FAER Announces 5 Grant Recipients


he Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER) Board of Directors is pleased to announce the award recipients from the February 2005 submissions. FAER received 26 grant applications during the February submission cycle, of which five received funding. Following is a list of the funded investigators and a brief summary of their studies as provided by the investigators.

Mentored Research Training Grant
($75,000 for year one, $50,000 for year two, Mentor Stipend is $40,000/year)

David G. Francis, M.D., Ph.D., University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Texas:

“Elucidating the Mechanistic Basis of Acetazolamide’s Action in Disorders of Membrane Excitability: Studies in a Mouse Model of Periodic Paralysis.” In a mouse model of hyperkalemic periodic paralysis, Dr. Francis will use electrophysiological techniques and muscle-force measurements to understand the mechanism by which acetazolamide is effective in the prevention and treatment of episodic weakness in this disorder. Mentor: Stephen C. Cannon, M.D., Ph.D.

Brian M. Ilfeld, M.D., University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida:

“Perineural Local Anesthesic Infusion Following Total Knee and Hip Replacement.” The objectives of Dr. Ilfeld’s research are to determine if perineural local anesthetic infusion in the immediate postoperative period has both short- and long-term benefits following knee and hip replacement. Mentor: Krista Vanderborne, Ph.D.

Pratik P. Pandharipande, M.D., Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee: “A Randomized, Double-Blind Trial in Ventilated ICU Patients Comparing Treatment With an Alpha-2 Agonist Versus a Gamma Aminobutyric Acid (GABA)-Agonist to Determine Delirium Rates, Efficacy of Sedation and Analgesia and Clinical Outcomes, Including Duration of Mechanical Ventilation and Three-Month Cognitive Status.”

Dr. Pandharipande’s research compares rates of delirium with lorazepam sedation to rates with dexmedetomidine. The hypothesis is that an alternative sedation strategy targeting alpha-2 receptors (dexmedetomidine) might reduce delirium, provide adequate sedation, reduce analgesic requirement and concurrently improve long-term cognitive performance. Mentors: E. Wesley Ely, M.D., and Jeffrey R. Balser, M.D., Ph.D.

Greg Stratmann, M.D., Ph.D., University of California-San Francisco: “The Role of Neurogenesis in the Young and Old Brain in Mediating Cognitive Outcome Following Anesthesia.”

This research by Dr. Stratmann examining the role of neurogenesis in anesthesia-induced cognitive improvement in the young and cognitive decline in the elderly will evaluate neurogenesis following isoflurane or propofol anesthesia. He will assess electophysiologic function of the synaptic network in hippocampal slices by measuring long-term potentiation and neurobehavioral function in vivo. Mentors: Philip E. Bickler, M.D., Ph.D., and Jialing Liu, Ph.D.

Research in Education Grant
($50,00 for year one, $50,000 for year two)
David J. Murray, M.D., Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri: “Acute Care Skills in Anesthesia Practice: A Simulation-Based Performance Assessment.”

Dr. Murray, a previous FAER grant recipient, aims to validate simulation-based training scenarios that evaluate a broader range of acute management skills. This will provide further evidence of the validity of simulation-based training with the long-term goal of providing standards for acute care skills education that elevate practice standards and improve patient safety.

A Model of Philanthropy: Ronald L. Katz, M.D. Mary Schrandt, Associate Executive Director Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research n a society that too frequently values a person’s worth in terms of how much that person can accumulate for him/herself, philanthropic endeavors often go unnoticed. This month FAER wishes to acknowledge a leadership gift from the Ronald L. Katz, M.D., Family Foundation. Dr. Katz has long recognized the importance and value of investing in others and supporting the accumulation of intellectual property for the betterment of humanity. A patron of FAER for the past decade, he is now expressing his philanthropic spirit as a challenge to his colleagues and contemporaries to also invest in this cause. To achieve this objective, Dr. Katz in 2004 committed to a gift of $100,000 to FAER in support of medical student education in anesthesiology.  FAER presently is undertaking several projects relative to medical students. Initiatives include the Medical Student Anesthesia Research Fellowship Program, conceived in 2004 and introduced as a pilot in 2005 by Alexander A. Hannenberg, M.D., to recruit to the specialty an increased number of students with high scientific potential. Ronald L. Katz, M.D. Additionally, working with Catherine K. Lineberger, M.D., and the Society for Education in Anesthesiology (SEA), FAER and SEA will examine the feasibility of making anesthesiology a curriculum requirement in as many schools as possible. FAER will review the teaching of anesthesiology in medical school curricula in Liaison Committee for Medical Education-accredited schools.   Recognizing the impact of people working together toward a common goal, we are delighted to note that Dr. Katz has confirmed his commitment to philanthropy and education through a gift to SEA for the creation of the Society for Education in Anesthesia-Ronald L. Katz Traveling Fellowship. This program, now in its third year, is designed for anesthesiology residents and administered through Anesthesia Overseas, a division of Health Volunteers Overseas. Similarly in 2004, using Dr. Katz’s gift, FAER established the Ronald L. Katz, M.D. Medical Student Fellowship Fund in support of the FAER Medical Student Anesthesia Research Fellowship Program. It is Dr. Katz’s desire that his investment in the future of the specialty serve as a model to others. FAER is committed to providing a supportive environment for teaching and learning and to enhancing professional growth for residents and medical students interested in a career in anesthesiology. Like Dr. Katz’s philanthropic gift, your dollars invested in FAER demonstrate optimism, a commitment to the future and a fundamental belief in the importance of anesthesiology in the health care of tomorrow. Ron, FAER shares your enthusiasm and thanks you for your exemplary generosity and vision. Ronald L. Katz, M.D. Dr. Katz graduated from the University of Wisconsin and the Boston University School of Medicine. He served his residency in anesthesiology at Columbia University, joined the faculty and rose to the rank of Professor of Anesthesiology. He subsequently was Professor and Chair in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of California-Los Angeles and at the University of Southern California where he remains active to the present. He has enjoyed an illustrious career and remains involved in the specialty as a contributing elder statesman.