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| David C. Warltier, M.D.,
Ph.D. |
The Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research
(FAER) will present the fourth annual FAER Honorary
Research Lecture at the ASA 2004 Annual Meeting in
Las Vegas, Nevada. FAER has created this annual lectureship
as a means of recognizing outstanding scholarship
by an anesthesiologist in an effort to encourage young
anesthesiologists to consider careers in research
and teaching, which are crucial if anesthesiology
is to maintain its reputation as a medical specialty
continuously striving for excellence in patient care.
This year’s selection is David C. Warltier,
M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology
and Medicine (Cardiology) at the Medical College of
Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For more than 20
years, Dr. Warltier made novel and important contributions
in both clinical and basic sciences, focusing largely
on the physiology and pharmacology of coronary circulation
and alterations in ventricular function in ischemic
heart disease. His earliest investigations of the
effects of volatile anesthetics on multivessel coronary
ischemia provided a large body of critical information
and helped to dispel the idea that isoflurane caused
significant coronary steal and was, therefore, contraindicated
in patients with coronary artery disease. His investigations
of coronary angiogenesis and genetic control of angiogenic
factors have resulted in continuing recognition from
beyond the specialty of anesthesiology. His work on
ischemic preconditioning and his discovery of the
ability of volatile anesthetics to provide protection
from myocardial ischemia through activation of adenosine
triphosphate-dependent potassium channels has resulted
in a new and more detailed understanding of the interaction
of anesthetics and ischemic myocardium at the cellular
level. He is presently studying the signal transduction
pathways by which anesthetic cardioprotection against
ischemia and reperfusion injury occurs.
Dr. Warltier was born on March 28, 1947, in Hartford,
Connecticut, and spent most of his early years in
New York. In 1965, David came to Waukesha, Wisconsin,
to continue his education at Carroll College. He completed
his B.S. degree with honors in biology and chemistry
in 1969. (Twenty-two years later, Carroll College
awarded him an Honorary D.Sc. degree for his achievements
in the biologic sciences.) After a short period working
as an organic chemist, Dr. Warltier entered a graduate
program in pharmacology as a student of Harold F.
Hardman, M.D., Ph.D., Professor and Chair, and Garrett
Gross, Ph.D., Assistant Professor (and now Professor)
at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He completed
his Ph.D. in 1976, and within four years, he published
24 original articles in peer-reviewed journals. Postdoctoral
fellowships in pharmacology from the American Heart
Association and the National Science Foundation laid
the groundwork for his first National Institutes of
Health (NIH) grant in 1979, titled “The Pharmacology
of Myocardial Ischemia and Infarction.” This
was the start of 25 years of continuous NIH research
support. He completed his M.D. at the Medical College
of Wisconsin in 1982, earning election to Alpha Omega
Alpha. After graduation he was immediately promoted
to Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Internal
Medicine. He continued with his investigations as
a mentor for cardiology fellows and pharmacology graduate
students in his role as Director of the Cardiovascular
Research Training Grant in Cardiology (1983-89).
Three years after receiving his M.D., Dr. Warltier
decided on another career change. He entered the anesthesiology
residency training program in 1985, completing his
training in 1988. At the same time, he continued to
develop a successful and productive research laboratory
and to build his academic career by combining clinical
anesthesiology and basic research. He was promoted
to Professor of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Medicine
in 1990 and, in the same year, was appointed Vice-Chair
for Research in the Department of Anesthesiology at
the Medical College of Wisconsin.
The following years have been as remarkable as those
that preceded his entry into our specialty. In addition
to his own research activities, he has mentored the
careers of numerous medical students, graduate students,
residents, cardiology fellows and anesthesiology fellows.
He is Principal Investigator of the department’s
NIH-funded Anesthesiology Research Training Grant.
He was appointed as Adjunct Professor of Biomedical
Engineering at Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin,
in 1995 in recognition of research that has contributed
to the Ph.D. research thesis requirements for a number
of bioengineering graduate students. In 2000, he was
appointed Director of the Medical Scientist Training
Program (the M.D., Ph.D. program) at the Medical College
of Wisconsin. This latter, universitywide position
was the direct result of his achievements in science,
his leadership, his communication skills and his record
of success in mentorship and ability to influence
and help students achieve their goals in academic
medicine. Dr. Warltier received the Distinguished
Service Award from the Medical College of Wisconsin
in 2002.
Dr. Warltier’s contributions to the specialty
of anesthesiology are numerous. He has been a member
of the editorial board of Anesthesiology
for the past 12 years. He also serves as an editor
for Cardiovascular Drug Reviews and the American
Journal of Physiology (Heart and Circulatory Physiology)
and has been an editorial consultant and reviewer
for 16 journals. He is a member of many medical and
scientific organizations and societies and has been
a visiting professor at numerous academic programs
in the United States as well as in other countries.
He has published more than 300 original articles,
book chapters and reviews and has held grants from
NIH, the Veterans Administration and many pharmaceutical
companies. His current NIH R01 grant has been funded
continuously for 20 years, while the Anesthesiology
Research Training Grant has been funded for 16 years.
Dr. Warltier also is a principal investigator of a
project in an NIH Program Project grant dealing with
heart disease and anesthesia. In 2001 he won the ASA
Excellence in Research Award. (This article is based
on a description of Dr. Warltier’s achievements
at the 2001 ASA Annual Meeting.)
Finally, Dr. Warltier is simply the epitome of the
clinician-investigator: When he is not in the laboratory,
classroom or lecture hall, he can usually be found
providing anesthesia care for patients undergoing
cardiac and major vascular surgery.
Other than his work, Dr. Warltier has three important
loves: his family, his golden retrievers, Chili and
Murphy, and pre-Columbian art (of which he has an
impressive collection). He is a loving husband to
his wife, Lynn, and father to four children, Candice,
Charles, Kristin and Karin. His extended professional
family has consisted of approximately 40 fellows and
students who have spent time in his laboratory.
Dr. Warltier’s lecture, “Protection Against
Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury,” will be presented
Monday, October 25 from 2:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. in
Pavillion 9 of the Las Vegas Hilton.
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Ronald D. Miller, M.D., is Professor and Chair,
Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative
Care, and Professor of Cellular and Molecular
Pharmacology, University of California-San Francisco,
San Francisco, California. |
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