Department Research  Aspiring clinician-scientists are encouraged to complete 6-18 months of research in addition to six months of clinical training. Research opportunities are available in a variety of areas, either working in concert with a faculty member on an ongoing project or undertaking a new investigation. The research interests of some of the current faculty are described below.  The Department of Anesthesia & Critical Care offers a joint Anesthesiology/Clinical Pharmacology Training Program (ACPTP). The goal of this program is to provide superior training in clinical anesthesiology and to extend this training to include an in-depth knowledge of the principles, practice and research methods of clinical pharmacology.  The successful candidate will be eligible to sit for the American Board of Anesthesiology exam and the American Board of Clinical Pharmacology exam at the conclusion of training. The program consists of a continuum, adding additional didactic training in clinical pharmacology during the CA-1 and CA-2 years.  At least six months of this period will be clinical as described by the American Board of Anesthesiology, but this time may be used in conjunction with ongoing work in clinical pharmacology. The candidate, under the direction of a mentor, will design and complete a research program focused on the principles of clinical pharmacology as they apply to the practice of anesthesia and critical care. Faculty Research Interests  Further information about our faculty may be found in the Faculty Pages themselves and on the Department Grants List page. Drs. Allan Klock and Bobbie Sweitzer study electronic database information systems to help physicians transfer information, increase the role of anesthesiologists in improving the choices and outcomes of care, implement guidelines, do preoperative assessments and care for patients more efficiently. Dr. Avery Tung studies the effects of sedation and anesthesia on restorative sleep. Drs. John Ellis and Mark Chaney are studying the efficacy of transesophageal echocardiography and stress reduction in various clinical situations, including regional and organ blood flow. Research into the gender differences of anesthetics is conducted by Drs. Dennis Coalson, Jeff Apfelbaum, and Jim Zacny. A pain management program is operated by Drs. Friedl Pantl-Fisher, Magdalena Anitescu, Gita Rupani, Tariq Malik . Dr. Magdalena Anitescu studies the efficancy of traditional and newly emergent discography techniques (functional anesthetic discogram) to identify pain generators in low back pain. Drs. Dan McGehee, Ming Xu, and Jimmy Xie study the pharmacology and biophysics of anesthetics. Clinical investigations into recovery from anesthesia, particularly with respect to patients undergoing surgery on an outpatient basis and perioperative anxiety, are underway by Drs. Jeff Apfelbaum, Allan Klock, Wendy Binstock, and Dennis Coalson in our psychomotor laboratory. Studies of histaminergic, enteric, and autonomic pharmacology are in process under the aegis of Drs. Jonathan Moss and Chun Su Yuan. Pharmacological studies of intensive care patients is undertaken by Drs. Mike O'Connor and Avery Tung. Studies of patient safety are performed by Drs. Richard Cook, Chris Nemeth, Mark Nunnally, Michael O'Connor, Suanne Daves, Allan Klock, Bobbie Sweitzer, and Steve Small. Dr. Steven Roth has an active lab that studies cerebral and ophthalmic blood flow and metabolism, including preconditioning. Dr. Bill McDade studies the biophysics of sickle hemoglobin. Drs. Jon Moss and Chun Su Yuan are working to develop quaternary naltrexone compounds to reverse peripheral effects of narcotics. Our airway laboratory is run by Dr. Andy Ovassapian with assistance from Drs. Dennis Coalson, Allan Klock, and Jerry Klafta. |
