For more than three decades, Duke Anesthesiology has championed its flagship Academic Evening to push the boundaries of perioperative medicine. Innovation was on full display at the department’s 34th Annual Academic Evening in Duke’s Great Hall on May 19. The gathering brought together about 150 faculty members and early-career investigators to exchange research discoveries from 81 featured abstracts. The presentations highlighted a broad spectrum of medical advancement, ranging from translation science and clinical investigations to health care quality improvement initiatives.
Anne Cherry, MD
“Academic Evening embodies the vision of numerous predecessors and colleagues. My role is primarily that of a steward for a collective legacy. I am deeply grateful to my co-chair, Dr. Miriam Treggiari, for her steadfast partnership,” says Dr. Anne Cherry, co-director of the department’s Clinical Research Unit. “We also honor the memory of Bill Maixner and Dave Warner, whose profound passion for scientific inquiry and dedication to this department remain inspirationally contagious. Every person at our event has championed our core missions through the vital work they showcased, and that is something we can all be deeply proud of.”
In a solemn tradition, Treggiari, vice chair for research, rang the late Dr. David S. Warner’s bell to open the presentations. This symbolic act stands as a testament to Warner's lasting impact, celebrating his pivotal role as a mentor and his transformative advancements in basic and clinical departmental research. “Academic Evening was one of his happy places. The ceremonial bell we use to mark time during this event was his,” adds Cherry.
The David S. Warner Award is one of three awards honoring esteemed legacies at Duke Anesthesiology. The Dick Smith Award for clinical fellow research honors Smith, who was a highly regarded statistician; he made significant contributions to the department’s ability and reputation in conducting high-level science with unrivaled ethical and moral standards. The Bill White Award for resident research honors White, who was involved in the design, data management, and statistical analysis of biomedical studies in both observational and clinical trials. Dr. Adrienne Shami (CA-2) received first place in this category for her project titled, “Evaluation of Myocardial Function and Metabolism in Patients with Early Onset Preeclampsia with Severe Features.”
Dr. Max Kelz, vice chair for research for the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care at the University of Pennsylvania, was selected to serve as this year’s guest judge. In this role, he received the honor of reviewing the work and presiding over the selection of the award winners in each of the five categories.
Max B. Kelz, MD, PhD
“At a time when the country’s research is more strained than at any point in my career, it was truly heartwarming to see the impressive depth and breadth of talks and e-posters presented by Duke trainees,” says Kelz. “The night featured talks from undergraduates to medical and graduate students as well as residents, clinical, and postdoctoral fellows. Everyone involved in the training, mentoring, planning and conduct of the work should feel incredibly proud. There are few departments of anesthesiology with the ability to execute such an impressive event.”
Three decades later, the mission of Academic Evening remains constant; to propel forward the field of anesthesia, critical care and pain management, ultimately enhancing the care of our patients.
Miriam Treggiari, MD, PhD, MPH
“This year's Academic Evening was a testament to the extraordinary talent and dedication of our trainees. The science was strong, the presentations were polished, and the energy in the room was palpable,” says Treggiari. “Watching our fellows, postdocs, residents, and students present their work with such confidence and enthusiasm is a powerful reminder of why mentorship and scholarly excellence sit at the heart of what we do at Duke Anesthesiology. Evenings like this make us incredibly proud of the future of our field.”
Heath Gasier, PhD
The outstanding showcase of scientific acumen also marks a bittersweet milestone for the department, as Cherry steps down from her leadership role for Academic Evening. Having first attended the event as a Duke medical student herself, Cherry’s full-circle leadership the past three years has been instrumental in elevating the event, fostering a vibrant environment for investigators to share their research discoveries. As the department celebrates her contributions, it also looks forward to continued innovation, warmly welcoming Dr. Heath Gasier as the incoming co-chair to lead next year's program.
A special note of gratitude to the diligent *moderators and the **Abstract Review Committee who played an invaluable role in ensuring the quality and rigor of the research presented at Academic Evening.
*Drs. Satya Achanta, Brandi Bottiger, Andrey Bortsov, Anne Cherry, Heath Gasier, Michael Greenberg, Michael “Luke” James, Edmund Jooste, Max Kelz, Michael Kent, Vijay Krishnamoorthy, David Lindsay, Karthik Raghunathan, Ruba Sajdeya, Shad Smith, Kevin Vorenkamp.
**Drs. Leah Acker, Bryan Chow, Sarah Cotter, Heath Gasier, Michael “Luke” James, Edmund Jooste, Michael Kent, Richard Moon, Angela Pollak, Jamie Privratsky, Katherine Sun, Annemarie Thompson, Kevin Vorenkamp.
First place winners: (top left to right) Junli Zhao, PhD, Roopvir Kaur, MD, Adrienne Shami, MD, PhD, (bottom left to right) Yunran Feng, and Ngoc Tran
2nd Place: Anke Wang, MD - "Predicting Need for Post-Operative Mechanical Ventilation Using Pre-Operative Data and Interpretable Machine Learning Across Multiple ICU Datasets" | Faculty Mentor: Yuriy Bronshteyn, MD
Resident Research (Bill White Award)
1st Place: Adrienne Shami, MD, PhD - "Evaluation of Myocardial Function and Metabolism in Patients with Early Onset Preeclampsia with Severe Features" | Faculty Mentor: Marie-Louise Meng, MD
Graduate/Medical Student Research
1st Place: Yunran Feng - "Establishment of a mSiM-Based BBB Model Designed for Multi-cellular Co-Culture and Integrated Microfluidic Flow" | Faculty Mentor: Niccolò Terrando, PhD
2nd Place: Cynthia Mu, BS - "Pharmacological Interventions and Decompression Stress after Helium Dives in Swine" | Faculty Mentor: Richard Moon, MD
3rd Place: Xiaojing Deng, BS - "Postoperative Changes In Sustained Attention And Their Potential Relationship With Postoperative Sleep And Delirium" | Faculty Mentor: Michael Devinney, MD
Undergraduate Student Research
1st Place: Ngoc Tran - "The Effects of Prestimulus EEG Beta Power on Poststimulus Visual Processing and Cognitive-Control Performance" | Faculty Mentor: Leah Acker, MD, PhD & Marty Woldorff, PhD
2nd Place: Katherine He - "Preoperative Plasma pTau217 Is Associated with Higher Delirium Risk and Enhances the Association Between Postoperative Inflammation and Delirium" | Faculty Mentor: Leah Acker, MD, PhD
