The Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP) has selected Dr. Heather Acuff, Duke Anesthesiology obstetric anesthesiology fellow, as this year’s recipient of the distinguished Frederick P. Zuspan Award for her project titled, “A Retrospective Study of Associations Between Antepartum Psychiatric Medications and Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy in Patients with Mood and Anxiety Disorders.”
In this project, Acuff and colleagues performed a retrospective cohort study to explore relationships between antepartum psychiatric medication prescription and risk for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Their results showed that, among patients with mood and anxiety disorders, both antidepressants and anxiolytics were associated with greater risk of hypertensive disorders compared with no psychiatric medication prescription. Furthermore, anxiolytics were associated with a higher magnitude of risk, highlighting antepartum anxiety as an important topic worthy of further investigation.
This award recognizes excellence in collaborative research between obstetricians and anesthesiologists. It is named in honor of Frederick P. Zuspan, a leading researcher and internationally-recognized authority in the field of maternal-fetal medicine and expert on preeclampsia.
"I'm very grateful that our work and collaborations have been recognized in this way by the SOAP community,” says Acuff. “I've learned so much from my anesthesiology, obstetric, epidemiology, and statistician colleagues and believe that our collective efforts are making great strides toward helping obstetric patients suffering from psychiatric and hypertensive disease. I look forward to continuing to collaborate with these amazing individuals!"
"I’m incredibly proud of Dr. Heather Acuff for receiving the Frederick P. Zuspan Award at this year’s SOAP meeting. Her work exemplifies the power of collaborative research between anesthesiologists and obstetricians, and it’s been a privilege to support her growth as a physician-scientist,” says Dr. Marie-Louise Meng, Acuff’s mentor. “This recognition reflects Dr. Acuff’s dedication and insight and underscores the importance of interdisciplinary scholarship in the field of maternal health. It also highlights the collaborative spirit that we deeply value. A heartfelt thank you to our partners—Jerome Federspiel, Johanna Quist-Nelson, Kim Boggess, Matt Fuller, Jen Stuart, and Michael Caucci—whose expertise and partnership made this work possible."
Acuff received the award at SOAP’s 57th Annual Meeting this month in Oregon.