Christina Hendricks

Physicians began their Multidisciplinary Pain Medicine Fellowship with us this summer. Please help us welcome them to the team! Mark Bender, Julia Eidelman, Jeff Pence, Nikhil Makhija, Viswanath Ramaswamy!

Nicholas Hosford, M.H.A., joined us as Practice Manager, Pain Medicine UF Health Springhill, on Monday, July 26. Nicholas has worked for the Department of Orthopaedics at UF Health since 2016, most recently as business office supervisor. He has held prior positions with Dermatology Associates and as relief manager for Ronald McDonald…

Welcome to the department! Jonathan “Nicky” Cates, M.D., joined us on July 1 as an assistant professor in the Division of Critical Care Medicine after completing his Critical Care Medicine fellowship with us. Cates earned his medical degree from the University of South Carolina and completed his residency in…

Four anesthesiologists began their Adult Cardiothoracic Fellowship with us this summer. Please help us welcome them to the team! Clifford Deerman, M.D. Dr. Deerman earned his medical degree at the University of Alabama School of Medicine at Birmingham and completed his anesthesiology residency at Penn State Hershey Medical Center, where…

Congratulations to Sanjeev Kumar, MD, Sonia Mehta, MD, and Richa Wardhan, MD, who have been promoted to Associate Professor, effective July 1, 2021! Promotion is a significant professional achievement, representing the culmination of years of dedicated work. All three have made outstanding contributions to our university, our…

A new study used a simulation with anesthesiology residents to investigate whether rudeness negatively affects medical performance. Chris Giordano, M.D., collaborated with colleagues in UF’s Warrington College of Business on the study, which was published in June in the Journal of Applied Psychology. “During our Leadership Seminars, we spent…

Three physicians began their Critical Care Medicine Fellowship with us this summer. Please help us welcome them to the team! Beulah Castor, MD Dr. Castor earned her medical degree from the University of Florida and completed her residency in emergency medicine at Orlando Health. She has participated in research…

Our Pain Medicine Faculty, Fellows, and their families celebrating graduating at Lake Wauburg. The 2021 graduates of our fellowship programs celebrated the milestone in small groups at various locations in recent weeks. We are extremely proud of each of our graduates for their hard work and dedication to…

Congratulations to everyone who had publications in June! Our faculty who were published are: Drs. Boezaart, Caruso, Chemobrovich, Fahy, Frantz, Garvan, Giordano, Janelle, Martynyuk, Mora, Morey, Parsons, Reina, Reynolds, Smith, Spiess, Sullivan, Zasimovich, and Zhu. Anesthesia & Analgesia Warner DO, Lien CA, Wang T, Zhou Y, Isaak RS, Peterson-Layne C,…

Six anesthesiologists began their Acute and Perioperative Pain Medicine Fellowship with us this summer. Please help us welcome them to the team! W. Kirk Fowler, MD Dr. Fowler earned his medical degree at the Medical University of South Carolina and completed his anesthesiology residency at the University of Florida.

Pain medicine fellows now have the opportunity to complete an interventional spine subspecialty track as part of their one-year fellowship. The elective track, which will begin in the 2021-22 academic year, aims to enhance their comprehensive training in the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic pain problems related to…

Congratulations to fourth-year resident, David Hutchinson, M.D., and recent graduate Milu Thakkar, M.D., who were inducted into UF’s Resident Chapter of the national Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS). Hutchinson and Thakkar were nominated by their peers for induction into the organization, which comprises medical students, residents, faculty, and other…

Twenty-six physicians began their Anesthesiology Residency with us this summer, including four graduates of the University of Florida College of Medicine. Please help us welcome them to the team! Interested in joining our residency program? Find out how to apply here. First-Year Residents (PGY-1/Intern) Nnamdi Achebe, M.D. Undergrad: University of…

Thursday, July 1, marked the first official day of residency for recently graduated physicians across the country. UF Health in Gainesville welcomed more than 200 new residents to the College of Medicine's graduate medical education programs.

Anesthesiology residents now have the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of artificial intelligence (AI) through a yearlong course developed and taught by J. Chris Goldstein, M.D., and Heidi Goldstein, M.D., both affiliated anesthesiology faculty based at the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center. Inaugural course Seventeen residents participated in the inaugural…

At the first in-person celebration in over a year, the residents of our Class of 2021 were recognized for their achievements and hard work over the past four years. The ceremony at Touchdown Terrace in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium marked a return to normalcy as UF Health’s successful vaccine campaign…

Congratulations to our Center for Safety, Simulation & Advanced Learning Technologies (CSSALT) team, which will be participating in a newly funded study, titled “Improving breast radiotherapy setup and delivery using mixed reality visualization,” in collaboration with the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute at UF Health Jacksonville. The proposal…

Congratulations to Albert R. Robinson III, M.D., associate professor of anesthesiology, on completion of his term as 2020-2021 president of the UF College of Medicine Faculty Council! He will now serve as past president for one year and received a plaque in recognition of his outstanding leadership and…

Congratulations to everyone who had publications in May! Our faculty who were published are: Drs. Frantz, Garvan, Gatica, Giordano, Lampotang, Loeb, Peng, Spiess, Vasilopoulos, Wardhan, and Zhu! BJU International Zhang Z, Lampotang S, Yu Y, Acar YA, Wakim J, Mei V, Ahmad AE, Shenot P, Lee J, Perlis N,…

We are excited to announce that Samsun (Sem) Lampotang, Ph.D., FSSH, FAIMBE, has received the prestigious 2022 J.S. Gravenstein Award from the Society for Technology in Anesthesia (STA). The award is named for Joachim S. “Nik” Gravenstein, M.D. (1925-2009), Lampotang’s mentor and a driving force in advancing…

Twenty-one of our residents had the opportunity to learn a wide range of skills in preparation for their first clinical anesthesia year during this year’s Basic Skills Boot Camp. Over four days of the first week of June, residents received instruction on topics such as anesthesiology measurements and checks, emergency…

Rishab Chimmanamada, M.H.A., joined us on May 28 as the Manager of Health Care Administration at Central Florida Health. Rishab earned his Master of Health Administration degree from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in May 2021. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from…

The UF Department of Anesthesiology is joining healthcare providers nationwide in recognizing the unique skills of Certified Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAAs) during National CAA Week. As members of our anesthesia team, CAAs help provide each patient with the safest model of care. Our CAAs are dedicated, highly educated, and extensively trained…

We are excited to announce that Rene Przkora, M.D., Ph.D., and the Multidisciplinary Pain Medicine Fellowship program have been awarded an educational grant from Boston Scientific. The Neuromodulation Fellowship Grant from Boston Scientific is intended to support professional education by providing funding for a limited number of medical fellowships…

In the past three years, the Anesthesiology Wellness Program has grown substantially, adding eight thriving interest groups on topics ranging from cooking to meditation and increasing participation in all areas of the department by hosting speakers and events. The wellness program’s mission is to encourage physical activity and mental…

Please help us congratulate Ling-sha (“Lisa”) Ju, M.S., a doctoral student in Anatoly Martynyuk, Ph.D.’s laboratory, who has successfully passed the Qualifying Examination for the Ph.D. The Qualifying Examination is a key benchmark in a doctoral student’s progress toward candidacy. Ju gave a presentation via Zoom on May…

Congratulations to Terrie Vasilopoulos, Ph.D., who has been elected to serve as secretary/treasurer for the Statistical Consulting Section of the American Statistical Association (ASA) for 2022-2023! The Statistical Consulting Section of the ASA represents all ASA members involved in the practice of statistics. One of the section’s major goals…

UF Health has been selected as one of 20 sites across the nation to participate in a trial of a new treatment for knee pain. The clinical trial is part of the ongoing NIH HEAL Initiative to identify nonopioid pain treatments. The trial, titled “A 24-week study to evaluate the…

The Department of Anesthesiology’s clinical rotation was honored with the Golden Apple Award for Clinical Science for the third year in a row during the College of Medicine’s Senior Student and Faculty Awards ceremony on May 7. Each year, the graduating class votes on the best clinical rotation of…

Congratulations to anesthesiology intern Blessing Ogbemudia, M.D., who has been honored with the LEAD Resident Award presented by UF Health Shands Hospital nursing staff for his outstanding performance in promoting high-quality patient care. The award recognizes a resident who has gone above and beyond professionally and in their patient…

Congratulations to Miguel Reina, M.D., Ph.D., a courtesy clinical professor of anesthesiology, who is an editor of a new textbook titled Surgical Anatomy of the Cervical Plexus and its Branches. Reina is also a coauthor on four chapters in the book, which was published by Elsevier in April 2021.

Each year, National Nurses Week beings on National Nurses Day, May 6, and ends on Florence Nightingale’s birthday, May 12. Registered nurses in the United States constitute our nation’s largest health care profession and are an indispensable component of the safety and quality of care of hospitalized patients. We want…

Congratulations to all who had articles published in April! Alzheimer’s Research &Therapy Wei YJ, Schmidt S, Chen C, Fillingim RB, Reid MC, DeKosky S, Solberg L, Pahor M, Brumback B, Winterstein AG. Quality of opioid prescribing in older adults with or without Alzheimer disease and related dementia. Alzheimers…

F. Kayser Enneking, M.D., has been honored with the 2021 Gaston Labat Award from the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. She delivered a lecture at the 46th Annual Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Meeting on May 15 as part of the Excellence in ASRA…

Please help us congratulate our Residents of the Month! February Resident of the Month: Aaron Hanson, M.D.  Dr. Hanson has consistently worked hard, willingly changed his schedule for the benefit of his colleagues, stepped up in multiple difficult cases to assist the attending, and served as a patient advocate. Special Recognition:…

Bruce Spiess, MD, FAHA With funding from the Department of Defense (DoD), Bruce Spiess, M.D., FAHA, is collaborating with a colleague in the Department of Chemical Engineering to develop an all-natural, cost-effective, and pathogen-free oxygen-carrying particle. Spiess, a professor of anesthesiology and associate chair for research, is a Co-PI…

We are excited to announce the winners of this year’s Department of Anesthesiology Research Opportunity Fund award. Sylvain Doré, Ph.D., FAHA, was awarded $3,000 to cover the cost of mice and reagents for a study titled “To investigate the efficacy and mechanism of a brain penetrant iron chelator in intracranial…

Rene Przkora, MD, PhD, and the Pain Medicine Fellowship have been awarded a grant from Abbott Laboratories to support education in pain medicine. The funding will help our fellowship train the next generation of leaders in pain medicine; facilitate clinical, basic, and translational research activities; enhance our efforts to…

Congratulations to Carley Hume, administrative assistant II, for being selected as the winner of the fifth annual Rebecca Y. Lovely Outstanding Service Award! Carley joined our department in early 2020 and has consistently demonstrated dedication, professionalism, efficiency, and enthusiasm in her role in the Chair’s Office. Nominators noted that…

Today the Department of Anesthesiology is celebrating National Administrative Professionals’ Day. We know that our administrative professionals work incredibly hard to help our department operate smoothly on a day-to-day basis. Our department’s success is a reflection of their continued dedication and teamwork, especially during this past challenging year. On behalf…

Congratulations to Sylvain Doré, PhD, FAHA, who has joined the Editorial Board of the peer-reviewed open access journal Antioxidants. Antioxidants is published online monthly by MDPI and has an impact factor of 5.014. In June, Dr. Doré was the senior author on an article published in Antioxidants titled “Nrf2 Plays…

We are proud to announce that third-year resident Dave Hutchinson, MD, has been honored with the 2020 Outstanding Resident Educator Award. This award is presented by the University of Florida’s Society of Teaching Scholars to one individual from each department. The award is intended to honor a resident who…

It’s 3 a.m., and an experienced hand gently squeezes the first breath into a patient’s newly perfused lung. On lung transplant time, vigilance is the defining word for anesthesiologists. While cases can start at any time of day, preparations often begin 8 to 12 hours in advance. Myriad uncertainties from…

Congratulations to all who had articles published in March! Anesthesia & Analgesia Foley LJ, Urdaneta F, Berkow L, Aziz MF, Baker PA, Jagannathan N, Rosenblatt W, Straker TM, Wong DT, Hagberg CA. Difficult airway management in adult COVID-19 patients: statement by the Society of Airway Management. Anesth Analg.

Around Christmas, the new pain started. Muscle spasms and cramps in Miles Murri’s right leg that felt like blasts of lightning, burning and shocking. And in his lower back, the pain was constant, the torturous kind that makes nighttime hours interminable and prevents any chance of a comfortable rest. Miles…

Tammy Bleeker, M.Ed., joined us on April 5, 2021, as Assistant Director for Education and Training Programs. In this position, Tammy will oversee the operations of the Education Office. Tammy comes to us from the Department of Pediatrics in the UF College of Medicine, where she has worked for the…

The Anesthesiology Education Office and the Department of Anesthesiology Leadership are pleased to announce the selection of our three new chief residents for the upcoming academic year. David Hutchinson, M.D., Bill Mallett, M.D., and Nicole Premo, M.D. will serve from April 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022. To be selected,…

The UF Department of Anesthesiology is joining the healthcare community nationwide in honoring the extraordinary physicians who have dedicated their careers to caring for others. National Doctors Day provides an opportunity to thank the physicians who provide the highest quality patient care and to recognize their sacrifices. Doctors work long…

Congratulations goes out to second-year resident Matthew Frakes, DO, for being voted the January Resident of the Month! Residents are nominated by their fellow residents and faculty in recognition of their hard work and one individual each month is chosen for going above and beyond the call of duty.

A simulator built by engineers with the Center for Safety, Simulation & Advanced Learning Technologies (CSSALT) to teach clinicians how to safely perform central venous access (CVA) has traveled to resource-limited environments around the world. Now, after two deployments to Iraq through the Department of Defense, it will…

Congratulations to Amanda Frantz, MD, who has been appointed to serve as an American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) examiner for the APPLIED Examination. In this position, she will play a critical role in the future of our specialty as part of a select group that helps the ABA identify…

About 15 years ago, Travis Parsons, PhD, was working in the Department of Neurology at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and pursuing his careerlong interest in epilepsy research. After his first postdoctoral position came to an end, Dr. Parsons soon found his way to Bruce Spiess, MD, who at the time…

Twenty-five physicians have matched with our department to begin their Anesthesiology Residency with us in the upcoming academic year, including three graduates of the University of Florida College of Medicine. This year, our department interviewed approximately 270 candidates for the 20 positions of the categorical rank and five positions…

Injuries to the facial nerve during surgeries of the head, ear, and face lead to the undesirable cosmetic result of a facial droop, dissatisfied patients, and potential malpractice claims. Monitoring the facial nerve during surgery may help, but only if done consistently well. That lack of standard references as a…

Anesthesiology residents now have the option to gain specialized experience with transplants through a dedicated 2-week rotation. Residents in their second and third clinical years who have had cardiovascular, neuro, and pediatric experience are eligible for the rotation. Residents on this rotation will have preference for lung, liver, and adult…

After a nearly 31-year career serving our department in numerous capacities ranging from helping to manage the Critical Care Medicine division and their fellows to assisting faculty, Poppy Meehan officially retired at the end of February. Poppy began her career at the University of Florida in 1990 as an…

Congratulations to all who had articles published in February! Anesthesia & Analgesia Baharloo R, Principe JC, Fillingim RB, Wallace MR, Zou B, Crispen PL, Parvataneni HK, Prieto HA, Machuca TN, Mi X, Hughes SJ, Murad GJA, Rashidi P, Tighe PJ. Slow dynamics of acute postoperative pain intensity time…

For patients experiencing leg and back pain due to lumbar spinal stenosis, a safe, minimally invasive procedure at UF Health called the Vertiflex procedure may help. The Interspinous Spacer Procedure involves a minimally invasive titanium spacer implanted through a tiny tube via a small incision in the lower back.

Residency is an integral period in medical training. We know that our residents work tremendously hard and are a vital part of our healthcare team. They are crucial resources for medical students and their fellow lower-level residents. This day, and every day, we thank our residents for their commitment to…

We are excited to announce that two staff members – Kathy Parrish, MBA, and Christina Hendricks, MA – have been awarded 2020–2021 UF Superior Accomplishment Awards for their outstanding contributions to our department and institution during an especially challenging year.  The Superior Accomplishment Awards recognize faculty and staff who have shown efficiency or economy…

Congratulations to Catherine Price, PhD, ABPP/CN, who has been awarded a prestigious mid-career research award from the International Neuropsychological Society (INS). Dr. Price, an Associate Professor and Paul Satz Term Professor who co-directs the Perioperative Cognitive Anesthesia Network (PeCAN), received the Arthur Benton Award for Mid-Career Research at…

This month we are saying farewell to Robert “Butch” Loeb, MD, an exemplary clinician who is retiring after four years with our department. Dr. Loeb joined the Department of Anesthesiology in March 2017 as a Professor of Anesthesiology in the Division of Multispecialty Anesthesiology. He started his academic career at…

At least five categories of acute postoperative pain trajectories have been identified, and, crucially, these trajectories are defined predominantly by patient factors rather than type of surgery and intraoperative medications, according to new research by the Temporal Postoperative Pain Signatures (TEMPOS) Group. The study, published online in January in Anesthesiology…

The Department of Anesthesiology’s Neuroanesthesiology Fellowship has received international accreditation, becoming only the 20th such program worldwide to receive that distinction from the International Council on Perioperative Neuroscience Training (ICPNT). The strength of the department’s application was the breadth and dedication of the faculty in the Division…

Congratulations to all who had articles published in January! A&A Practice Hamlet KM, Pasternak E, Rabai F, Mufti M, Hernaiz Alonso C, Price CC. Perioperative multidisciplinary delirium prevention: a longitudinal case report. A A Pract. 2021 Jan 14;15(1):e01364. doi: 10.1213/XAA.0000000000001364. PMID: 33443846 Anesthesia & Analgesia Wang T, Sun…

A big welcome to Kimberly Sibille, PhD, MA, as a Joint Associate Professor with the Division of Pain Medicine, and Brent Carr, MD, as Joint Assistant Professor. Dr. Sibille is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Aging & Geriatric Research as well as Affiliate Faculty in the…

Eleven of our faculty have been awarded the Exemplary Teacher Award for 2020! Eligible faculty are nominated from each department and participate in a college-wide competition. Faculty are selected based on the excellence of their teaching of medical students, residents and fellows, graduate students, and post-docs, as well as mentorship…

We are joining the American Society of Anesthesiologists in recognizing our highly skilled physician anesthesiologists this week. Our physician anesthesiologists are highly trained medical experts who have been working tirelessly through the COVID-19 pandemic to provide our patients with the best possible care as well as helping to keep…

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an immense amount of challenges, and our department has selflessly stepped up to help. Most recently, our department has mobilized to help with the ongoing vaccination efforts at the Springhill 2 site. Each Wednesday, our department is helping to staff this site to keep our…

Congratulations to Professor Brenda G. Fahy, MD, MCCM, who has received a Spring 2021 Faculty Enhancement Opportunity (FEO) award to complete a university-based Sherpa Executive Coaching Program to further her leadership and mentoring skills. Dr. Fahy received $4,666 in FEO funding to attend the fully immersive program, which she…

The UF Department of Anesthesiology is joining healthcare providers nationwide in recognizing the unique skills of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists during National CRNA Week. As we continue to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic, let’s reflect on the heroic work of our CRNAs, recognize the power of our community, and…

This month, we said farewell to longtime Professor of Anesthesiology Avner Sidi, MD, who retired after 35 years with the department. Dr. Sidi was a prolific author whose work on simulation, transplantation anesthesia, and other basic science concepts positively impacted the next generation of physicians and our field. He will…

Congratulations to all who had articles published in December! Annals of Thoracic Surgery Corwin HL, Shander A, Speiss B, Muñoz M, Faraoni D, Calcaterra D, Welsby I, Ozawa S, Arnofsky A, Goldweit RS, Tibi P. Management of perioperative iron deficiency in cardiac aurgery: A modified RAND Delphi study.

Congratulations to Anatoly Martynyuk, PhD, Professor of Anesthesiology and Neuroscience, who has been awarded a 2020 Escher Prize in Germ Cell Exposures from the Escher Fund for Autism. The prize…

Nicolai Goettel, MD, DESA, EDIC, joined us as an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology in the Division of Neuroanesthesia on Jan. 4, 2021. Dr. Goettel joins us from the University of Basel in Switzerland, where he served as a Senior Consultant in the Department of Anesthesia, Surgical Intensive Care, Prehospital Emergency…

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.

Congratulations to Professor and Statistician Cynthia Garvan, PhD, who is the coauthor on a Viewpoint article titled “Joy, Suffering, and the Goals of Medicine” published in the prestigious journal JAMA Neurology. The article, published online on Dec. 7, was written with…

As 2020 comes to a close with vaccines arriving and hope abounding for 2021, take a look back with us at all we went through and achieved in the past year in the Department of Anesthesiology. View our annual edition of GatorWorks.

Congratulations to Miguel A. Reina, MD, PhD, who has been named to the Editorial Board of the journal Clinical Anatomy. Dr. Reina, who has been a Professor of Anesthesiology in the School of Medicine at the University CEU San Pablo since 2009, is serving as a yearlong Courtesy Professor in our…

Please join us in congratulating Bryan Ray, MD, and Maggie Green, CAA! Residents and anesthetists are nominated by residents and faculty for their hard work, motivation, and for going above and beyond in their duties. Dr. Ray was chosen as November resident of the month for his endurance and…

A distinguished University of Florida Emeritus Professor of Anesthesiology has been elected to the rank of National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Fellow, the highest professional distinction awarded solely to academic inventors. Richard J. Melker, MD, PhD, who cofounded the medical…

Congratulations to Taran Sangari, MD, MBA, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, who has been accepted into the 2021 College of Medicine Leadership Development Program! The program is designed for College of Medicine faculty who are current leaders at or above the level of Division Chief or equivalent. Only around 20…

Congratulations to all who had articles published in November! View post to read all the details.

Congratulations to Rene Przkora, MD, PhD, who is the lead author on an article published in the ASA Monitor about the ongoing National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded pain treatment research network involving the University of Florida. The article, titled “A Major Step to Improve…

Jenny Barghout, Administrative Support Assistant III, has been a champion for wellness initiatives in the Department of Anesthesiology since 2018, when she helped form the Anesthesiology Wellness Program. Over the past few years, Jenny has become a Wellness Partner with GatorCare, cowritten a winning proposal for a department wellness fund,…

With support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through a leadership grant recently awarded to Catherine Price, PhD, and matching pilot funding support from UF, the Perioperative Cognitive Anesthesia Network (PeCAN) is now expanding its integrated approach to perioperative cognitive care. The overall goal is to…

The Pain Medicine Division at UF Health is offering a novel therapy for the management of sacroiliac joint pain called sacroiliac joint fusion. The minimally invasive procedure can provide fusion and stabilization of the sacroiliac joint in eligible patients when indicated nonsurgical treatment has not provided relief. Sacroiliac joint…

Two members of our department’s STatistics in Anesthesiology Research (STAR) Core will be presenting at the virtual Research Reproducibility 2020: Educating for Reproducibility conference from Dec. 2 to 3. The free conference is geared toward anyone interested in research reproducibility and training approaches, including educators in higher education, K-12, and…

Congratulations to Rene Przkora, MD, PhD, who has been re-elected to serve another 2-year term as Council Member for Pain Medicine of the Association of Anesthesiology Subspecialty Program Directors of the Society of Academic Associations of Anesthesiology and Perioperative…

Congratulations to all who had articles published in October! Anesthesia & Analgesia Berkow L, Kanowitz A. In response. Anesth Analg. 2020 Nov;131(5):e238. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000005166. PMID: 33094987 No abstract available. Annals of Thoracic Surgery Plowman EK, Chheda N, Anderson A, Allen J, DiBiase L, Vasilopoulos…

Annually, the UF Department of Anesthesiology joins healthcare providers nationwide to celebrate these exceptional health care providers during National Nurse Practitioner Week. Our nurse practitioners work hard every day to treat, diagnose, prescribe, and educate patients so they live healthier lives. We are especially grateful to all of our…

Congratulations to Associate Professor Patrick Tighe, MD, MS, who is a coeditor of the new Second Edition of the Military Advanced Regional Anesthesia and Analgesia Handbook published Oct. 9 by Oxford University Press. The thoroughly revised and updated second edition contains illustrated, step-by-step guidance for…

The department is pleased to announce that Lauren C. Berkow, MD, FASA, has been promoted to Chief of the Division of Neuroanesthesia. Since joining us in 2016, Dr. Berkow, Professor of Anesthesiology and Director of Anesthesia Supplies and Equipment, has made substantial contributions to our institution’s sustainability and…

Our department has announced the appointments of Miguel A. Reina, MD, PhD, and Henry Rosenberg, MD, as Courtesy Professors effective Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, 2021. Dr. Reina has been a Professor of Anesthesiology in the School of Medicine at the University CEU San Pablo since 2009. He has been…

Third-year residents Joseph Aburahma, MD, Bill Mallett, MD, and Jay Nwokolo, MD, each scored in the top 10% of the American Board of Anesthesiology BASIC Examination in August, 2020. Scoring in the top ten percent among those who took the exam is a testament to the hard work and dedication…

With funding and in collaboration with a group from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a team of UF researchers is working to refine the genetic markers of malignant hyperthermia (MH) using whole exome sequencing.   Ultimately, the project aims to make a genetic analysis a more reliable way to diagnose a person’s genetic susceptibility to malignant hyperthermia (MH), which is…

Yahya Ayhan Acar, MD, has joined us for a yearlong Simulation Fellowship in the Center for Safety, Simulation, and Advanced Learning Technologies (CSSALT). Dr. Acar is Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine in the Department of Emergency Medicine at University…

Please join us in congratulating, Julie Holroyd, MD, our resident of the month for August! Residents were nominated by their fellow residents and faculty for their hard work, motivation, and going above and beyond in their duties. Fourth-year resident Julie Holroyd, MD, received the most nominations of any individual in…

The UF Health team behind the local PulsePoint Respond mobile app initiative, which aims to increase the survival rate from cardiac arrest in the Gainesville community, has received national recognition for its creative and effective marketing approach.  The PulsePoint community launch team received a …

A low-risk, minimally invasive procedure offered at UF Health can help patients experiencing low back pain due to spinal stenosis, while reducing recovery time. The short outpatient MILD® procedure to treat lumbar spinal stenosis is approved by the FDA and covered by Medicare nationwide. It requires only a small incision…

Congratulations to all who had articles published in September! A&A Practice Gray CM, Adaralegbe AO, Kumar S. A case report of high cervical spinal cord stimulation for chronic otalgia and tinnitus. A A Pract. 2020 Jul;14(9):e01261. doi: 10.1213/XAA.0000000000001261. PMID: 32909723 American Journal of Medical Quality…

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Basma Mohamed, MBChB, who has joined the patient education section of the Education Committee of the Society of Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care (SNACC). Dr. Mohamed expressed interest to the chair of the education committee and highlighted her work in the Perioperative Medicine Division.

A preoperative anemia clinic opened in mid-August to identify and optimize patients with anemia prior to planned surgery as part of UF Health’s ongoing Patient Blood Management Program.   Anemia is a preventable problem that is easily detected during a patient’s evaluation for surgery. The presence of anemia, when…

Every year from October 6 -12, we join healthcare providers nationwide in recognizing the unique skills of our Physician Assistants during National PA Week. Our PA’s have stepped up during this challenging time of COVID-19 and proven themselves to be flexible, collaborative, adaptable, and most importantly ESSENTIAL. On behalf…

Congratulations to Jiepei Zhu, MD, PhD, who has been awarded an Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) grant to go on a yearlong assignment assisting with traumatic brain injury (TBI) research at the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center. Dr. Zhu will serve as the Co-Investigator on the research study of Kevin Wang,…

Congratulations to Rene Przkora, MD, PhD, who has been appointed to a 1-year term as a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Abstract Review Subcommittee on Chronic and…

Fritz-Gerald Charles, MD, earned his undergraduate degree in Pre-Health Professions from Florida Atlantic University before attending UF’s College of Medicine. He also earned a Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Medicine Technology from Barry University in 2009, and an Associate of Arts in Pharmacy from Broward College in 2006. Now a third-year resident,…

This month we said goodbye to a longtime member of the Anesthesiology family as Marilyn Blackwell, Staff Assistant in Financial Services, retired after 34 ½ years with our department. Marilyn served our department through five chairs and numerous changes, always with a big smile, good cheer, and willingness to help.

Congratulations to Sem Lampotang, PhD, FSSH, FAIMBE, Gordon L. Gibby, MD, MSEE, David Lizdas, BSME, and their team, who have been honored with a UFInnovations of the Year award for the PanVentTM low-cost, open-source ventilator they created during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The award from UF Innovate…

Rene Przkora, MD, PhD, is a coauthor on new guidelines published by the American Burn Association for managing acute pain in adult burn patients. The guidelines, published online on Sept. 4 in the Journal of Burn Care and Research, are the first time the guidelines…

Congratulations to Mary Jane Michael, RN, MS, CCRC, Clinical Research Manager, who has been elected to a 2-year term as Secretary on the Leadership Board of Sigma Theta Tau, the International Nursing Honor Society, representing the Alpha Theta Chapter at UF. The goal of…

Congratulations to fourth-year resident Milu Thakkar, MD, who has been selected to participate in the 2020 American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Resident Component House of Delegates as a Florida Resident Delegate. As a member of the governing council, the ASA Resident Component House of Delegates will provide Dr. Thakkar with exposure to…

John Santiago, MD, joined us as Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology in the Division of Multispecialty Anesthesiology on Sept. 15. Dr. Santiago joins us from Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group in Virginia, where he served as an Anesthesiologist at Tysons Corner Ambulatory Surgery Center, Virginia Hospital Center, and Reston Hospital…

Lauren Smajdor, MD, earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Florida before attending UF’s College of Medicine. Now a fourth-year resident, Dr. Smajdor received the CA2 Division of Acute Pain Award at our 2020 graduation ceremony. She also…

Congratulations to all who had articles published in August! Annals of Thoracic Surgery Tinica G, Tarus A, Bacusca A, Furnica C, Chistol RO, Robicsek SA. “Carpe diem” professor – in memoriam of Francis Robicsek (1925-2020). Ann Thorac Surg. 2020 Aug 3:S0003-4975(20)31285-6. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2020.05.173. Online ahead…

September is Pain Awareness Month, and the 2020 theme is #MyPainPlan, which focuses on the importance of an individualized, multidisciplinary, multimodal approach to pain care. At UF Health, we are committed to preventing and treating acute and chronic pain through various techniques. If you have pain that’s interfering…

Matthew Meroney, MD, joined us as Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology in the Division of Pain Medicine on Sept. 1 after completing his Pain Medicine Fellowship in our department. Dr. Meroney earned his medical degree at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia, where he also completed an intern…

Trina Emerson joined the Department of Anesthesiology as Practice Manager of UF Health Pain Medicine Springhill in March. She came to us with a strong background in healthcare administration, having most recently served as Senior Clinical Financial Manager at Florida Cancer Specialists. Below, we caught up with her about…

Originally from Miami, Lida Esfandiary, MD, earned her undergraduate degree in biology at the University of Florida in 2014 before attending UF’s College of Medicine. In her final year of medical school, she earned the prestigious J.S. Gravenstein Award…

Lauren Berkow, MD, is the author of a new topic, “Complications of airway management in adults,” published in the database UpToDate® in July. The topic discusses potential complications during or…

The pterygopalatine fossa block simulator, built over the past year with a grant from the I. Heermann Anesthesia Foundation (IHAF), is now ready for validation with trainees. Ultimately, it could be used to train providers in several UF Health locations on as many as eight other head and neck blocks.

The Pain Medicine Division has been awarded a grant from Medtronic to support fellows in attending cadaver courses required during their training. The funds will be used by the six Pain Medicine fellows throughout the year to attend various educational courses. With the support from Medtronic, fellows will have the…

Pablo Pizarro Rosario, MD, joined us on Aug. 17, 2020, as an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology in the Division of Critical Care Medicine. He has more than 30 years of military service and joins us from the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth in Virginia, where he has served as a staff…

Congratulations to Alicia McLeod, MD, for being elected to the University of Florida College of Medicine Housestaff Council Executive Committee! The Housestaff Council provides input to the Graduate Medical Education office on many issues and the Executive Committee guides some of the financial decisions for money used for housestaff. Dr.

Sixteen fellows from the Departments of Anesthesiology, Emergency Medicine, Neurology, and Surgery had the opportunity to practice core critical care skills on simulation equipment during a multidisciplinary 3-day boot camp August 12-14. The 3 didactic days included lectures, interactive problem-based learning discussions, task training, team training, and simulation. Scheduling…

Andrea Macias Mendoza, MD, joined us on Aug. 3, 2020, as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Multispecialty Anesthesiology. She earned her medical degree from New York Medical College; she completed her Anesthesiology Residency this year at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey. She is a member…

Three Department of Anesthesiology faculty members have received Faculty Enhancement Opportunity (FEO) awards to attend an intensive 2-week undersea and hyperbaric medicine diving course in California, with the goal of expanding treatment for a range of diving- and aviation-related conditions at UF Health. Assistant Professor Derek Covington, MD, Professor…

Please join us in congratulating our residents of the month for May and June! These residents were nominated by their fellow residents and faculty for their hard work, motivation, and going above and beyond in their duties. The resident of the month for May is fourth-year resident Dominik Ochocinski, DO.

As of July 10, UF Health CRNAs are now eligible to receive continuing education credits (CEUs) by attending Friday morning CME lectures, providing a convenient and flexible option to obtain required credits. Among other requirements, CRNAs need 100 CEUs every 4 years to maintain certification. They can obtain these credits…

Six anesthesiologists began their Multidisciplinary Pain Medicine Fellowship with us this summer. Please help us welcome them to the team! Justin Alfonso, MD Residency Specialty: Anesthesiology Residency Institution: University of Florida Jacksonville Medical Education: American University of Antigua In his free time, Dr. Alfonso enjoys playing a variety of sports…

Adrian J. Maurer, MD, joined us on Aug. 1, 2020, as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Acute Pain Medicine. Dr. Maurer joins us from our Acute & Perioperative Pain Medicine Fellowship, which he completed over the past year. He earned his medical degree at the University of Oklahoma…

UF Health will become a study site of an NIH-funded research initiative aimed at comparing non-opioid treatments for managing knee pain associated with osteoarthritis.  The multicenter randomized controlled trial, called “A sequenced strategy for improving outcomes in persons with knee osteoarthritis pain (SKOAP),” will seek to optimize evidence-based approaches to managing pain associated with knee osteoarthritis and identify phenotypes that…

Congratulations to all who had articles published in July! Addiction Zhou L, Bhattacharjee S, Kwoh K, Tighe PJ, Reisfield GM, Malone DC, Slack M, Wilson DL, Chang CY, Lo-Ciganic WH. Dual-trajectories of opioid and gabapentinoid use and risk of subsequent drug overdose among medicare beneficiaries in the united…

Welcome to our new Combined Cardiothoracic Critical Care Medicine Fellow and Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellow! Combined Cardiothoracic Critical Care Medicine Ahmad Parniani, MD Residency Specialty: Anesthesiology Residency Institution: Penn State Medical Education: University of Louisville In his free time, Dr. Parniani likes to travel. He enjoys bowling and billiards and…

Basma Mohamed, MBChB, has received a Faculty Enhancement Opportunity (FEO) grant to complete a yearlong Perioperative Medicine Fellowship at Duke University. Dr. Mohamed, an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, will complete the fellowship remotely while at UF. The FEO award will cover the full $45,000 tuition for…

Rene Przkora, MD, PhD, is a coauthor on a new paper in the journal Pain Medicine describing innovative solutions to help maintain the quality of pain fellowship programs during the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors convened a panel of pain program directors who…

Five anesthesiologists and two emergency medicine physicians began their Critical Care Medicine Fellowship with us this summer. Please help us welcome them to the team! Jacqueline Boehme, MD Residency Specialty: Anesthesiology Residency Institution: Brigham & Women’s Hospital Medical Education: Harvard Medical School Dr. Boehme has a passion for the…

The Department of Anesthesiology awarded four research grants to support anesthesiology faculty research. Fifteen applications were submitted and four proposals were selected and approved by leadership. The winners are Prodip Bose, PhD, Penny Reynolds, PhD, Richa Wardhan, MD, Anthony Cometa, MD, Brandon Lopez, MD, and Adam Wendling, MD.

Albert Robinson, III, MD, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, has taken the helm as President of the College of Medicine Faculty Council after serving as President-Elect this past year. Sonia Deshmukh Mehta, MD, Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, is embarking on the second year of her…

After four years of extensive work by an international panel of experts that included Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology Penny S. Reynolds, PhD, the updated and revised ARRIVE 2.0 (Animal Research: Reporting In Vivo Experiments) guidelines have been published on July…

Four anesthesiologists began their Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesia Fellowship with us this summer. Please help us welcome them to the team! Jordan Brewer, MD Residency Specialty: Anesthesiology Residency Institution: University of Florida Medical Education: University of Texas When Dr. Brewer is not working, he enjoys getting outdoors either to run…

Sandra Victor, MD, joined our department as Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology in the Division of Pain Medicine on July 1 after completing her Pain Medicine Fellowship with us. Dr. Victor earned her medical degree at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, and she completed her Anesthesiology…

Congratulations to all who had articles published in June! American Journal of Transplantation Wallen TJ, Arnaoutakis GJ, Beaver T, Pelaez A, Chandrashekaran S, Shahmohammadi A, Emtiazjoo AM, Spiess B, Pipkin M, Machuca TN. Successful Bridge to Lung Transplantation with Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement. Am J Transplant. 2020 Jun 7.

Five anesthesiologists began their Acute and Perioperative Pain Medicine Fellowship with us this summer. Please help us welcome them to the team! Andrey Bilko, MD Residency Specialty: AnesthesiologyResidency Institution: Penn StateMedical Education: Penn State In his free time, Dr. Bilko enjoys being outside, especially near the water, where he…

Twenty-five physicians began their Anesthesiology Residency with us this summer, including six graduates of the University of Florida College of Medicine. Please help us welcome them to the team! Interested in joining our residency program? Find out how to apply here. First-Year Residents (PGY-1/Intern) Affan Ahmad, MD…

UF Health Pain Medicine specialists are ready to provide services that meet the needs and preferences of all patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, whether they would like to be seen for an in-person visit following CDC guidelines or via telehealth.  Our specialists use teams of experts to diagnose and treat…

Congratulations to Amanda Frantz, MD, Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, who has been awarded a $42,110 grant from the I. Heermann Anesthesia Foundation, or IHAF. The yearlong grant titled “Exploration of Biomarkers and Clinical Assessment of Patients Undergoing Total Knee Replacement Surgery and Their Perioperative Outcomes” will begin Sept. 20.

Emeritus professor Charles Parker Gibbs, MD, passed away on June 25, surrounded by his loving family under the care of Haven Hospice in Gainesville, FL. He was 84. Dr. Gibbs’ influence as a physician and educator left an indelible mark on the University of Florida College of Medicine and beyond…

Congratulations to our 24 graduating residents of the Class of 2020, who were honored during two virtual celebrations this year, and our 16 graduating fellows, who received sendoffs in small groups.

Congratulations to Nelson “Nic” Algarra, MD, and David Corda, MD, who have been promoted to Associate Professor effective July 1. Dr. Algarra, who is also Assistant Program Director for Clinical Operations, joined UF in 2014 from the University of Kansas. Dr. Corda, who is also Chief of the Division of…