2012-2013 ASA Medical Student Component Governing Council

Leadership Officials

Daniel A. Hansen, President

Daniel Hansen is a medical student at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, class of 2014. He received his B.A. degree in English from Brigham Young University in 2006 and followed with post-baccalaureate studies in Biochemistry at the University of Nevada, Reno. Daniel’s interest in anesthesia began prior to medical school and has grown throughout his medical education. As ASA Delegate for UNSOM, and president of the anesthesia student interest group, Daniel worked to promote anesthesia and educate other medical students about the field of anesthesiology. He was awarded several grants and is currently heading a research project examining epidural rates among Hispanic women and developing culturally sensitive educational materials with regards to epidural anesthesia in childbirth.  While serving as chair, Daniel is excited to promote earlier exposure to the specialty of anesthesia during medical school, promote ASA participation amongst medical students, and increase the number and quality of resources available to medical students interested in anesthesiology.  Additionally, he wants to promote a unified, vocal presence from medical students across the country in order to improve our future in anesthesia. He lives with his wife and two children in order to avoid getting adequate amounts of sleep and counter-balance his medical ambitions.

Chad R. Greene, Chair-Elect

Chad Greene is a second-year medical student attending the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He received his B.S. degree in biology and chemistry at Freed-Hardeman University in 2011. While attending Freed-Hardeman, Chad conducted research on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome as well as cancer prevention. Before medical school, he gained exposure to the field of medicine by working as a firefighter and EMT while pursuing his undergraduate degree. Chad grew up in rural Tennessee, where he developed a passion for improving access to quality healthcare for the millions of Americans living in rural and underserved areas. Building on this passion, he has been involved in medical missions work, most notably his recent trips to Honduras and Mexico.
 
His enthusiasm for anesthesiology began during his first year of medical school while working closely with a local anesthesiologist and mentor. Chad went on to serve as Founder and President of the Anesthesia Student Interest Group as well as the VCOM delegate to the American Society of Anesthesiologists. His current research interests include airway stabilization methods as related to patients with angioedema.

As Chair-elect, Chad is looking to promote awareness and increase participation in the Rural Access to Anesthesia Care Scholarship program. He is deeply committed to providing resources to medical students and encouraging active involvement in legislative and political issues affecting the dynamic field of anesthesiology.

Rachel Wood, Secretary

Rachel Wood is a current MS3 at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon.  Prior to attending medical school she earned a degree in English Literature from UC Berkeley, followed by several years of work in a variety of fields including personal fitness training and exercise-based cancer research.  She was first exposed to anesthesiology as a pre-medical student through a shadowing experience, sparking an interest that has continued to grow since that time.

Since beginning medical school Rachel has become increasingly involved in anesthesiology through her institution's IV placement program, regional ultrasound education, and airway management workshops.  As Secretary, she hopes to share some of her knowledge and excitement about the field with other medical students through an expanded Medical Student Newsletter and increased communication between individual Anesthesia Interest Groups (AIGs) and the ASA.  Following a residency in anesthesiology Rachel is interested in pursuing both critical care and pediatric subspecialty fellowships.

Dennis B. Thapa, Senior Advisor

Dennis Thapa is a fourth year medical student at the University of Buffalo (SUNY Buffalo) School of Medicine. He is originally from Rochester, New York, and received his undergraduate degree in Biology at Ithaca College. Dennis took a year off between college and medical school to do cancer research for the NIH at Johns Hopkins University. While in medical school, he was elected vice president of the student body, served as president of the Anesthesiology Interest Group, and is currently helping to expand a Hungarian-American medical student exchange at his medical school. Dennis has been interested in anesthesiology since doing a summer research and clinical rotation at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute as a first year.  As a senior advisor, he hopes to continue to champion the field while serving as a resource for other medical students who wish to optimize their chances of matching into a residency program that best fits them.

D. Craig Barnette, II, Member at Large

Craig Barnette is a medical student at Lincoln Memorial University - DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, class of 2014, and is currently pursuing an MBA degree in addition to his medical studies. He received a bachelor's degree in Physiology and Developmental Biology from Brigham Young University with a second major in German in 2009.  While in medical school, Craig has been very active in his school’s organizational leadership, serving as the president of his chapter’s Student Osteopathic Surgical Association, treasurer of his chapter’s Sigma Sigma Phi honor society, and as a member of his school’s Honors and Ethics Committee.  Craig’s passion for anesthesia began as early as high school after multiple shadowing experiences with his father who is an anesthesiologist in North Carolina.  Craig received the Rural Access to Anesthesia Care Scholarship from the ASA and has completed the rural anesthesia clerkship which further solidified Craig’s decision to pursue a career in anesthesia.  Craig is committed to growing the student involvement within the ASA, especially by aiding individual medical schools in developing their anesthesia interest groups.

Being in the operating room and working as a team player excites me.  Surgeons, staff and CRNAs can be the team players, but ultimately the main spectator is the patient. With the strengths gained throughout leadership roles, teaching opportunities during my 4th year in medical school, and throughout my experiences in anesthesiology, I strongly believe that I will make strong contributions to the Governing Council.

Bradford Cardonell, AMA Delegate

Brad Cardonell is a medical student at the University of Kansas, class of 2013. Brad received his B.S. degree in Neuroscience with a minor in business from KU. He is serving as Co-President of the KU-SOM's medical school assembly. Volunteering in the prehospital care setting as an EMT sparked his interest in pursuing a career in anesthesia.  After his first year of medical school, he conducted clinical research relative to techniques that may increase the tolerable apnea time, for obese patients, during induction of anesthesia. At the 2011 ASA annual meeting in Chicago this research project was presented as a poster presentation. Brad's interests are in being a part of organized medicine to advance the field of anesthesia and the practice of medicine. As the AMA delegate, Brad intends to emphasize the concerns of medical students.

Jamie Sparling, AMA Alternate Delegate

Jamie Sparling is a third year student at Boston University School of Medicine.  Originally from southwestern Pennsylvania, she moved to the Boston area to attend MIT where she majored in Chemical Engineering.  Following graduation, she worked as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company before beginning medical school.  Jamie had an interest in anesthesiology early on in medical school, and she credits her exceptional mentors in the field with nurturing that interest and providing her the opportunities to further explore the specialty through shadowing and research in her pre-clinical years.  At the same time, she has been actively involved in the AMA Medical Student Section (MSS), serving in a number of roles including as a Regional Delegate representing medical students in the AMA House of Delegates, as well as Chair of the AMA-MSS Committee on Economics & Quality in Medicine.  These experiences instilled in her the importance of advocacy on behalf of our patients and our profession, as she looks forward to representing future anesthesiologists as Alternate Delegate to the AMA.  In this role, she plans to further ongoing efforts to gain MSC member input on AMA policy and to work with other members of our Governing Council to help grow the MSC. 

Leadership Opportunities