FAER Critical Care Research Council Off to Strong Start

Ronald G. Pearl, M.D., Ph.D., Chair
FAER Critical Care Research Council



n May 2004, the Foundation for Anesthesiology Education and Research Board of Directors created four research councils designed to develop new relationships and increase fund development efforts in geriatrics, pain medicine, pediatrics and critical care and trauma. Council members will work to increase funding and attention to the research and education needs of the respective areas. The mission of each FAER Research Council is to “facilitate involvement and expansion of the anesthesia community to include practitioners and academicians, governmental and lay organizations. The councils will promote opportunities for funding worthy science, facilitating new discoveries and assisting in the development and growth of future scientists whose research is oriented within the related initiative.”

The FAER Critical Care Research Council includes: Bruce F. Cullen, M.D.; Alex S. Evers, M.D.; Alan W. Grogono, M.D.; Orin F. Guidry, M.D.; Carl C. Hug, Jr., M.D., Ph.D.; Ronald D. Miller, M.D.; Charles W. Otto, M.D.; Myer H. Rosenthal, M.D.; M. Christine Stock, M.D.; James R. Zaidan, M.D., M.B.A.; and Ronald G. Pearl, M.D., Ph.D., Chair. Ex-officio members include Joanne M. Conroy, M.D., Alan D. Sessler, M.D., Suzanne T. Anderson, Thomas M. Bruckman, Glenn W. Johnson and Mary M. Schrandt. Also serving on the council will be Peter J. Pronovost, M.D., Ph.D., and a representative from the American Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists (ASCCA).

The FAER Critical Care Research Council is currently identifying research opportunities that focus on critical care, including the clinical impact of catheter-related bloodstream infections, sedation/analgesia in the intensive care unit, perioperative critical care and complications of cerebrovascular disease. FAER has a strong history of supporting research related to critical care, including:

Guido Musch, M.D.: Regional Effects of Alveolar Recruiting Strategies on Gas Exchange and Cellular Inflammation in Acute Lung Injury

Paul E. Wischmeyer, M.D.: The Effects of Glutamine on Induction of the Stress Response to Improve Outcome From Sepsis

Patricia F. Mack, M.D.: The Effect of Intraoperative Hypothermia on the Cerebrospinal Fluid Cytokine Response in Intracranial Aneurysm Surgery.

The FAER Critical Care Research Council is looking for new ways to encourage research in critical care. The council will develop collaborative relationships with anesthesia subspecialty organizations involved in critical care to jointly promote research ideas and opportunities. The council is also looking to industry, other foundations with similar missions and governmental partnerships to expand and enhance the research programs and resources available for research in critical care medicine.

FAER Research Grant Submission Process
Carol Demulling, FAER Grant Coordinator: Twice a year, on February 15 and August 15, FAER accepts education and research grant applications. The review process is rigorous. Using National Institutes of Health criteria and methods to evaluate the proposals, the review committees evaluate the potential development of the investigator, the mentoring she/he will receive and the scientific merit and importance of the related research. It is hoped that the critiques will help applicants to understand the processes and precision involved in grant submission and review. FAER strives to fund excellent current research projects and seeks to develop future investigators who will compete successfully for future grant support. The FAER February 2005 grant recipients will be announced in future ASA NEWSLETTERs.

FAER is thankful to its Board of Directors, the ASA Committee on Research, the FAER Education Study Section and the FAER Grant Awards Review Committee for their efforts evaluating research proposals, providing constructive feedback, granting funds to qualified researchers and monitoring ongoing projects. Due to the expert counsel and advice from the many outstanding members of ASA, FAER is able to encourage and promote increased educational and scientific research in the field of anesthesiology. This investment in the development of talented professionals will ensure that anesthesiology has outstanding leaders in research and education in the years to come. FAER thanks these physicians and appreciates their commitment to developing future scientists.

For more information regarding the Critical Care Research Council, FAER grant applications or how you may support FAER, visit the FAER Web site at <www.faer.org> or call the FAER office at (507) 266-6866.

Ronald G. Pearl, M.D., Ph.D., is Chair, Department of Anesthesia, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California.