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Scott Hunter

Chris Edwards, M.D., appointed MOCA Minutes question author

Congratulations to Chris Edwards, M.D., who has been invited to serve as a question author for the American Board of Anesthesiology’s (ABA) MOCA Minute Pediatric Anesthesiology Committee. Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology (MOCA) Minute questions are designed to help anesthesiologists keep up-to-date with changing trends and industry advancements…

Kayser Enneking, M.D., honored by UF Women in Medicine and Science

Kayser Enneking, M.D., professor of anesthesiology and orthopaedics, was recently honored by UF Women in Medicine and Science (WIMS) for her professional excellence, contribution as a role model, and outstanding leadership. Enneking, who also received the UF College of Medicine’s Lifetime Achievement Award earlier this year,…

October Faculty Educator of the Month

Please help us congratulate Patrick Millan, M.D, who was chosen by our residents as the October 2023 Faculty Educator of the Month. Dr. Millan is an assistant professor in the division of Cardiothoracic Anesthesia, and it’s no surprise to see him win this award. He was recently one…

October Resident of the Month

Please help us congratulate our October Resident of the Month, Elaine Kerr, M.D.! Dr. Kerr’s colleagues can’t say enough about what a pleasure she is to work with, both because of her clinical expertise and her personal interactions. Read on for some of her nominations. “Elaine is another…

October 2023 publications

Congratulations to everyone who was published in October! Published faculty were Doctors Austin, Dooley, Edwards, Fahy, Garvan, Gonzalez, Gravenstein, Jafari, Kumar, Maybauer, Meroney, Modave, Mora, Price, Przkora, Sappenfield, Spiess, and Vasilopoulos. Anesthesiology Vail EA, Feng R, Sieber F, Carson JL, Ellenberg SS, Magaziner J, Dillane D, Marcantonio ER, Sessler DI,…

Shiv Rawal, M.D., joins the department

Shiv Rawal, M.D., joined the department this month as an assistant professor of anesthesiology in the Divisions of Critical Care Medicine and Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology. Rawal earned his medical degree from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN, and completed his anesthesiology residency at Barnes Jewish Hospital/Washington University in St. Louis,…

Kathleen McDonald, D.O., M.A., joins the department

Kathleen McDonald, D.O., M.A., joined the department last month as an assistant professor in the division of Multispecialty Anesthesiology. McDonald earned her medical degree from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Erie, PA, and holds a M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval…

September Faculty Educator of the Month: Chris Goldstein, M.D.

Please help us congratulate Chris Goldstein, M.D, who was chosen by our residents as the September 2023 Faculty Educator of the Month. Dr. Goldstein is affiliated anesthesiology faculty based at the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center. Our residents used words like “compassionate,” “patient,” and “exciting” to describe his work…

September Resident of the Month

Please help us congratulate our September 2023 Resident of the Month, Bobby Houston, M.D.!  Dr. Houston’s colleagues have noted his skill and commitment to teamwork. Read on for some quotes from his nominations. “Bobby has tackled several tough cases with aplomb this rotation. He was always willing to help…

10 faculty receive 2023 Exemplary Teacher Awards

We are pleased to announce that 10 Department of Anesthesiology faculty members have received the Exemplary Teacher Award for 2023. 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,…

Abigail Schirmer, M.D., selected president-elect of ASA Resident Component

Abigail Schirmer, M.D., CA-1, who once presented a research poster at the 2016 American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) annual meeting as a University of Florida undergraduate, returned from this year’s conference as president-elect of the ASA Resident Component. Schirmer, who was elected unanimously, is the first female…

Critical Care Medicine adds skills labs to grand rounds

The Department of Anesthesiology has begun to integrate hands-on skill labs into Critical Care Medicine (CCM) Grand Rounds. As part of the transition from the purely virtual grand rounds sessions developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, professor of anesthesiology Felipe Urdaneta, M.D., presented the first of a new series of…

Joseph AbuRahma, M.D., joins the department

Joseph AbuRahma, M.D., joined the department this month as an assistant professor in the Divisions of Cardiothoracic and Liver & Transplant Anesthesiology. AbuRahma earned his medical degree at Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine in Huntington, WV. He then completed both his anesthesiology residency and his cardiothoracic anesthesia…

September 2023 publications

Congratulations to everyone who was published in September 2023! Published faculty were Doctors Boezaart, Brennan, Chembrovich, Fahy, Garvan, Ihnatsenka, Kumar, Le-Wendling, Pitkin, Przkora, Reina, Reynolds, Robicsek, Sappenfield, Smith, Tighe, Vasilopoulos, and Zasimovich. Advanced Biology Guo X, Akanda N, Fiorino G, Nimbalkar S, Long CJ, Colón A, Patel A,…

Meera Ramsooksingh, M.D., M.S., joins the department

Meera Ramsooksingh, M.D., M.S., joined the department this month as an assistant professor in the divisions of neuroanesthesiology and vascular anesthesia. Ramsooksingh received her M.S. in neuroscience from the University of Pittsburgh and her medical degree from the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine in Tampa, FL.

August Faculty Educator of the Month: Jordan Phillips, M.D.

Please help us congratulate Jordan Phillips, M.D., who was chosen by our residents as the August 2023 Faculty Educator of the Month. Dr. Phillips joined us as an assistant professor in July in the Division of Critical Care Medicine after completing his fellowship with us, so it’s fair to…

August Resident of the Month: Ryan Belk, D.O.

Please help us congratulate our August 2023 Resident of the Month, Ryan Belk, D.O.! Dr. Belk’s colleagues have noticed that he’s always stepping up for the team, and they decided a little recognition was long overdue. Read on for some quotes from his nominations. “Dr. Belk is a secret…

Sarah Blake, M.D., joins the department

Sarah Blake, M.D., joined the department last month as an assistant professor in the Division of Multispecialty Anesthesiology. Blake earned her medical degree from Harvard Medical School. She completed her anesthesiology residency and pain management fellowship, as well as a research fellowship, at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Blake comes…

August 2023 publications

Congratulations to everyone who was published in August 2023! Published faculty were Doctors Austin, Boezaart, Dooley, Edwards, Enneking, Gonzalez, Gravenstein, Janelle, Maybauer, Nin, Price, Pitkin, Reina, Reynolds, Robicsek, Sullivan, and Wenzel. ASAIO Journal Brewer JM, Broman LM, Maybauer MO. A Plea for Adoption of the Common ECLS…

Tips from residents for a successful virtual interview

Interview season for residency programs is coming up, and members of our Resident Recruitment Committee were kind enough to share their insight about preparing for the experience. Read on for their tips, as well as an excerpt from an upcoming Q&A with Tim Martin, M.D., professor of anesthesiology…

New Endoscopic Spine Fellowship officially begins

The Department of Anesthesiology is excited to welcome Rohan Sarna, M.D., the first fellow of our new Endoscopic Spine Fellowship under the direction of Sanjeev Kumar, M.D. Endoscopic spine surgery is a groundbreaking, minimally invasive technique that can address a wide range of pathologies with only a small…

2023-24 resident committees announced

We’re excited to officially announce our resident committees for the 2023-24 academic year. Our talented residents form these committees to help ensure that everyone in our residency program is getting the very best possible experience. This is also the first year that we have a resident Anesthesia Performance Improvement Committee…

July 2023 Faculty Educator of the Month: Svitlana Smolenchuk, M.D., Ph.D.

Please help us congratulate the July 2023 Faculty Educator of the Month, assistant professor of anesthesiology Svitlana Smolenchuk, M.D., Ph.D.! Dr. Smolenchuk was chosen because of the amazing educational experiences she’s provided for residents and fellows here in the department. Read on for some quotes from her nominations.

July Resident of the Month: Michael Jones, M.D.

Please help us congratulate our July 2023 Resident of the Month, Michael Jones, M.D.! Dr. Jones was nominated by his fellow residents and faculty for his attitude, professionalism, and teamwork. Below are some of the quotes from his nominations. “Dr. Jones volunteered (without duress) to relieve someone late…

Federico Jimenez Ruiz, M.D., joins the department

Federico Jimenez Ruiz, M.D., joined the department in July as an assistant professor in the divisions of Pediatric Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine. Jimenez Ruiz earned his medical degree from Universidad CES in Medellin, Colombia, and completed his anesthesiology residency at the University of Minnesota. He then completed a regional…

2023 simulation fellows

The department is excited to welcome two new simulation fellows at the Center for Safety, Simulation & Advanced Learning Technologies (CSSALT)! Hyunyoung Lim, M.D., Ph.D., earned her medical degree and Ph.D. from Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, Republic of Korea. She completed a residency and fellowship…

July 2023 publications

Congratulations to everyone who had publications in July of 2023! Published Department of Anesthesiology faculty were Doctors Boezaart, Dooley, Edwards, Euliano, Gonzalez, Ihnatsenka, Jimenez-Ruiz, Le-Wendling, Maybauer, Smith, and Reynolds. Anesthesia and Analgesia Jimenez-Ruiz F, Dooley FC, Gonzalez SN, Edwards CM. Imbalance in clinically meaningful variables. Anesth Analg. 2023;137(2):e13-e14. doi:10.1213/ANE.0000000000006559…

Jordan Phillips, M.D., joins the department

Jordan D. Phillips, M.D., joined us in July as an assistant professor in the division of Critical Care Medicine. Phillips received his medical degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, and also completed his anesthesiology residency there, where he acted as co-chief resident and received the 2022 John…

2023 regional anesthesiology and acute pain medicine fellows join the department

Six physicians began their regional anesthesiology and acute pain medicine fellowships with us this summer. Please help us welcome them to the team! Juan Acosta, M.D. Dr. Acosta earned his medical degree from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá D.C., Colombia. He completed a pediatrics residency at MedStar Georgetown University…

Chris Samouce, Ph.D., joins faculty

Chris Samouce, Ph.D., has been promoted to assistant scientist in the division of research and will continue to work with the Center for Safety, Simulation & Advanced Learning Technologies (CSSALT). He joined CSSALT in October as a software engineer. Samouce earned both his B.S. and Ph.D. in physics from…

June Resident of the Month: Hadia Maqsood, M.D.

Please help us congratulate our June 2023 resident of the month: Hadia Maqsood, M.D.! Dr. Maqsood was Resident of the Month last July, so her fellow residents and faculty are no strangers to the qualities that make her an excellent leader and physician. Below are some quotes from this…

2023 critical care medicine fellows

Three physicians began their critical care medicine fellowship with us this summer. Each of them has recently completed their emergency medicine residency right here at the University of Florida. Please help us welcome them to the next stage of their training in the department! Nhi Luu. D.O. Dr. Luu…

June 2023 publications

Congratulations to everyone who had publications in June of 2023! Published faculty were Doctors Berkow, Garvan, Modave, Robicsek, Srisooksai, and Vasilopoulos. American Journal of Health Education Wahltinez O, Glasgow S, Cheung A, Glasgow JF, Noguera M, Glasgow JW, Hoalt PN. The Mango Model: best practices in the creation…

CSSALT awarded grant to develop online defibrillator simulation

A team from the University of Florida’s Center for Safety, Simulation & Advanced Learning Technologies (CSSALT), led by Chris Samouce, Ph.D., assistant scientist in the UF Department of Anesthesiology, has been awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Innovators Network to develop an interactive,…

2023 cardiothoracic anesthesiology fellows join the department

Four physicians began their cardiothoracic anesthesiology fellowship with us this summer. Please help us welcome them to the team! Geoffry Burks, D.O. Dr. Burks earned his medical degree from Touro University Nevada College and completed his anesthesiology residency at the University of Washington. He enjoys outdoor activities like SCUBA…

Terrie Vasilopoulos, Ph.D., elected chair of Statistical Consulting Section

The American Statistical Association (ASA) has elected Terrie Vasilopoulos, Ph.D., associate professor of anesthesiology and orthopaedic surgery & sports medicine, as chair-elect of its Statistical Consulting Section. She will serve as chair-elect in 2024, chair in 2025, and past chair in 2026. Vasilopoulos, who has been a member of…

Timothy Feldheim, M.D., M.S., joins the department

Timothy Vincent Feldheim, M.D., M.S., joined us in June as an assistant professor in the divisions of Multispecialty Anesthesiology, Vascular Anesthesiology, and Pain Medicine. He joins us from Cincinnati, where he worked as an interventional pain physician in private practice. Dr. Feldheim received his bachelor’s degree in molecular and cellular…

UF Anesthesiology leads the way at FSA 2023

More than twenty faculty, residents, and staff from the Department of Anesthesiology had a great weekend at the Florida Society of Anesthesiologists’ annual meeting held June 9-11 at The Breakers in West Palm Beach, Florida. Hayden Dohnalek, M.D., who graduated from residency this month and is…

May Resident of the Month: Kelley Martin, M.D.

Please help us congratulate our May 2023 Resident of the Month: Kelley Martin, M.D.! Dr. Martin was nominated by her fellow residents and faculty for her consistent hard work and dedication. Below are some quotes from her nominations. “Kelley is a superstar on so many levels. Her preparation of…

Albert Robinson, M.D., and Hamad Sagheer, M.D., attend ASA Legislative Conference

Albert Robinson, M.D., associate professor of anesthesiology, and Hamad Sagheer, M.D., CA-1, traveled to Washington, D.C., last month to attend the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ 2023 Legislative Conference. Robinson said anesthesiologists from around the country traveled to the capitol to advocate for patient care, preserving safe care for veterans,…

Residents prepare for clinical anesthesiology at 2023 Basic Skills Boot Camp

Twenty Department of Anesthesiology interns had the opportunity to learn essential clinical skills in preparation for their first year of clinical anesthesiology training (CA-1) at the 2023 Basic Skills Boot Camp, held the week of June 5. The sessions are designed to address basic clinical and communication skills to…

UF Anesthesiology travels to Honduras for regional anesthesia outreach project

A team of doctors from the University of Florida Department of Anesthesiology recently returned from an outreach trip to Ruth Paz Hospital in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. The visit was the final instructional component of a curriculum designed to teach point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) and ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia (UGRA) techniques…

May 2023 publications

Congratulations to everyone who had publications in May of 2023! Published faculty were Doctors Doré, Fahy, Kumar, Lopez, Maybauer, Sappenfield, Schutte, Seubert, Spiess, Tighe, Vose, and Wardhan. Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association O’Brien K, Feng R, Sieber F, Marcantonio ER, Tierney A, Magaziner J, Carson JL,…

Faculty Awarded Department of Anesthesiology Research Opportunity Funds

The Department of Anesthesiology’s Spring 2023 research funding opportunity, which closed on May 5, awarded five research grants totaling $18,415 to support faculty research. The winners are Michael Franklin, D.O., Amanda Frantz, M.D., Sebastian R. Gatica-Moris, M.D., Anatoly Martynyuk, Ph.D., and Soleil Schutte, M.D. Dr. Franklin’s proposal is…

Pain Medicine Fellowship Receives Grant from Abbott

We are excited to announce that Rene Przkora, M.D., Ph.D., and the Multidisciplinary Pain Medicine Fellowship program have been awarded a fellowship grant from the Abbott Medical Device Grant Committee. Abbott, which operates in more than 160 countries, produces diagnostics, medical devices and pharmaceuticals. It funds a number of…

Dr. Berkow Reelected to Faculty Senate

Lauren Berkow, M.D., FASA, professor of anesthesiology and chief of the division of neuroanesthesiology, has been reelected to the University of Florida Faculty Senate as a representative of the College of Medicine. Dr. Berkow, who has represented the College of Medicine since 2020, will begin her new term in…

April Resident of the Month: Daniel Aine, D.O.

Please help us congratulate our April 2023 Resident of the Month: Daniel Aine, D.O.! Dr. Aine was nominated by his fellow residents and faculty for consistently and selflessly supporting his colleagues. Below are some quotes from his nominations. “Always has a positive attitude, always steps up to the plate.

Rohan Patel Receives 2023 J.S. Gravenstein Award

Rohan Patel, M.D., is the recipient of the 2023 JS Gravenstein Award. This award is presented each year to an outstanding University of Florida College of Medicine graduate who intends to pursue anesthesiology. Patel was selected by UF Department of Anesthesiology leadership based on his record of achievements and…

April 2023 Publications

Congratulations to everyone who had publications in April of 2023! Published faculty were Doctors Austin, Boezart, Chembrovich, Edwards, Fahy, Garvan, Gravenstein, Ihnatsenka, Le-Wendling, Martynyuk, Maybauer, Mohamed, Morey, Sappenfield, Seubert, Tighe, and Vasilopoulos. Anesthesia and Analgesia Blaine KP, Dudaryk R, Milne AD, Moon TS, Nagy D, Sappenfield JW, Teng JJ. Training…

Department Hosts Visiting Medical Skills Students

Local high school students recently had the opportunity to work on simulators and interact with members of the Department of Anesthesiology, College of Medicine and Center for Safety, Simulation & Advanced Learning Technologies (CSSALT). Albert Robinson, M.D., associate professor of anesthesiology and assistant dean for the Office for Diversity…

Katie Cairnes and Amy Gunnett Win 2023 Rebecca Lovely Outstanding Service Award

Congratulations to Katie Cairnes, assistant director of perioperative analytics, and Amy Gunnett, clinical research manager, for being selected as the winners of the seventh annual Rebecca Y. Lovely Outstanding Service Award! Amy and Katie were nominated by other members of their department for this award, which recognizes exemplary performance,…

Tatsiana Kryvitskaya, M.D., Receives Curriculum Innovation Award

The inaugural SEAd Sprout Awards for best trainee abstracts were presented at the annual Society for Education in Anesthesia (SEA) Spring Meeting. Dr. Kryvitskaya received the SEAd Sprout Award for her abstract titled “Implementation of Point-of-Care Ultrasound Curriculum in an Anesthesiology Residency Program at the University of Florida.” Dr.

Cameron Smith, M.D., Teams Up with Neurology on New NIH Grant

A multidisciplinary team of experts from anesthesiology and acute pain and perioperative medicine, neurology, neurocritical care and neurosurgery at the University of Florida has been awarded a $12.9 million National Institutes of Health grant to test a novel way to relieve pain from headaches stemming from a burst brain…

March Resident of the Month: Tyler Ray, M.D.

Please help us congratulate our March 2023 Resident of the Month: Tyler Ray, M.D., CA-2! Dr. Ray was nominated by his fellow residents and faculty for consistently going above and beyond in his duties. He’s described as a “true team player.” Below are some quotes from his nominations.

Department of Anesthesiology Hosts 2023 Ski Summit

The University of Florida Department of Anesthesiology successfully hosted the 2023 Spring Anesthesia Ski Summit last month at the scenic Westgate Park City Resort and Spa in Park City, Utah. The event offered a distinctive platform for healthcare professionals from various institutions and departments across the country to come together,…

Pain Medicine Fellowship Receives Grant from Medtronic

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 Medtronic Giving Connection. The annual Pain Therapies Fellowship Grant is one way Medtronic demonstrates its support for the medical community and qualified medical teaching institutions. Medtronic…

March 2023 Publications

Congratulations to everyone who had publications in March of 2023! Published faculty were Doctors Berkow, Brennan, Doré, Garvan, Fahy, Haas, Jones, Kumar, Lampotang, Maybauer, Modave, Mohamed, Reina, Sibille, Vasilopoulos, Wardhan, and Peggy White. Anatomy & Cell Biology Carrera A, Chaiyamoon A, Reina F, Iwanaga J, Cateura A, Reina MA,…

Medical Student Mentored by Dr. Brennan Honored for Research

A student in the University of Florida College of Medicine’s Medical Student Research Program (MSRP) was honored on March 23 for his research under the mentorship of Meghan Brennan, M.D., M.S., assistant professor of anesthesiology. Jonathan Smith ’25 received the Lawrence M. Goodman Trust Award for his research project,…

Shahrukh Bengali, M.D., Receives Outstanding Resident Educator Award

We are proud to announce that fourth-year resident Shahrukh Bengali, M.D., was honored with the 2022 Outstanding Resident Educator Award on March 14 at the Celebration of Excellence in Medical Education reception. “I am truly honored to have received this award and am thankful to my own teachers over the…

Raquel Buser, M.D., and John Heinbockel, M.D., MSEE, Join the Department

Raquel Buser, M.D., and John Heinbockel, M.D., MSEE, joined the Department of Anesthesiology in March. Raquel Buser, M.D., joined us as an assistant professor of anesthesiology in the Division of Multispecialty Anesthesiology on March 20. She joins us from Parkview Medical Center in Pueblo, CO, where she…

February Resident of the Month: Talles Sidronio, M.D.

Please help us congratulate our February 2023 Resident of the Month: Talles Sidronio, M.D., CA-3! Dr. Sidronio was nominated by his fellow residents and faculty for his hard work and motivation and for going above and beyond in his duties. Below are some of the quotes from his nominations.

February 2023 Publications

Congratulations to everyone who had publications in February 2023! Published faculty are: Drs. Martin, Reina, Loeb, Kumar, Haas, Martynyuk, Maybauer, Vasilopoulos, Lampotang, Przkora, Pitkin, Janelle and Sullivan. Anesthesia and Analgesia Connelly NR, Adler AC, Vanderberg LE, Conlin F, Mitchell JD, Goldstein S, Haspel RL; ATEST Collaborators; COLLABORATORS [Martin TW].

UF Team Awarded Champions Cup in SKOAP Study

Congratulations to Juan Mora, M.D., Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Medical Director of the Ayers Pain Medicine Surgical Center, as well as Anesthesiology Clinical Research Manager Amy Gunnett, R.N., CCRC and Clinical Research Coordinator III Amanda Slater! Their University of Florida research team received an award for excellence…

Brandon Peckham, MHA, Named Vice Chair for Finance and Administration

We are thrilled to announce that Brandon Peckham, MHA, has been appointed Vice Chair for Finance and Administration for the Department of Anesthesiology. In this role, Brandon will be responsible for directing and managing the administrative, financial and clinical business planning activities of the department, as well as the regional…

Basma Mohamed, MBChB, Recognized as a 2023 Quality Hero

This week UF Health has been hosting the 2023 Patient Safety Quality Week with speakers, education and poster sessions, and Quality Hero recognitions. Basma Mohamed, MBChB, assistant professor of anesthesiology and assistant program director for resident wellness, was nominated by her colleagues for the Outstanding Clinical Faculty/Advanced Practice…