American Society of Anesthesiologists recognizes Karsten Bartels, M.D., Ph.D., MBA, with its 2023 James E. Cottrell Presidential Scholar Award

SAN FRANCISCO — The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) today honored Karsten Bartels, M.D., Ph.D., MBA., with its 2023 James E. Cottrell Presidential Scholar Award in recognition of his exemplary research to improve patient outcomes in perioperative and critical care medicine and pain management. The award is presented annually to an ASA member who has dedicated their formative career to research.

Dr. Bartels is the Robert Lieberman Endowed Chair in Anesthesiology, vice chair of research and professor of anesthesiology with tenure at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in Omaha. Additionally, he is the inaugural director of the Robert Lieberman Research Initiative within the UNMC Department of Anesthesiology.

A consummate physician-scientist, Dr. Bartels began his career by studying patient opioid use after surgery, particularly following hospital discharge. He is one of the first anesthesiologists to research adverse effects from over-prescription of opioids after surgery. This work became the foundation of his K23 Mentored Scientist Career Development Award from the National Institutes of Health and National Institute on Drug Abuse in 2016, which in turn led to a five-year Research Project Grant (R01) Award from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In 2022, he was listed in Stanford University’s annual assessment of the top 2% of all scientists in the world based on his work’s impact.

“Dr. Bartels’ remarkable advances in the science of anesthesiology, pain medicine and critical care are helping to improve patient safety and outcomes during and after surgery,” said ASA President Michael W. Champeau, M.D., FAAP, FASA. “I applaud him on this well-deserved recognition.” 

Dr. Bartels currently serves as the vice chair of ASA’s Abstract Review Subcommittee on Critical Care and the Abstract Review Subcommittee on Outcomes and Database Research. He has published 96 peer-reviewed articles, 33 of which as first author and 29 as senior author. He was recently appointed as a permanent member of the Healthcare Effectiveness and Outcomes Research study section for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he serves as the only anesthesiologist.

Additionally, Dr. Bartels has positively impacted the career development of medical students, trainees and junior faculty across the country. He has served as an editor for the American Board of Anesthesiology’s written exam, editor of the textbook “Hensley’s Practical Approach to Cardiothoracic Anesthesia,” and as a site mentor for the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research Medical Student Anesthesia Research Fellowship. 

Dr. Bartels received his medical degree from the University of Freiburg (magna cum laude), in Germany. He completed a residency in anesthesiology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, a fellowship in pain medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, and fellowships in cardiothoracic anesthesiology and critical care medicine at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical science and clinical investigation from the University of Colorado in Aurora, and an MBA from the University of Colorado in Denver.

ABOUT THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS
Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific professional society with more than 56,000 members organized to advance the medical practice of anesthesiology and secure its future. ASA is committed to ensuring anesthesiologists evaluate and supervise the medical care of all patients before, during and after surgery. ASA members also lead the care of critically ill patients in intensive care units, as well as treat pain in both acute and chronic settings.

For more information on the field of anesthesiology, visit the American Society of Anesthesiologists online at asahq.org. To learn more about how anesthesiologists help ensure patient safety, visit asahq.org/madeforthismoment. Join the ANESTHESIOLOGY^® 2023 social conversation today. Like ASA on Facebook, follow ASALifeline on Twitter and use the hashtag #ANES23.

# # #