Vanderbilt Anesthesiololgy

Some thoughts on Giving from our Chair, Michael Higgins, MD, MPH:

The specialty of anesthesiology is at a crossroads. Over the past century we have dramatically improved the quality and safety of patient care through enhanced training experiences and the development of new pharmacologic agents and monitoring technology. Yet, with the significant growth of the demand for procedural anesthesia services and the shrinking margins in healthcare, the “production pressures” experienced by today’s departments of anesthesiology threaten our academic mission. Without continued intellectual progress, we risk stagnation and relegation to being merely a “service” specialty.

Despite this challenge, the Vanderbilt Department of Anesthesiology has successfully expanded its research enterprise and now has a top 10 NIH funded research program. We have done this by investing our valuable time and financial resources in the development of clinician scientists and educators. As a result, we have begun to answer important questions such as, “How do anesthetics work? Are there genetic predictors of how patients respond to medications? What causes delirium? How can computers improve patient safety? How can simulation improve training?” These and many other important questions need to be answered for us to achieve our goal of changing the practice of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine.

Although our grant funding is strong, the NIH is in a financial crisis that has cut funding for even well-established Vanderbilt investigators. Also, governmental sources will not fund many innovative research and educational programs such as “discovery” grants and lectureships. Nor do they fund fellowships and professorships which allow us to attract the best and brightest minds to Vanderbilt. Only with your support can we fund these activities.

Thank you to those who have supported us with your contributions. In the past year, we have initiated a pediatric anesthesiology lectureship fund and other important academic programs because of your generous gifts. Your help in funding the academic mission of our department will keep the specialty of anesthesiology strong in this time of great challenge.

Vanderbilt Anesthesiology Alumni Affairs & Development

1211 21st Avenue South, 701 MAB

Nashville, TN  37212-1050 

Tel: (615) 343-6236 Fax: (615) 343-7246

Email: anesthesia.alum@vanderbilt.edu