.O., from HCA Florida Westside Hospital. Irvine also took home first place for his literature review.
Baker said she was honored to be awarded second place overall. “The other presentations were engaging and thought-provoking,” she said, “so being selected from this group of talented residents was special.”
Berkow hopes to continue to have yearly GAARRC meetings. “We are already in discussions with many of the other programs who attended about plans for 2026 and 2027,” she said.
“I highly recommend other residents attend GAARRC in the future,” said Baker. “It’s an excellent opportunity to learn more about your selected topic, practice public speaking, and get connected with mentors and other residents in a relaxed environment.” Baker also noted that the conference was the perfect balance of education and leisure. In addition to the educational opportunities, the conference hosted two evening receptions and an awards brunch. Residents also had some free time on Saturday afternoon to enjoy St. Pete Beach.
Overall Winners
- 1st Place Overall: Robert Hutnik, M.D., University of Florida
- 2nd Place Overall: Rachel Baker, M.D., University of Florida
- 3rd Place Overall: Michael Berentzen, M.D., University of Florida & Dylan Irvine, D.O., HCA Florida Westside Hospital
Case Reports
- 1st Place: Robert Hutnik, M.D., University of Florida
- 2nd Place: Rachel Baker, M.D., University of Florida
- 3rd Place: Michael Berentzen, M.D., University of Florida
Literature Reviews
- 1st Place: Dylan Irvine, D.O., HCA Florida Westside Hospital
- 2nd Place: Anthony Hubbard, D.O., University of Central Florida
Original Research
- 1st Place: Helena Krogman, University of Florida
- 2nd Place: Maria Estevez, M.D., Mayo Clinic Florida
- 3rd Place: Adam Wolach, M.D., University of Florida
Thank you to the UF Anesthesiology Education Office, Drs. Berkow and Feldheim, and all of the faculty judges from multiple programs for making the event a great success! Also, a big thank you to Meghan Brennan, M.D., M.S., assistant professor of anesthesiology at UF, for being our keynote speaker.