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."
The award is reserved for individuals deeply committed to improving the health and lives of community members — particularly in Blair County — through active involvement in cardiovascular care, implementation of innovative practices, and dedication to personalized patient care.
Grace Lim, MD, MSc, a nationally recognized physician-scientist and Chief of the Division of Obstetric and Women's Anesthesiology at UPMC, has been chosen President-Elect of the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology.
We are calling on all alumni and current department physician faculty to nominate our UPMC Anesthesiology Residency Program (listed as "UPMC Medical Education") on Doximity’s annual Nomination Survey, a platform partnered with US News and World Report.
The project, led by principal investigator Keith M. Vogt, MD, PhD, FASA, aims to uncover the brain mechanisms underlying auriculotherapy’s effects on chronic low back pain.
David Julius, PhD, 2021 Winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, will give the Keynote Presentation “Gut Feelings: Probing Mechanisms of Visceral Pain” at the first Pain Day on May 7, 2025, an event co-organized by department investigators.
