As we head into the full swing of 2022, we reflect about all that we are grateful for. Read below to see a snapshot of our news from 2021. In spite of the uncertainties and the additional burdens of the pandemic, our colleagues' extraordinary work provides us with much optimism for the coming year.
January 2021
Odinakachukwu Ehie, MD, Chair for the California Society of Anesthesiologists Committee of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, Moderator Society for Pediatric Anesthesia Women’s Empowerment and Leadership Initiative (SPA-WELI) Event: Mentorship and Sponsorship Matters.
Lance Pangilinan, RRT, Featured on Fox KTVU News Story About Working on the COVID-19 Front Lines
February 2021
Associate Professor Charlene Blake, MD, PhD, Appointed Associate Director, Faculty Consultation, for the UCSF School of Medicine Bridges Anti-Oppressive Curriculum
After a 5-year, 13-center, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial, results of the MENDS II (Maximizing the Efficacy of Sedation and Reducing Neurological Dysfunction and Mortality in Septic Patients with Acute Respiratory Failure) study have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. UCSF Collaborators included Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care Chair Michael Gropper, MD, PhD, Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care David Shimabukuro, MD, and UCSF Health Respiratory Care Practitioner Brian Daniel, RCP, RRT.
Professor Lawrence Poree, MD, PhD, Director of the UCSF Neuromodulation Service, Author: Jones MR, Orhurhu V, O’Gara B, Brovman EY, Rao N, Vanterpool SG, Poree L, Gulati A, Urman RD. Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Spinal Cord Stimulation Among the Medicare Population. Neuromodulation. 2021 Apr;24(3):434-440.
Percy S, Okunlola B, Wollner E, Medina E, Lipnick MS, Bulamba F. The Work Is All Around Us: Health Equity in Anesthesiology - From Local to Regional to International. ASA Monitor. February 2021, Vol. 85, 23–32.
Students Capturing the OR Experience (SCORE) 2021. Anesthesia pipeline program for high school students led by Charlene Blake, MD, PhD
Morley Singer, MD, First Director of the Moffitt ICU, Passes Away
Thornton KC, Sinskey JL, Boscardin CK, Sullivan KR. Design and Implementation of an Innovative, Longitudinal Wellness Curriculum in an Anesthesiology Residency Program. A A Pract. 2021 Feb 5;15(2):e01387.
Zha Y, Truché P, Izquierdo E, Zimmerman K, de Izquierdo S, Lipnick MS, Law TJ, Gelb AW, Evans FM. Assessment of Anesthesia Capacity in Public Surgical Hospitals in Guatemala. Anesth Analg. 2021 Feb 1;132(2):536-544.
March 2021
After a national search, Odinakachukwu Ehie, MD, Appointed Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care.George Gregory, MD, Recipient of the Inaugural UCSF Emeriti Retired Faculty Award for Excellence
Anshuman Sharma Appointed Director of Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesia
Unconscious Bias Workshop for Staff
US News and World Report Best Anesthesiology Programs 2022 (#3) 
April 2021
Oana Maties, MD, MRCP, FRCA - Academic Practice Forum Delegate
Joyce Chang, MD - Academic Practice Forum Alternate Delegate
Melvin La, MD - Academic Practice Forum Alternate Delegate
Helge Eilers, MD - CSA District 2 Delegate
Lindsey Huddleston, MD - CSA District 2 Delegate
John Turnbull, MD - CSA District 2 Delegate
David Lee, MD - CSA District 2 Alternate Delegate
Wei Zhou, MD - CSA District 2 Alternate Delegate
Melanie M. Henry, MD, MPH, FASA - CSA District 3 Alternate Delegate
Sanjay Belani, MD - Early Career Practice Forum Alternate Delegate
Justin Libaw, MD - Early Career Practice Forum Alternate Delegate
Jay Rajan, MD - Early Career Practice Forum Alternate Delegate
Mark Singleton, MD. FASA - Large Practice Forum Delegate
Gerard Dang, MD, FASA - Medium Size Practice Forum Delegate
Jan Hirsch, MD, PhD - Medium Size Practice Forum Delegate
Byron Decuire, RRT, Accepted as an Inaugural Participant in the San Francisco Department of Public Health Anti-Racism for Equitable and Inclusive Leaders Fellowship ProgramOdinakachukwu Ehie, MD, FASA, Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, and Thanh-Giang Vu, MD, Assistant Professor and Graduate, UCSF Anesthesia and Perioperative Care Residency and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Programs, Led Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Conference for the Kaiser Permanente Downey, West Los Angeles and Los Angeles Medical Center. “Health Equity, Microaggressions, Racism and the Asian American Experience in the US.”
Ehie O, Muse I, Hill L, Bastien A. Professionalism: Microaggression in the Healthcare Setting. Current Opinion in Anesthesiology. 2021 Apr; 34(2):131-136. doi: 10.1097/ACO.0000000000000966
Jacqueline Leung, MD, MPH, Vice Chair for Academic Affairs in the Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, Awarded NIH R01 Supplement for Study: Plasma Markers of Alzheimer’s Disease and Changes in Postoperative Cognition
Alexendar Reinaldo Pérez, MD, PhD, CA2 Resident in the Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, Received Third Prize in the California Society of Anesthesiologists (CSA) 2021 Scientific Abstract Competition for: High Fidelity CRISPR Libraries to Interrogate Anesthetic Genetics
Engaging Communities through Perioperative Research Program Receives Seed Funding from the UCSF Vice Dean’s Office at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG). Romain Pirracchio, MD, PhD, Chief of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and the Ronald D. Miller Distinguished Professor, and Philip Kurien, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care at ZSFG, proposal authors.
May 2021
Christina Inglis-Arkell, MD, Director, Anesthesia and Perioperative Care at Mount Zion, Helps Guide UCSF Mount Zion’s Return to An Inpatient FacilityRebecca Martinez, MD, Recipient of the UCSF School of Medicine 2021Cherished Housestaff TEACH Award
Lance Pangilinan, RCP, Featured in Respiratory Therapy Recruitment Video
Microaggressions Workshop for Staff
Jean Feng, MS, PhD, and Romain Pirracchio, MD, PhD, Chief of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG) and the Ronald D. Miller Distinguished Professor of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care at UCSF, recipients of funding from the UCSF-Stanford Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (CERSI), to investigate safe algorithmic change protocols for modifications to artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML)-based software considered as a medical device. The work will be done in close collaboration with Berkman Sahiner and Alexej Gossmann from the US FDA.
Ask the Expert: Jina Sinskey, MD, Associate Chair of Well Being
June 2021
Assistant Professor Odmara Barreto-Chang, MD, PhD, Recipient of UCSF School of Medicine Irene Perstein Award
Generous Gift from Estate of Trailblazing Alumna Helen F. Frevel, MD
John Severinghaus, MD, Professor Emeritus and Pioneer of Anesthesia and Medicine, Passes Away
Anshuman Sharma, MD, MBA, Director of Pediatric Anesthesia at UCSF, and Team, Recipients of NIH Multicenter U01 Grant (Senthil as the PI)
Professor Hua Su, MD, Appointed as Faculty of the UCSF Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program
First Anniversary of the Anesthesia Staff Committee for Elevating and Nurturing Diversity (ASCEND)
July 2021
Assistant Professor Odmara Barreto Chang, MD, PhD, Led the ASA Doctors Back to School Program
Lee-lynn Chen, MD, Professor and Chief of Adult Anesthesia at Mission Bay
Odinakachukwu Ehie, MD, Associate Professor and Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care
Manuel Pardo, MD, Professor and Vice Chair for Education in the Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care
Law TJ, Subhedar S, Bulamba F, O'Hara NN, Nabukenya MT, Sendagire C, Hewitt-Smith A, Lipnick MS, Tumukunde J. Factors affecting job choice among physician anesthesia providers in Uganda: a survey of income composition, discrete choice experiment, and implications for the decision to work rurally.
Hum Resour Health. 2021 Jul 28;19(1):93. doi: 10.1186/s12960-021-00634-8. PMID: 34321021
July 20th Declared Jim Marks Day in San Francisco
August 2021
Doximity Anesthesiology Residency Program Ranking by Reputation for 2021 - 2022 (#1)
Assistant Professor Odmara Barreto Chang, MD, PhD and Niti Pawar Recipients of American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Mentoring Grant for “Evaluating Loan Burden in Minorities in Anesthesiology and its Impact on Well-Being, Board Scores, and Career Planning”
Barreto Chang O, Corsino D, Wright C. Reaching Out During Challenging Times: The First Virtual Doctors Back to School Program. ASA Monitor. 2021 Aug; 85:32.
Assistant Professor Joyce Chang, MD, Appointed Director of Faculty Wellbeing
In Challenging Times, Ehie Steers Department DEI Efforts, Gains
September 2021
NIH T32 Supplement Awarded - Developing a Well-Being Program for Anesthesia Research Trainees
Women in Medicine Month Features:
Women in Medicine Month: Four Trailblazing Leaders
Women in Medicine Month: Excellence in Teaching
Women in Medicine Month: Advancing the Field Through Research
October 2021
American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Annual Meeting
Adrian Gelb, MBBS, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care and President, World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA), Presenter, International Forum on Perioperative Safety & Quality (ISQ) Panel: Global Quality and Safety Priorities: Introduction to Wellness and Burnout: Caring for the Healthcare Providers is Critical for Safety and Quality
Assistant Professor Odmara Barreto Chang, MD, PhD, Moderator, Odinakachukwu Ehie, MD, FASA, Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, Facilitator: Health Care Disparities in COVID-19: Fighting the Battle of Unconscious Bias and Understanding Privilege in Health Care.
Assistant Professor Andrew Bishara, MD, Graduate of the UCSF Anesthesia and Perioperative Care Residency, Recipient of Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER) Mentored Research Training Grant. His project: Real-time Prediction of Adverse Outcomes after Anesthesia
Ehie O, Toledo P, Wright C, Adams J. What Is the Role for Anesthesiologists and Anesthesia Practices in Ensuring Access, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion? ASA Monitor. 2021 Oct;85: 45-48.
Errol Lobo, MD, PhD, Appointed Chair, Cedars Sinai Anesthesiology
Assistant Professor Elizabeth Whitlock, MD, MS, Appointed to the Associate Editorial Board of the British Journal of Anaesthesia
November 2021
Assistant Professor Michael Bokoch, MD, PhD, Graduate, UCSF Anesthesia and Perioperative Care Research Residency and Liver Transplant Anesthesia Fellowship, Featured Speaker for University of Pittsburgh Anesthesiology Research Rounds: “Mild Hypothermia and AKI in Liver Transplantation Trial at 80% Enrollment: Clinical Findings & Translational Insight”
Clinical Instructor Erica Langnas, MD, and Assistant Professor Catherine Chen, MD, Graduates of the UCSF Anesthesia and Perioperative Care Research Track Residency and T32 Anesthesia Research Fellowship, Authors: Langas EM, Matthay ZM, Lin A, Harbell MW, Croci R, Rodriguez-Monguio R, Chen CL. Enhanced recovery after surgery protocol and postoperative opioid prescribing for cesarean delivery: an interrupted time series analysis. Perioper Med (Lond). 2021 Nov 15;10(1):38.
Okunlola O, Lipnick MS, Batchelder P, Bernstein M, Feiner J, Bickler P. Pulse Oximeter Performance, Racial Inequity, and the Work Ahead. Respir Care. 2021 Nov 12:respcare.09795. doi: 10.4187/respcare.09795. Online ahead of print.PMID: 34772785
Jayaram A, Pawlak N, Kahanu A, Fallah P, Chung H, Valencia-Rojas N, Rodas EB Jr, Abbaslou A, Alseidi A, Ameh EA, Bekele A, Casey K, Chu K, Dempsey R, Dodgion C, Jawa R, Jimenez MF, Johnson W, Krishnaswami S, Kwakye G, Lane R, Lakhoo K, Long K, Madani K, Nwariaku F, Nwomeh B, Price R, Roser S, Rees AB, Roy N, Ruzgar NM, Sacoto H, Sifri Z, Starr N, Swaroop M, Tarpley M, Tarpley J, Terfera G, Weiser T, Lipnick M, Nabukenya M, Ozgediz D, Jayaraman S. Academic Global Surgery Curricula: Current Status and a Call for a More Equitable Approach. J Surg Res. 2021 Nov;267:732-744. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2021.03.061. Epub 2021 Aug 21. PMID: 34905823 Review.
Professors Michael Matthay, MD, and Jae Woo Lee, MD, Authors: Zhang X, Sugita S, Liu A, Naito Y, Hwang W, Qiu H, Sakamoto A, Sawa T, Matthay MA, Lee JW. Therapeutic effects of high molecular weight hyaluronic acid in severe Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia in ex vivo perfused human lungs. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2021 Nov 1;321(5):L827-L836.
Assistant Professor Jonathan Pan, MD, PhD, Author: Torres-Espín A, Haefeli J, Ehsanian R, Torres D, Almeida CA, Huie JR, Chou A, Morozov D, Sanderson N, Dirlikov B, Suen CG, Nielson JL, Kyritsis N, Hemmerle DD, Talbott JF, Manley GT, Dhal SS, Whetstone WD, Bresnahan JC, Beattie MS, McKenna SL, Pan JZ, Ferguson AR, TRACK-SCI Investigators. Topological network analysis of patient similarity for precision management of acute blood pressure in spinal cord injury. Elife. 2021 Nov 16;10:e68015.
UCSF Center for Health Equity in Surgery and Anesthesia Annual Report for 2020 – 2021
December 2021
Assistant Professor Catherine Chen, MD, Graduate of the UCSF Anesthesia and Perioperative Care Research Track Residency and T32 Anesthesia Research Fellowship, Author: Chen CL, Gold, GJ, Cannesson M, Lucero JM. Calling Out Aversive Racism in Academic Medicine. New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). 2021; 385:2499-2501.
Clinical Instructor Erica Langnas, MD, and Assistant Professor Catherine Chen, MD, Graduates of the UCSF Anesthesia and Perioperative Care Research Track Residency and T32 Anesthesia Research Fellowship, Authors: Langnas, E., Rodriguez-Monguio, R., Luo, Y. et al. The association of multimodal analgesia and high-risk opioid discharge prescriptions in opioid-naive surgical patients. Perioper Med 10, 60 (2021).
Assistant Professor Elizabeth Whitlock, MD, MS, Featured Guest on the GeriPal Podcast (Episode 198)