he Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER) Board of Directors met April 26, 2007, in Chicago, Illinois, prior to the meeting of the Association of University Anesthesiologists (AUA). During this meeting, the board reaffirmed the charge to provide funds to train anesthesiologists as basic scientists and clinical investigators and approved $1,020,000 in Mentored Research Training Grants, $100,000 in Research in Education Grants and $300,000 in Research Starter Grants for a total of $1,420,000 in future grant funding.

Spring 2007 Award Recipients:

Mentored Research Training Grant ($75,000 year one; $100,000 year two; Mentor Stipend $40,000/year)

Ken M. Brady, M.D., Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, “Measuring Autoregulation to Improve the Care of Children With Traumatic Brain Injury.” Mentor: Raymond Koehler, Ph.D.; Department Chair: John A. Ulatowski, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A.

Holger K. Eltzchig, M.D., Ph.D., University of Colorado, Denver Colorado, “Role of A2B Adenosine Receptor in Vascular Leakage During Hypoxia.” Mentor: Sean P. Colgan, Ph.D.; Department Chair: Thomas K. Henthorn, M.D.

Yumiko Ishizawa, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, “Thalamocortical Neural Processing and Anesthetic-Induced Antiociception.” Mentor: Emery N. Brown, M.D., Ph.D.; Department Chair: Warren M. Zapol, M.D.

Denise M. Wilkes, M.D., Ph.D., University of Texas, Galveston, Texas, “Viral Transfer of the Micro-Opioid Receptor Gene to the Peripheral Nervous System: A Genetic Approach to the Treatment of Pain.” Mentor: Li-Yen Mae Huang, Ph.D.; Department Chair: Donald S. Prough, M.D.

Research in Education Grant ($50,000 year one, $50,000 year two)

Carin Ann Hagberg, M.D., University of Texas Medical School, Houston, Texas, “Anticipation of the Difficult Airway: The Preoperative Airway Assessment Form as an Educational and Quality Improvement Tool.” Mentor: Jon E. Tyson, M.D., M.P.H.; Department Chair, James F. Arens, M.D.

Research Starter Grant ($35,000 year one, $50,000 year two)

Amanda A. Fox, M.D., Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, “Genotypic Influences on Postoperative B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Concentrations and Ventricular Dysfunction With Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery.” Mentors: Christine E. Seidman, M.D., Jonathan Seldman, Ph.D., and Simon C. Body, M.B., Ch.B., M.P.H.; Department Chair: Charles A. Vacanti, M.D.

W. Michael Hooten, M.D., Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, “Temporal Changes in Pain Threshold and Tolerance Among Chronic Pain Patients Following Opioid Withdrawal.” Mentor: Michael J. Joyner, M.D.; Department Chair: Bradly J. Narr, M.D.

George Istaphanous, M.D., Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio: “Anesthesia-Induced Neuronal Cell Death in the Developing Brain.” Mentor: Andreas W. Loepke, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.A.P.; Department Chair: Charles Dean Kurth, M.D.

Linxin Liu, M.D., Ph.D., Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, “Age-Associated Changes in Cardiac Gene Expression Following Anesthetic Preconditioning.” Mentor: Peter R. Brink, Ph.D.; Department Chair: Peter S.A. Glass, M.B., Ch.B.

For their expertise and commitment in evaluating the research applications, the FAER Board of Directors would like to thank the ASA Committee on Research (Chair Paul R. Knight III, M.D., Ph.D., Keith A. Candiotti, M.D., Lee A. Fleisher, M.D., Rona G. Giffard, M.D., Ph.D., Allan Gottschalk, M.D., Ph.D., Thomas K. Henthorn, M.D., Roger A. Johns, M.D., Evan D. Kharasch, M.D., Ph.D., Jeffrey R. Kirsch, M.D., Jerrold Lerman, M.D., Lawrence Litt, M.D., Ph.D., Thomas P. Malan, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., Ronald G. Pearl, M.D., Ph.D., Beverly K. Philip, M.D., James P. Rathmell, M.D., Margaret M. Tarpey, M.D., and Rebecca S. Twersky, M.D., M.P.H.) and the FAER Education Study Section (Chair John R. Moyers, M.D., Joy L. Hawkins, M.D., Michael F. Roizen, M.D., Theodore J. Sanford, Jr., M.D., Armin Schubert, M.D., M.B.A., and Denham S. Ward, Jr., M.D.).

FAER/ASA Annual Meeting Activities:
Additionally, members of the FAER Board outlined tentative plans for the ASA 2007 Annual Meeting this October in San Francisco.

FAER/Abbott-Volwiler and Tabern Resident Scholar Program: This four-day program will be attended by 60 residents. Guest speakers include Simon Gelman, M.D., Ph.D., and Timothy J. Brennan, M.D., Ph.D. In addition FAER is excited to be able to offer 40 residents the opportunity to attend the Society for Education in Anesthesia and American Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists annual meetings on Friday, October 12, a day prior to the FAER/Abbott Program. This program is supported in part by Abbott Laboratories.

FAER Panel: Moderator Sean Kennedy, M.D., and panelists Arnold J. Berry, M.D., Simon Gelman, M.D., Ph.D., Stephen Slogoff, M.D., and M. Christine Stock, M.D., will present on the topic of “Medical Education for the Next Generation of Physicians.”

Seventh FAER Honorary Research Lecturer: Mervyn Maze, M.B., Ch.B., Sir Ivan Magill Professor of Anaesthesia, and Head, Department of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Management, Imperial College, London; Campus Dean and Honorary Consultant Anaesthetist, Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Hospital Trust, will speak on “Why We Need to Know How Anesthetics Work.”

FAER Luncheon: The FAER Luncheon is held to express FAER’s appreciation to corporate sponsors for their support and to cultivate interactions with corporations, FAER, ASA and subspecialty leadership and grant recipients. Jeanine Wierner-Kronish, M.D., will moderate a panel highlighting critical care medicine.

FAER Medical Student Anesthesia Research Fellowship (MSARF) Symposium: The MSARF Program, now in its third year, has grown with a total of 32 students participating in 2007. Students will have the opportunity for poster and oral presentations of their research work. The symposium will be moderated by Donn M. Dennis, M.D.

FAER Academy of Research Mentors for Anesthesiology: The Academy will hold a workshop titled “How to Choose a Quality Mentor.” Paul D. Allen, M.D., and Alex S. Evers, M.D., will moderate the panel consisting of both mentors and mentees.
FAER Board members would like to thank James R. Zaidan, M.D., M.B.A. (Resident Scholar Program), Arnold J. Berry, M.D. (FAER panel), Dr. Fleisher (Honorary Research Lecture), Mark A. Warner, M.D. (FAER luncheon), Dr. Dennis (Medical Student Symposium), and Dr. Allen and Dr. Evers (Academy of Research Mentors) for their efforts in organizing these outstanding 2007 FAER programs.

The above grants and programs are just some of the ways which FAER strives to support innovative programs and opportunities that meet the ever-changing needs of the anesthesiology community. FAER is grateful for the generous support and contributions from ASA, its individual members, component societies, subspecialty societies and corporations.

Alan D. Sessler, M.D., is Professor and Chair Emeritus, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.

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