As I read the proofs of this issue of the Michigan Airway, I was amazed at the variety of activities going on within the Department and the its extended family. The cover story describes one of the medical missions that went to Guatemala. This mission is one of several in which Department personnel have contributed to over the years. David Charnesky, CRNA went on missions to Nicaragua and Nigeria. Terri Klimek, CRNA recently returned from an Operation Smile mission to Nicaragua and will be going to Morocco in March. This is the 18th year that Terri has donated her time to this cause. These individuals should be congratulated on their service to the greater community by donating their time to help those in need throughout the world. They are the ones who can see first hand how truly fortunate we are with respect to the health care we take for granted.
The issue also presents a press release regarding the MorCARE system that we have been working on for the past few years. The 2001 academic year should see the completion of the initial implementation of this product from pre-op, intra-op, and post-op, including all the other modules involved with patient care. We feel this system will not only improve patient care but also provide important information regarding quality of care and how to improve that care in a cost-effective manner. From a research perspective, we think it will place our Department at the forefront of anesthesia departments nationally.
This issue highlights one of the truly talented members of our Department, Paul Mata. We knew he was quick and coordinated by the way he moves around the operating room but I am sure it is a surprise to many of the readers that he is a world class figure skater, winning the silver medal for men’s figure skating in France this past May.
Again our Department was well represented at the ASA’s national meeting by faculty and residents. But this year was an exceptional year highlighted by Carlos Moreno’s election to the position of Chairman of the Resident Component of the ASA. Congratulations Carlos! Other activities include Dr. Tim Rutter’s spring Gas Masters Tournament, followed by the resident graduation dinner, the RB Sweet Conference and our two CME meetings of the year in Puerto Vallarta and Copper Mountain, Colorado.
We have an update on our chronic pain program’s new procedure suite with a state of the art digital fluoroscopy. This unit is a great addition to our pain program and we appreciate the generosity of the institution in providing the needed resources.
Finally, it was nice to hear from our alumni. We would like to hear from more. Please send us pictures and notes of how you are doing.