Our Research Rounds Lecture Series, directed by Benedict Alter, MD, PhD, and Keith M. Vogt, MD, PhD, FASA, promotes the sharing of recent results and ongoing projects in basic and clinical research both from within and outside our department. Starting in academic year 2025-2026, meetings will be held on the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month from 3:00-4:00 pm in a hybrid format via Microsoft Teams. MS Teams meeting logon info will be e-mailed to department staff.
Recordings of past lectures are archived on our SharePoint intranet for people inside the department (UPMC account required).
View the upcoming lecture schedule
Past Research Rounds Lectures
- Academic Year 2024-2025
Lecture Date
Presenter(s)
Lecture Title
5/27/2025
Sossena Wood, PhD, Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
Characterizing Chronic Pain Phenotypes in Adults with Sickle Cell Disease Using Neuroimaging
5/20/2025
Cort Thompson, PhD, T32 Postdoctoral Scholar, Pitt/UPMC Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Novel Microelectrode Arrays for Detection of Glycine and other Neurotransmitters
4/8/2025
Kathirvel Subramaniam, MD, MPH, FASE, Professor; Chief, Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Division; Director, Perioperative Echocardiography, Pitt/UPMC Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Clinical Trials in Cardiac Anesthesia
3/25/2025
Siamak Salavatian, PhD, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine; Director of Neuromodulation Research, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Neuromodulation Therapies for Cardiac Arrhythmias
3/11/2025
Marcus Simmons, MD, T32 Postdoctoral Scholar, Pitt/UPMC Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Memory and Pain Modulation with Inhalational Anesthetics
2/25/2025
Rebecca Kotcher, MD, T32 Postdoctoral Scholar, Pitt/UPMC Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Blue Light as an Anti-Inflammatory and Analgesic Strategy in Thoracic Trauma (BLAASTT)
1/28/2025
Prasad Shirvalkar, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology (Pain Management), Neurological Surgery, Neurology, Weill Institute of Neurosciences, UCSF
Personalized Brain Stimulation for Chronic Pain
1/14/2025
Senthil Sadhasivam, MD, MPH, MBA, FASA, Tenured Professor and Executive Vice Chair for Clinical Quality, Patient Safety, and Clinical Research; Associate Dean for Perioperative Research, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Director, Perioperative Research, University of Pittsburgh; Director, Perioperative Genomics Program, University of Pittsburgh
Multimodal Prediction & Prevention of Postoperative Morbidity & Mortality
12/10/2024
Keith M. Vogt, MD, PhD, FASA, Associate Professor, Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine, Bioengineering, and Clinical and Translational Science, University of Pittsburgh
Neural Correlates of Auricular Stimulation and Auriculotherapy
11/26/2024
Benedict Alter, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor; Director, Translational Pain Research; University of Pittsburgh/UPMC Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Understanding the Whole-Person Impact of Endogenous Pain Disinhibition on Movement-Evoked Pain
11/20/2024
Christina Pabelick, MD, Consultant, Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine; Consultant, Department of Physiology & Biomedical Engineering; Professor of Anesthesiology, and Physiology, Mayo Clinic
Hydrogen Sulfide in Neonatal Airway Disease
11/20/2024
Y.S. Prakash, MD, PhD, Chair, Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering; Vice-Chair, Department of Anesthesiology; Vice Dean of Research; Professor of Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic; IARS Board Vice Chair
Implications of Cellular Senescence in the Airway: Aging Across Age
11/12/2024
Michael Marks, PhD, Grant Writer, Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Grant Writing Assistance: A Deeper Dive
10/22/2024
Paramita Basu, MS, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, Pitt/UPMC Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Deciphering the Mechanism of Sex Differences in Protein Kinase A Signaling of Chronic Postsurgical Pain
9/24/2024
Julia Scarpa, MD, PhD, Co-Director, Medical Accelerator and Digital Engineering (MADE); Van Poznak Research Scholar; Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, Weill Cornell Medicine
Aerospace Medicine and Anesthesiology: Overlapping Physiology and Research Opportunities
9/10/2024
Brian A. Williams, MD, MBA, Emeritus Director, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System (VAPHS) IMPACT Perioperative Optimization, VAPHS Acute Pain /Regional Anesthesia; Professor of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Multimodal Perineural Anesthesia - Concluding a 2007-2024 Pursuit: The Ball is in Your Court Now
- Academic Year 2023-2024
Lecture Date
Presenter(s)
Lecture Title
5/23/2024
Mihaela Visoiu, MD, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Simulation in Teaching Pediatric Regional Anesthesia
5/14/2024
Alejandro Munoz-Valencia, MD, PhD(c), University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Mapping Health: Navigating Healthcare Access with Geographic Information Systems
4/23/2024
Isabela (Cajiao) Angelelli, MD, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
First Do No Harm: Healthcare and the Environment
4/9/2024
Phillip Adams, DO, FASA, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Perioperative Considerations for Single-Ventricle Patients with Fontan Physiology
3/12/2024
Jacques Chelly, MD, PhD, MBA, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Auriculo-Neurostimulation for the Management of Postoperative Pain and Opioid Requirement
2/27/2024
Michael Devinney Jr., MD, PhD, Critical Care Medicine Division, Duke University School of Medicine
The Role of Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction and Neuroinflammation in Postoperative Delirium
2/13/2024
Liz Leimer, MD, PhD, Oregon Health and Science University Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
High-Density Single-Unit Recordings from Brainstem Pain-Modulating Neurons
1/23/2024
Dakota Folmsbee, PhD, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Computational Illumination of Allosteric Modulation in Glycine Receptors
1/9/2024
Joseph Scarpa, MD, PhD, Weill Cornell Medicine Anesthesiology
Integrating Multi-omics and Digital Health for Precision Anesthesia
12/12/2023
Michelle Failla, PhD, The Ohio State University College of Nursing
Pain Perception in Autism: From Assumptions to Evidence
11/28/2023
Ruby A. Holland, PhD, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine / Carnegie Mellon University Medical Scientist Training Program
A Novel Midbrain Circuit for the Development of Opioid Withdrawal
11/14/2023
Murat Kaynar, MD, MPH, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Telemedicine in Perioperative Care
10/24/2023
Sarah E. Ross, PhD, University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurobiology/Pittsburgh Pain Center for Pain Research
Reconsidering the Neural Circuits of Pain - A New Perspective
10/10/2023
Rebecca Kotcher, MD, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Blue Light Therapy in Rectal Cancer: A Pilot Study
9/26/2023
Marcus Simmons, MD, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Sevoflurane’s Effect on Pain and Memory: A Volunteer Neuroimaging Study
9/12/2023
Grace Lim, MD, MS, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Pain and the Brain: Reducing the Burden and Impact of Depression and Pain in Special Populations
- Academic Year 2022-2023
Lecture Date
Presenter(s)
Lecture Title
5/24/2023
Abigail Hellman, PhD, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Neuropeptide Y1 Interneurons in Inflammatory Pain Circuits
5/10/2023
Eileen Nguyen, MD, PhD, Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Control of Itch and Pain: An Exploration of Brainstem-Spinal Opioidergic Circuits
4/26/2023
Marsha Ritter, MD, PhD, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
The Role of Sensory Afferents in Wound Healing
3/22/2023
Yan Xu, PhD, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Becoming an NIH-Funded Investigator: A Practical Guide to Successful Grant Writing
3/8/2023
Benedict Alter, MD, PhD, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Bridging Pain Modulation Neuroimaging and Clinical Phenotyping in Arthritis
2/22/2023
James W. Ibinson, MD, PhD, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Neuroimaging of Post-operative Neurocognitive Disorders
1/25/2023
Brian Williams, MD, MBA, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Are PONV Consensus Guidelines Conflicted or Simply Pre-Informed? The Test Case of 5-drug AEPPx including Low-dose Diphenhydramine in an Intrathecal Morphine Clinical Pathway Model
12/14/2022
Kenny M. Roman, PhD, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Chronic Pelvic Pain: Non-invasive Animal Model(s), Experimental Findings, and Potential Therapeutics
11/30/2022
Vitaly Napadow, PhD, LicAc, Harvard Medical School; Center for Integrative Pain NeuroImaging; Scott Schoen and Nancy Adams Discovery Center for Recovery from Chronic Pain at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
A Social Neuroscience Perspective on the Patient-Clinician Relationship Using Hyperscan Neuroimaging
11/9/2022
Trent D. Emerick, MD, MBA, FASA, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Bioresorbable Nerve Stimulators for Acute and Chronic Pain
10/26/2022
Kimberly Howard-Quijano, MD, MS, FASE, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Role of Sympathetic Nervous System in Cardiovascular Disease and Perioperative Outcomes
10/12/2022
Adam Hines, University of Pennsylvania and University of Queensland
A Synapse Specific Mechanism of General Anesthesia Reduces Excitatory Neurotransmission
9/28/2022
Ajay D. Wasan, MD, MSc, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Comparative Effectiveness of Medical Marijuana vs. Conventional Medication Treatment for Chronic Pain
9/14/2022
Nicholas J. Douville, MD, PhD, University of Michigan Health Department of Anesthesiology
Precision Health in the Perioperative Period - Lessons Learned Integrating Genomics into the Operating Room
- Academic Year 2021-2022
Lecture Date
Presenter(s)
Lecture Title
5/3/2022
Tomas Drabek, MD, PhD, FASA, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Cardio-Pulmonary Cerebral Resuscitation: Still Looking for a Breakthrough
4/19/2022
Andrea Ibarra, MD, MS, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
The Effect of Preeclampsia on Cognitive Function
4/5/2022
Marsha Ritter, MD, PhD, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
The Role of MD-1 in Neuroimmune Communication
3/29/2022
Siamak Salavatian, PhD, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Neuromodulation Therapies for Cardiac Disease
3/15/2022
Craig Wilcox, PhD, University of Pittsburgh Department of Chemistry
Fighting Misconduct Allegations through Responsible Conduct of Research
3/1/2022
Steve Orebaugh, MD, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Research in Peripheral Nerve Blockade
2/15/2022
Liz Whitlock, MD, MS, University of California, San Francisco
Cognitive Change after Surgery for Older Adults - How we Got Here, and How to Move Forward
2/1/2022
Tommy Tillman, PhD, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Impact of SARS-COV-2 Spike Protein on α7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor in Cells
1/18/2022
Bradley K. Taylor, PhD, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Basic and Clinical Neurobiology of Chronic Postoperative Pain
1/4/2022
Senthilkumar Sadhasivam, MD, MPH, MBA, FASA, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Personalizing Surgical Pain Management and Opioid Pharmacogenetics
12/7/2021
Kristin Schreiber, MD, PhD, Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Medical School
Variation in Biological, Psychological and Social Modulators of Pain among Individuals: A Basis for Personalized Pain Prevention
11/30/2021
Michael Schnetz, MD, PhD, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Identification of Patient-Dependent Blood Pressure Targets Associated with Low Risk of Intraoperative Hypotension in Non-Cardiac Surgery
11/16/2021
Michael Bokoch, MD, Department of Anesthesia & Perioperative Care University of California, San Francisco
Mild Hypothermia and AKI in Liver Transplantation Trial at 80% Enrollment: Clinical Findings & Translational Insight
11/1/2021
Sean P. Farris, PhD, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Neurobiology of Addiction and Co-Morbid Disorders
10/19/2021
Keith Vogt, MD, PhD, and Ben Alter, MD, PhD, University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Work-in-progress: Functional Connectivity during Pain and Anesthesia / Harnessing the Power of Placebo Analgesia