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Vision

To be one of the premier academic anesthesiology and perioperative medicine programs in the country.

Mission

The mission of the Department of Anesthesiology is to:

  • Deliver the highest quality care during the perioperative phase, in the ICUs and pain clinics
  • Provide excellence in education of medical students, residents, fellow, and other health care providers
  • Foster the advancement of knowledge through research and collaboration with our partners in healthcare, service, and leadership
  • Develop an environment of caring with an emphasis on quality, patient safety, performance improvement, professionalism and compassion
  • Cultivate leadership within the department, university and our healthcare partner facilities at the local and national level
KU Medical Center campus with tulips in the foreground

Message from the Chair

"We strive to deliver the highest quality care in our pain clinics, intensive care units, and OR’s. Our emphasis is on compassionate care, patient safety, performance improvement, professionalism, wellness, and leadership."
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Congratulations to Eric Gray for winning the CRNA of Excellence Award
Eric Gray and his spouse.

Eric was nominated by Jen Hopkins and Krystal Schelp. Eric stands out amongst his peers as someone who cares deeply for his team, and the patients he cares for.

Eric is highly respected amongst the surgeons and anesthesiologist colleagues exemplify competent, anesthesia care. Surgeons and Anesthesiologist are at ease when Eric is present; resting in the expert care he has provided so many times over the years.

Congratulations Eric!!!


New T32 Grant on Obesity Complications, Congratulations Dr. Douglas Wright and Team
Banner of Douglas Wright and a woman in a lab setting

1/20/23 - The University of Kansas Medical Center has been awarded a prestigious grant by the National Institutes of Health to provide training focused on obesity and metabolism for pre-doctoral graduate students. Obesity is a complex national epidemic. The grant is intended to produce trainees who can think broadly about the condition from the laboratory to the clinic. Read full article: https://www.kumc.edu/about/news/news-archive/obesity-research-t32-grant.html

ASA 2022 Resident Presentations
Residents share presentations on large monitors
Resident Physicians posing together

Congratulations to our resident presenters at this year’s ASA event! Participants include: Dr. Davis, Dr. Fletcher, Dr. Hild, Dr. Lawson, Dr. Leathers, Dr. Lesperance, Dr. Oba, Dr. Perry, Dr. Sanderson, Dr. Vu, Dr. Worley, and Dr. Zwick.

ASA 2022 Faculty Participants
Faculty members post together at the event center
4 Faculty members posing together in front of a brown wall

We would like to acknowledge this year’s participation in ASA event! Congratulations to our faculty presenters: Dr. Cotter, Dr. Flynn, Dr. Chadwick, Dr. Pozek, Dr. Kovac, Dr. Grigsby, and Dr. Hendren. Also, thank you Dr. Unruh, Dr. Stoops, Dr. Kindscher, Dr. Lam, Dr. Latif, Dr. Nachtigal, Dr. Sack, Dr. Shih, Dr. Folsom, and Dr. Siscel for their committee participation or other supporting roles!

Dr. Aaron LacKamp spoke at the Korean Society of Critical Care Medicine
LaKamp receiving award on stage

The conference was in Gyeongju, Korea and was a joint conference with the Taiwan Society of Critical Care Medicine. Dr. LacKamp was given a certificate of appreciation by Dr. Sung-Hee Hwang, Neurology at Hallym University, Korea and Dr. Do-Sung Yoo, Neurosurgeon at The Catholic University of Korea, Korea. The title of the lecture was Intracranial Hypertension Management- Update.

MARC 2022

MARC group photo

We had 8 Residents participate in the Midwest Anesthesia Residents Conference this year. We placed 1st and 2nd in OB, 3rd in General, 1st in Pain, 3rd in Critical Care, and 2nd in Patient Safety.

Huge thank you to the faculty mentors, Dr. Walsh for serving as MARC faculty coordinator, and Angie Ballew and Walter Orr from the Research team.


Good Catch Award

Image from left to right: Nicholas Kelly, Talal Khan, MD, Brandley Coomes, CRNA, David Bishop, MD, David Penningtom, CRNA

Congratulations on the Good Catch Award

During a procedure, the equipment being used to monitor neuromuscular blockade was noted to have artifact while powered on, even when not in use.  The machine was powered off and cables were removed from the machine and reattached.  The blue light remained illuminated while the machine was powered off.  This caused the provider great concern so the machine was detached and flagged for Biomed.  The electrodes were removed from the patient and a skin assessment was completed at the sites to ensure that there was no burn from the electrodes.  This was escalated for further investigation of the equipment.


Listen to the new podcast from CAE's Amar Patel: Doctors of Ingenuity: Is this Portable Contagion Tent the Next Big Device?


Brigid FlynnCongratulations to Dr. Brigid Flynn she has been inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. She is being recognized for her academic acumen! Learn more about the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.


Jared StaabThe Academy of Medical Educators has recommended Dr. Jared Staab to an Associate Membership. The Academy of Medical Educators advances medical education through innovation, scholarship and faculty development. View details of Academy of Medical Educators membership categories.


KU Anesthesiologists create a portable, affordable, negative pressure environment to protect heathcare workers from #COVID and other aerosolized pathogens while conserving #PPE. Watch the COVID-19 update from The University of Kansas Health System.

Three students holding award ribbons.KU Medical Center hosts Brain Bee
Erin Young, faculty co-president this year, helped host the 16th annual SfNKC Brain Bee where local high school students interested in learning about the human brain come to be quizzed on their knowledge. They are proudly sending their regional winner to the National Brain Bee in Irvine, CA! Read the full story.


Photo of Dr. Seth HolwerdaDr. Holwerda receives K-INBRE award!
The K-INBRE has awarded Seth Holwerda, PhD a 2-year $150,000 research grant to examine vascular dysfunction in insulin resistance and obesity. This research award is part of the Developmental Research Program to support promising young Kansas faculty. Congratulations Dr. Holwerda!

Seth W. Holwerda, Ph.D. recently had a manuscript, "Standardizing methodology for assessing spontaneous baroreflex control of muscel sympathetic nerve activity in humans" published in AJP-Heart and Circulatory Physiology as a Cores of Reproducibility in Physiology (Unsolicited).

Seth W. Holwerda, Ph.D. is presenting at the Annual American Autonomic Society meeting November 6th and 7th, 2020. His presentation poster: Evidence of sympathetic regulation of the choroid circulation by baroreceptors in humans.


Dr. Andrea NicolDr. Andrea Chadwick was honored to be featured on the NPR program: "All Things Considered" with her approach to treating pain for addiction patients. View the NPR article

Congratulations to Dr. Anthony Kovac on his article, Updates in the Management of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting, in Advances in Anesthesia.

Now Hiring!

We are actively recruiting general and fellowship trained anesthesiologists to become part of our team.

Learn More

Anesthesiology Calendar

KU School of Medicine

University of Kansas Medical Center
Department of Anesthesiology
3901 Rainbow Boulevard
Mailstop 1034
Kansas City, KS 66160
913-588-6670