An abundance of scholarly activity and scientific excellence were on display at the 31st anniversary of Academic Evening — the department’s annual event aimed at advancing anesthesiology, critical care and pain management— ultimately enhancing the care of patients.
This year, an unprecedented number of 100 poster abstracts—ranging from basic science, clinical research and case reports—were showcased by junior-level investigators and faculty at Duke Anesthesiology’s 31st Annual Academic Evening, which took place on May 23 at the Millennium Hotel Durham.
Event Co-Chair
“Once again we have been simply thrilled to see the depth and breadth of scholarly pursuits that both our faculty and trainees are engaged in throughout our department,” says Dr. Jeffrey Gadsden, event co-chair and professor of anesthesiology. “The fact that we emerged from a two-year pandemic MORE productive than ever tells you everything you need to know about the spirit of discovery and the value placed on research at Duke Anesthesiology.”
Event Co-Chair
Dr. Miriam Treggiari, event co-chair and vice chair for research, kicked off the event with the traditional ringing of the late Dr. David S. Warner’s bell—signifying the beginning of presentations and in honor of Warner—recognizing the integral role he played in mentoring numerous investigators and advancing both basic science and clinical research within the department for nearly 30 years. The newly-established David S. Warner Award for post doc basic science research was presented to Dr. Yanting Chen. She received first place in this category for her project titled, “A Macrophage-Endothelial Immunoregulatory Axis Ameliorates Septic Acute Kidney Injury.”
“I am excited to share our findings at Academic Evening. And I am deeply grateful to receive the award for the recognition,” says Chen. “I would like to express my gratitude to my mentor Dr. Jamie Privratsky, whose expertise and mentorship were invaluable throughout the project. This recognition motivates me to continue pursuing this research study in the future.”
Another anticipated highlight of the annual event is the presentation of the Bill White Award for resident research. White was involved in the design, data control and examination, and statistical analysis of biomedical studies in both observational and clinical trials within Duke Anesthesiology for more than 20 years. Dr. Andrew Breglio received first place in this category for his project titled, “A Novel In Vivo Model of Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy.”
“I have always found Academic Evening to be an impressive display of meaningful research conducted by my colleagues. To be recognized amongst this group of peers is truly an honor,” says Breglio. “I owe much of the success of this project to the fantastic mentorship I have received from Dr. Andrew Landstrom and to the combined efforts of the other members of our research team.”
Guest Judge
Dr. Talmage D. Egan, chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center, was selected to serve as this year’s guest judge. In this role, he received the honor of determining the award winners in each category.
“The Duke Department of Anesthesiology enjoys a stellar reputation as a premier anesthesiology program. My experience at the annual Academic Evening further bolstered the admiration and respect I have for the department,” says Egan, who is internationally regarded as a pioneer in the development of total intravenous anesthesia techniques. “Duke achieves the trifold mission of academic anesthesiology with great distinction. I was delighted to be part of the proceedings!”
In his closing remarks, he left the crowd with an insightful message about why being an anesthesiologist requires the brain of an internist, the hands of a surgeon, and the heart of a psychiatrist. “There is no other time in human-to-human interaction where one person voluntarily surrenders their well-being more fully and absolutely to another person. The anesthetized patient is utterly and completely helpless. They can do nothing for themselves. In this very vulnerable and powerless state, the anesthetized patient is depending on the anesthesiologist to keep them safe by conducting the anesthetic, supporting their vital functions, and defending their human dignity.”
“We are very proud to see the rich, impactful and innovative work that has been accomplished just over this past year,” adds Treggiari. “This is a testament to the strong department culture of advancing discovery and changing the world, and the unwavering commitment to the academic mission.”
VIEW THE ACADEMIC EVENING PHOTO GALLERY
2023 Academic Evening Award Winners:
Post Doc Basic Science Research (David S. Warner Award)
1st Place: Yanting Chen, “A Macrophage-Endothelial Immunoregulatory Axis Ameliorates Septic Acute Kidney Injury.” Mentor: Jamie Privratsky.
2nd Place: Junli Zhao, “Electrophysiological and Behavioral Characterization of Anesthesia-Activated Neurons in the Central Amygdala in Mice.” Mentor: Ru-Rong Ji.
3rd Place: Angela del Aguila, “Glucocorticoid Signaling Mediates Occurrence of Lymphopenia After Cardiac Arrest.” Mentor: Wei Yang.
Fellow Clinical Research (Dick Smith Award)
1st Place: Mathew Makowski, “Sex Differences in Susceptibility to Central Nervous System Oxygen Toxicity.” Mentor: Heath Gasier.
2nd Place: Liliane Ernst, “The ED90 of Hyperbaric Bupivacaine for Cesarean Delivery in Super Obese Patients: An Up-Down Sequential Allocation Dose-Response Study.” Mentor: Ashraf Habib.
3rd Place: Ivy Co, “Comparative Study of Bilateral Rectus Sheath Blocks with Liposomal Bupivacaine Versus Epidural Analgesia in Elective Radical Cystectomy Patients.” Mentor: Hector Martinez-Wilson.
Resident Research (Bill White Award)
1st Place: Andrew Breglio, “A Novel In Vivo Model of Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy.” Mentor: Andrew Landstrom.
2nd Place: Kayla Pfaff, “Impact of Race, Ethnicity, and Developmental Status on Regional Anesthesia Technique for Calcaneal Osteotomy in Pediatric Patients.” Mentor: Lisa Einhorn.
Medical Student Research
1st Place: Megan Wong, “A Role for Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction in Delirium Following Non-Cardiac Surgery in Older Adults.” Mentor: Michael Devinney.
2nd Place: Andrew Padilla, “Anesthetic Management of Cesarean Hysterectomy for Placenta Accreta Spectrum: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study.” Mentor: Ashraf Habib.
CRNA/DNP/Grad/Undergrad Research
1st Place: India Little, “Hyperoxia Reduces Heme Oxygenase 1 and Mitochondrial Dynamic Regulation in a Rodent Model of Sarcopenic Obesity.” Mentor: Heath Gasier.
Case Report
1st Place: Chinwe Anumudu, “Medically Challenging Case: Non-Anesthesia Induced Malignant Hyperthermia in a Patient with STAC3 Disorder Undergoing Craniosynostosis Surgery.” Mentor: Lisa Einhorn.
Quality Improvement
1st Place: Andre Savadjian, “Reduce Intraoperative Albumin Utilization in Cardiac Surgical Patients: A Quality Improvement Initiative.” Mentor: Negmeldeen Mamoun.