News

Department Authors Win Best Abstract Award at NYSORA 2017
Congratulations to Drs. Nicole Verdecchia, Michael Kentor, Jim Ibinson, and Steven Orebaugh, whose abstract “The Ability of Anesthesiologists to Distinguish Closely Associated Nerve Elements in the Interscalene Groove” won the best abstract award at the 16th Annual…

Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Fellowship Earns ACGME Accreditation
The UPMC Anesthesiology Education office is pleased to announce that the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) granted full accreditation to our Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Fellowship, effective September 21, 2017.
Program Director …

Dr. Grace Lim to Serve as Chair of SOAP Physician Specialty Education Subcommittee
Congratulations to Grace Lim MD, MS, who will serve as Chair of the Physician Specialty Education Subcommittee of the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP) Education Committee. The subcommittee focuses on dissemination of information practical and relevant…

Dr. Andrew Herlich Appointed to Pennsylvania Rare Diseases Advisory Council
On September 6, 2017, Andrew Herlich, DMD, MD, FAAP, FASA was appointed to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Health Rare Diseases Advisory Council.
As a member of the council, Dr. Herlich will play an integral role in advising the state regarding…

Dr. Steven Orebaugh to Participate in Regional Anesthesiology Meetings
Steven L. Orebaugh, MD will participate in two upcoming regional anesthesiology meetings:
Lecture: “Utility of Peripheral Nerve Blockade for ACL Reconstruction Surgery”/Workshop Instructor, 16th annual NYSORA Symposium on Regional Anesthesia, Pain, and Perioperative…
Dr. Ajay Wasan Appointed AAPM VP for Scientific Affairs and Senior Editor of Pain Medicine
Congratulations to Ajay D. Wasan, MD, MSc, who in March 2017 was appointed Vice President for Scientific Affairs for the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM), the largest professional society for pain specialists in the country, for a three-year term. In this role, Dr.…

2017 FAER Medical Student Anesthesia Research Fellow Matthew Orlowski
The Department of Anesthesiology was one of 36 sites nationwide selected to host 2017 Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER) Medical Student Anesthesia Research Fellows (MSARF). FAER created the MSARF program to encourage talented medical students to consider…

Dr. Raymond Planinsic Presents as Part of Inaugural Lecture for Japanese Perioperative Hemostasis Research Group
Congratulations to Raymond M. Planinsic, MD, who presented the lecture “Coagulation Strategies in Liver Transplant Surgery” at the inaugural hemostasis seminar of the Japanese Perioperative Hemostasis Research Group on August 26, 2017 in Osaka, Japan.
The seminar,…

Yvonne Brewster Selected as Featured Pitt Staff Council Member
Congratulations to Yvonne Brewster, MPM, who was selected by the University of Pittsburgh Staff Council as the featured member for their August 2017 newsletter. The article (PDF)…

Drs. Andrew Herlich, David Metro, and Erin Sullivan Among First 100 FASA Designees
In May 2017, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) launched a new designation, Fellows of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (FASA™). FASA identifies and promotes ASA members exhibiting the highest standards in professionalism/leadership, advocacy for the…

Chad Artman and Dr. Stephen Esper Selected as ACES Winners
Congratulations to Chad Artman, CRNA and Stephen A. Esper, MD, MBA, who were selected as 2017 winners of UPMC’s Award for Commitment and Excellence in Service (ACES). ACES honors staff who exemplify UPMC’s five core values — Quality & Safety, Dignity &…

Department Members Serve on Guatemala Mission Trip
Nicole Verdecchia, MD; David G. Metro, MD; and Sara Straesser, MD are currently serving on a Surgicorps international survival mission trip in Guatemala. They will care for about 100 patients for surgeries for conditions including cleft lips and palates and burn…

Inaugural Educational Seed Grants Awarded
Two curriculum development grant applications were accepted for funding for our inaugural UPMC Anesthesiology Educational Grant July 2017 funding cycle. The total funding amount is $8,000 USD per project.
“Evaluation of Anesthesiology Resident Competence and Clinical Impact of a…
Dr. Ajay Wasan Spotlighted in Article on Safe Opioid Prescribing Practice
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article “Boston-…

Department Celebrates the Careers of Retiring Faculty and CRNAs
Congratulations and thank you to Amy Berresford, CRNA; Jewel Desisto, CRNA; Alice Dozzi, CRNA; Christine Edelmann, MD; Karen Imhoff, CRNA; Catherine Land, CRNA; Joan Mitchell, CRNA; Edward Teeple, MD; Wendy Veith, CRNA; Elliott Weinstock, MD, and Susan Woelfel, MD; who are all…