Congratulations to FAER’s Spring 2026 Grant Recipients!

Friday, June 5

The Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER) is proud to announce the physician-investigators awarded research grants in spring 2026. Totaling $1.68 million in funding, awards include four Mentored Research Training Grants, one Research in Education Grant, one Transition to Independence Grant, and one APSF-FAER Mentored Research Training Grant co-sponsored by the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF).

“The projects submitted by Drs. Bickel, Cortina, Hedayat, Hwang, Rolfzen, Rubin, and Saha represent significant value to anesthesiology, the patients we care for, and our collective scientific acumen. The passion and enthusiasm these seven have shown – both in their initial submissions and on receiving the call that their work would be funded – was truly palpable. It is an honor to support such exceptional physician-investigators and help provide them with the early-career funding and research time needed for long-term success.

“We hope you will join us in congratulating Drs. Bickel, Cortina, Hedayat, Hwang, Rolfzen, Rubin, and Saha on becoming the latest cadre of FAER grantees, and thanking them for their work in advancing our specialty.”
- Max B. Kelz, MD, PhD, FAER President and Chief Scientific Officer, and Charles W. Emala Sr., MS, MD, Chair of the FAER Board of Directors

Details on FAER's spring 2026 grant recipients – including names, institutions, mentors, and project titles – can be found below. Please join us in congratulating and celebrating these future leaders of anesthesiology and research!

FAER would also like to take this opportunity to thank all those serving as mentors on these grants, as well as each grantee’s institution and department, for their part in nurturing the next generation of physician-investigators. We would similarly like to thank the APSF for its generous support via co-sponsoring the APSF-FAER MRTG.

Mentored Research Training Grants (MRTG) help physician-investigators develop the skills, preliminary data for subsequent grant applications, and research publications needed to become independent investigators. These grants are eligible to faculty members who have completed their core anesthesiology residency training within the past 10 years and comprise $300,000 in funding over two years.

Kathleen Gifford Bickel, MD, PhD | Washington University in St. Louis
Primary Mentor: Baron Chanda, PhD
Secondary Mentor: Wayland W. L. Cheng, MD, PhD
Tertiary Mentor: Vijay Krishnamoorthy, MD, PhD
Project Title: Structural Basis of the Allosteric Regulation of Pacemaker Ion Channel Activity by Trip8b

George Cortina, MD, PhD | Duke University
Primary Mentor: Ru-Rong Ji, PhD
Secondary Mentor: Daniel Reker, ScD
Project Title: Tissue-Specific Membrane Determinants of Local Anesthetic Entry and Sodium Channel Access

Julie Hwang, MD | Columbia University
Primary Mentor: Maya Mikami, MD, PhD, MPH
Secondary Mentor: Charles W. Emala Sr., MS, MD
Project Title: Asthma, Sex, and Anesthetic Brain Vulnerability

Megan L. Rolfzen, MD | University of Michigan
Primary Mentor: Karsten Bartels, MD, PhD, MBA
Secondary Mentor: Afton L. Hassett, PsyD
Tertiary Mentor: Chad Brummett, MD
Additional Collaborators: Michael L. Burns, PhD, MD; Peter Nagele, MD
Project Title: Leveraging the Perioperative Encounter to Identify New-Onset Postoperative Depressive Symptoms in Surgical Patients

APSF-FAER Mentored Research Training Grants (MRTG) are co-sponsored by the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) and fund patient safety research directly relevant to the perioperative care of patients, as well as chronic pain and critical care medicine. Patient safety is defined as the avoidance, prevention and improvement of adverse outcomes or injuries stemming from health care processes. These grants are eligible to faculty members who have completed their core anesthesiology residency training within the past 10 years and comprise $300,000 in funding over two years.

Anjan Saha, MD, PhD | Columbia University
Primary Mentor: Meghan Lane-Fall, MD, MSHP, FCCM
Secondary Mentor: Charles W. Emala Sr., MS, MD
Project Title: AirLInC – Airway and Laryngoscopy Institutional Collaborative

Research in Education Grants (REG) advance the careers and knowledge of anesthesiologists interested in improving the concepts, methods, and techniques of education in anesthesiology. These grants are eligible to anesthesiology faculty of any rank and comprise $100,000 in funding over two years.

Mona Hedayat, MD | Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Primary Mentor: Robina Matyal, MD
Secondary Mentor: Feroze Mahmood, MD, FCPS, FASE
Tertiary Mentor: John D. Mitchell, MD
Project Title: Virtual Reality-Based Training to Enhance Intraoperative Situational Awareness and Critical Decision-Making in Anesthesiology

Transition to Independence Grants (TIG) aim to support the transition of investigators from mentored training-focused support to independent (non-mentored) research support. These grants are eligible to primary investigators (not co-investigators) who have completed work on a FAER MRTG or FAER GEMSSTAR within the past two years and are in the process of revising and resubmitting an application for new independent research funding (R01/21, VA Merit, AHRQ or equivalent). The TIG comprises $75,000 in funding over one year.

Daniel Rubin, MD, MS | The University of Chicago
Project Title: Impact of Functional Activity Strength Training on Disability After Surgery

FAER is also pleased to share information on the funding opportunities available as part of its upcoming Fall 2026 Grant Cycle. Standard FAER grants available for the Fall 2026 Cycle include the Mentored Research Training Grant, Research in Education Grant, and Research Fellowship Grant. Applications for the Transition to Independence Grant are also accepted on a rolling basis. See below for more information and links, or visit FAER.org/Grants.

Applications Open: June 1 - August 15, 2026

Available Grants:

• Mentored Research Training Grant ($300,000 over two years)
• Research in Education Grant ($100,000 over two years)
• Research Fellowship Grant ($75,000 over one year)
• Transition to Independence Grant ($75,000 over one year)

In addition to the grants linked above, FAER is excited to continue its partnership with the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP) to offer the SOAP-FAER Mentored Research Training Grant (MRTG) as part of the Fall 2026 Grant Cycle. Note that a Letter of Intent must be submitted before interested applicants are invited to submit a full application for this award. Follow the link below to learn more, submit a Letter of Intent, and apply.

Letter of Intent Submissions Open: June 1 – July 1, 2026

SOAP-FAER Mentored Research Training Grant ($300,000 over two years)

THE FOUNDATION FOR ANESTHESIA EDUCATION AND RESEARCH (FAER)
FAER is a related foundation of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). For 40 years, FAER has been dedicated to developing the next generation of physician-investigators in anesthesiology. Charitable contributions and support to FAER help fuel the future of anesthesiology through scientific discovery. Funding priorities include: Research, Education, and Training. At the time of this article's publication, FAER has awarded more than $63 million in research grants and programs since 1986. To donate to FAER, visit FAER.org/donate.