Daniela Damian, MD, Director of Pediatric Transplant Anesthesiology at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, was promoted to Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, effective June 1, 2025.
In her new role, Dr. Sullivan will work closely with the chief anesthesiologist to oversee and manage the hospital operating rooms, non-operating room anesthetizing locations, and same-day services, ensuring a safe and efficient perioperative environment.
The work will be led by PI Dr. Senthil Sadhasivam and includes multidisciplinary co-investigators from the University of Pittsburgh, Beth Isreal Deaconess Medical Center, and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
Steven L. Orebaugh, MD, will deliver two lectures at the New York School of Regional Anesthesia (NYSORA) Anesthesia Summit, taking place June 13–15, 2025, in Leuven, Belgium.
Kathirvel Subramaniam, MD, MPH, FASE, will participate in the 2025 annual meeting of the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society, June 20–22, 2025, in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada.
Held during the AAPM’s PainConnect 2025 meeting, the challenge invited innovators from around the world to present cutting-edge solutions aimed at transforming pain care.
The events took place on May 15–16, 2025, continuing a longstanding tradition of honoring the legacy of Peter Safar, MD, founding chair of the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, and his wife, Eva.
MedTASS 2025, held May 16–17 in Palermo, Sicily, brought together distinguished international faculty to share developments in the perioperative care of patients undergoing solid organ transplantation and other complex abdominal and thoracic surgeries.
With more than 200 attendees from across the region, the event was a celebration of interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation in pain research, showcasing basic and clinical scientific work from researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and Duquesne University.
Dr. Alter’s funded project aims to develop a wearable, noninvasive brain stimulation device that delivers real-time transcranial electrical stimulation to the motor cortex while patients with knee OA are walking.
Dr. Ajay Wasan leads innovative, multimodal treatments for chronic pain. Now, through Glimmer Health, a new company launched from UPMC Enterprises and Redesign Health, he’s helping scale this proven model using a digital-first approach.
The poster “Patient-Driven Opioid-Free Approach to Cancer Surgery,” presented by Heather Margonari, DNP, FNP-BC, won first place in the poster competition at the Advancements in Translational Science for Pain Management in Cancer Care Symposium, held at MD Anderson Cancer Center on May 9, 2025.
In celebration of National Nurses Week, UPMC Mercy proudly honored Cara Fleischman and Hannah Roach with the 2025 Advanced Practice Provider Award in recognition of their outstanding contributions to patient care.
"We choose to foster trauma anesthesia research in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard. Let’s start with small steps, striving for the giant leap for mankind at the end," writes Dr. Drabek. "Our injured patients deserve it."
