Dr. Nischal Gautam will be Program Chair for the upcoming Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Society (CCAS) 2025 Annual Meeting at the Orlando World Center Marriott on March 27, 2025.  More information can be found here.  Click here to register.

Drs. Gangadharan, Elliott and Graham-Carlson taught a course for pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists at the American Academy of Pediatrics -National Conference and Exhibit 2024 titled “Crash Course in Pediatric Sedation” on September 28^th 2024 in Orlando, Florida.

Recent Publications:

Dr. Gangadharan was published in “Anesthesia and Analgesia” for her article titled:  “A Call to Action: Why Anesthesiologists Must Train, Prepare, and Be at the Forefront of Disaster Response for Mass Casualty Incidents. Anesth Analg. 2024;138(4):893-903. doi:10.1213/ANE.0000000000006719″.

Dr. Sabina Khan was published in Pediatric Anesthesia with her article titled “Understanding Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship Interest: A National Survey of the Resident Experience”.  Her article can be found here.

Our newest faculty from the Center for Outcomes Research have recently been published.

Dr. Alparslan Turan was published in Anesthesiology with his article titled “Perioperative Hypotension in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients with Dialysis Undergoing Noncardiac Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study.  The article can be found here.

Dr. Daniel Sessler was published in the Journal of Anesthesia with his articles titled “continuous vital sign monitoring on surgical wards: the COSMOS pilot” and “intraoperative high and low blood pressures are not associated with delirium after cardiac surgery: a retrospective cohort study”.  His articles can be found here and here.

Dr. Sessler’s article titled “Assessing the Relative Efficacy of Components of Opioid-free Anaesthesia in Adult Surgical Patients: Protocol for a Systematic Review and Component Network Meta-analysis” was published in BMJ Open can be found here.

Dr. Sessler’s article in the Journal of Personalized Medicine titled “Pain After Licorice or Sugar-Water Gargling in Patients Recovering from Oropharyngeal Surgery – A Randomized, Double-Blind Trial was recently published and can he found here.

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Rebekka Reinhardt, MD

Dr. Reinhardt joined the department on November 4^th as an Assistant Professor to support our general anesthesiology group. She completed her MD at Friedrich Alexander University School of Medicine in Erlangen, Germany.  She then completed her residency at the Academic Teaching Hospital of Friedrich Alexander University in Fuerth, Germany and her Advanced Airway Management fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX.

Vera Spektor, MA

Vera joined the department on November 18^th as a Financial Analyst to support our administrative department. She completed her Master of Healthcare Administration from Walden University, and her BS in economics/finance from the College of State Island, in Staten Island, NY.  Vera previously worked as an Accountant at the School of Dentistry at UT Health in Houston, TX.

Melissa Rigas, CRNA

Melissa joined the department on November 11^th as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist to support LBJ Hospital. She completed her MS at UT Health in Houston, TX. Melissa previously worked as a CRNA for Coastal Plastic Surgery and MyCare Plastics in Houston, TX.

Dongqing Yin

Donging joined the department on November 11^th as a Research Assistant to support Dr. Juli Bai’s research lab. He completed his degree in Public Management at Shanxi Norman University in Taiyuan, China. Dongqing previously worked as a Senior Research Assistant for the Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, TX.

Chrystal Jones, DHSc, CAA

Chrystal joined the department on December 2^nd as a Certified Anesthesiology Assistant to support Memorial Hermann Hospital. She completed her doctorate in Health Sciences at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, FL and her Masters in Medical Science Anesthesia at South University in Savannah, GA.  Chrystal previously worked as a Chief Anesthetist for Greater Houston Anesthesiology in Houston, TX.

Zehneel Jiwani, CAA

Zehneel joined the department on December 9^th as a Certified Anesthesiology Assistant to support Memorial Hermann Hospital. He completed his Master of Sciences in Anesthesiology at Nova Southeastern University in Tampa, FL.  Zehneel previously worked as a Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant for HCA Southeast Beltway Anesthesia Group in Houston, TX.

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The K12 program of the Center for Clinical and Translation Sciences and the Institute for Clinical Research and Learning Health Care provides career development awards to outstanding early-career faculty members who aspire to become future leaders in clinical or translational research. It is a joint program between UT Houston and MD Anderson. The grants provide 2 years of funding for completion of a clinical or translational trial under the mentorship of senior clinical scientists.

Dr. Samost-Williams’s research will be on assessing the impact of a semi-structured intraoperative anesthesia handoff tool on surgical patient complications and the mediating effects of the perioperative team shared mental model on these outcomes. This project will build on her prior experiences studying intraoperative handoff work systems and perioperative teamwork to provide safer care to our surgical patients.

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Dr. Goehl completed medical school Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, and her residency and regional fellowship at the McGovern Medical School at UT Health Houston. She has been an Assistant Professor with the department since 2023, supporting the regional anesthesia pod as well as staffing the acute pain service.

We are very excited to welcome Dr. Goehl to this new role.

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She was presented with a special plaque, in recognition for her passion and commitment in Obstetric Anesthesiology, Education and Mentorship, and Faculty Development.

Thank you, Maya, for your many incredible contributions to the Department over the years as an esteemed advisor in faculty development, a valued educator/mentor, dedicated obstetric anesthesiologist, and as a role model for us all.

We wish you all the best!

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Dr. Falce completed medical school and anesthesiology residency at UT Health Houston, then an Obstetric Anesthesia fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine. She held the position of Director of Obstetric Anesthesia at St. Joseph Medical Center after fellowship. In 2021 she came back to UT where she helped start the High-Risk OB Anesthesia Clinic and serves as its director today. She is extremely appreciated by our residents and has twice received a McGovern Medical School Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award.

We are very excited to welcome Dr. Falce to this new role.

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Sally Patel, DO

Dr. Patel joined the department on September 1^st as an Assistant Professor to support our general anesthesiology group. She completed her DO at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine in Old Westbury, NY and her residency at the McGovern Medical School at UT Health in Houston, TX.

Kelley Gonzalvo, MD

Dr. Gonzalvo joined the department on September 1^st as an Assistant Professor to support our cardiovascular anesthesiology group. She completed her MD at Texas A&M University in College Station, TX.  Dr. Gonzalvo then completed her residency and cardiothoracic anesthesiology fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX.

Karen Paltoo, MD

Dr. Paltoo joined the department on September 1^st as an Assistant Professor to support our regional anesthesiology group. She completed her MD at SUNY Downstate College in Brooklyn, NY and her residency at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, NY.  Dr. Gonzalvo then completed her regional anesthesiology fellowship at Mount Sinai West and Mount Sinai Morningside in New York, NY.

Serena Dasani, MD, MBA

Dr. Dasani joined the department on September 1^st as an Assistant Professor to support our cardiovascular anesthesiology group. She completed both her MD and MBA at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA.  Dr. Dasani then completed her residency and adult cardiothoracic anesthesiology fellowship at Harvard Medical School at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA.

Angela McCluster, CAA

Angela joined the department on September 3^rd as a Certified Anesthesiology Assistant to support Memorial Hermann Hospital.  She received her Master’s degree in Anesthesia from Case Western University in Houston, TX.  Angela previously worked for Farmer Law PC as an Executive Assistant.

Bhuvrit Raj Dhakal, MBBS

Dr. Dhakal joined the department on September 12^th as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to support Dr. Alparslan Turan’s Center for Outcomes Research.  He received his MBBS from Kathmandu University in Kathmandu, Nepal.  Bhurvit previously worked as a Research Assistant for the Nepal Medical College Journal in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Bader Hamoud, MD

Dr. Hamoud joined the department on September 16^th as a Research Assistant to support Dr. Holger Eltzschig’s lab.  He received his MD from the University of Jordan School of Medicine in Amman, Jordan.  He previously worked for Liver Associates of Texas in Houston, TX as a Research Assistant.

Syed Uzair Mahmood, MBBS, MPH,CPH,FRSPH

Dr. Mahmood joined the department on September 23^rd as a Research Assistant to support Dr. Alparslan Turan’s Center for Outcomes Research.  He received his MBBS from Jinnah Sindh Medical University in Karachi, Pakistan and his Master’s in Public Health from Queen’s University in Belfast, UK.  Syed previously worked SHINE Humanity as a Public Health Consultant and Programs and Research Manger.

Laura Sanchez, CAA

Laura joined the department on September 30^th as a Certified Anesthesiology Assistant to support Memorial Hermann Hospital.  She received her Master’s degree in Anesthesia from Case Western University in Houston, TX.  Laura previously worked for Beltway Anesthesia and Baylor College of Medicine as an Anesthesiology Assistant.

Jessica Parappuram, CAA

Jessica joined the department on October 7^th as a Certified Anesthesiology Assistant to support Memorial Hermann Hospital.  She received her Master’s degree in Anesthesia from South University in Savannah, GA. Jessica previously worked for Icon PLC as a Clinical Research Associate in Boston, MA.

Valerie Anderson

Valerie joined the department on October 28^th as a Research Coordinator to support Dr. Alparslan Turan’s Center for Outcomes Research.  She received her BS in Biology from Texas A&M University in College Station, TX.  Valerie previously worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator for Alcanza Clinical Research in Sugar Land, TX.

The post Welcome to the Department of Anesthesiology – New Team Members for September – October 2024 appeared first on Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine.

Thank you for everyone that participated and made Halloween an extra special, and fun day!

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The program, housed at UTHealth Houston, will provide future certified anesthesiologist assistants with cutting-edge training in a state-of-the-art facility, ensuring they are well-equipped to meet the complex demands of modern perioperative care. We’re excited to welcome our inaugural cohort and begin this new chapter in advancing anesthesia education.

Thank you to everyone who made this possible!

More information can be found here about the event.

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They are joining Drs. Amber Campbell, Michelle Ge, John Gray, Sara Guzman-Reyes, Hayden Jefferies, Stacy Norrell, Barbara Orlando, and Vishwas Seshachellam who currently serve on the Senate.

Faculty senators help the medical school establish standards for the educational mission of the school. This involves everything from graduate medical education (GME) policies and medical student education to faculty affairs.

The Senate is also the primary means of faculty governance, and an active Senate ensures that the voice of the teaching faculty is heard by institution leadership.

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