MARC Awards 1998

House officers and fellows from our department received seven different awards for their presentations at the 1998 Midwest Anesthesia Resident’s Conference (MARC). In fact, more MARC awards were given to members of the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Michigan Medical Center than to any other department of anesthesiology. We are proud of each of our 21 house officers and fellows who participated, it was clearly our best showing ever.

The MARC is one of the largest gatherings of resident anesthesiologists in the United States. It is the premier resident conference and is attended by more anesthesiology house officers than any other conference in the country. The conference location rotates every year amongst the 31 member institutions. This year’s MARC was held March 27 through 29, 1998, at the University of Minnesota. In the last few years, we have seen an increased level of participation from our anesthesiology house officers and fellows. In 1992, only two house officers represented the department, and in 1998, 21 U-M Anesthesiology house officers/fellows participated and 19 abstracts were presented. The turnout was fantastic!

The MARC has continued to be a great place for our residents to “show off” their own work. The presentations ranged from case reports (most commonly due to “I just happened to be in the room and guess what happened?”) to house officer/fellow initiated evidence-based research. The MARC program is often the first opportunity for some of the participants to write a scientific abstract and present their research as either a poster (passive or discussion) or as an oral presentation. Most residents are a little reluctant to present their work, mostly out of fear of the unknown. They soon find out that they can learn to present with the best of anesthesiology house officers in the country. It is wonderful to see them soar. They have the opportunity to show their work, which provides them a greater knowledge of anesthesiology that cannot be learned from textbooks. The MARC also facilitates resident education and growth in a collegial environment for the resident.

The conference begins with a reception on Friday evening. The actual scientific presentations begin Saturday morning and continue through Sunday afternoon. This year the keynote address, entitled “Anesthesiology Visions,” was delivered by the president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), William D. Owens, M.D. The meeting, although designed for residents and fellows, also provides an opportunity for faculty to meet new and old friends. It promotes collegial interaction as well as friendly rivalries amongst faculty and residents from different MARC institutions. The importance of political activity is exemplified at the yearly resident caucus held on Saturday afternoon. Then, faculty and residents have the opportunity to informally socialize and mingle with others from member institutions at a Saturday evening theme party. This year the theme was “Murder & Mayhem at the Wabasha Street Caves.” A great time was had by all!

The MARC conference truly gives the resident an opportunity to recognize their abilities and capabilities in a research forum. On more than one occasion residents have caught the “research bug” at the MARC conference. In fact, graduating resident John LaGorio, M.D., has presented at the MARC every year during his residency program. Many other residents have benefited from the MARC experience and have gone on to receive national recognition for their research efforts by presenting at national meetings such as the ASA and International Anesthesiology Research Society (IARS), as well as having their manuscripts published in peer reviewed journals.

John LaGorio, M.D. won the U-M Department of Anesthesiology 1998 Resident Research Award. He presented at the 1998 ASA meeting in Orlando, Florida. Deanna Dorantes, M.D. won the U-M Department of Anesthesiology 1998 Fellow Research Award, and presented at the 1998 Society for Obstetrical Anesthesia and Perinatology meeting in Van Couver, British Columbia.

A lot of time and work goes into the department’s MARC program. All residents and house officers work with a faculty mentor who provides technical support for abstract preparation and coaching of the final format for the presentation. It is very clear that the sheer numbers of residents and fellows who present at the MARC from our institution enhances the prestige and reputation of the department. For the last four years we have had more residents present at the conference than any other MARC program except for the hosting institution (we often outnumber the hosting institution as well).

The faculty has continued to be very generous in volunteering their time to participate as mentors, moderators and judges for a variety of sessions. Our staff members are equally as important; Carey Auxier, with the assistance of Margo Douthat, have done an outstanding job of preparing all of the abstracts for publication, designing posters, and preparing slides. Clearly we could not run this successful program without the support of many.

The conference ends with an award ceremony and 36 awards were given to the participants this year. Special kudos to participants and their mentors who earned awards for their presentations. We look forward to having an outstanding turnout next year when the conference moves to Ohio State University, and to seeing you there!

1998 MARC Awards

Table

1st Place - Obstetric Poster Discussion

2nd Place - Obstetric Poster Discussion

3rd Place - Overall

Sharon Minott, MD

1st Place - Regional/Pain Oral Presentation

Donna Redd, MD

1st Place - Equipment Poster Discussion

Mike Schmitt, MD, and Joe Webster, MD

1st Place - Equipment Poster Discussion

Ahmed Zaki, MD

2nd Place - Pediatrics

1998 MARC Presented Abstracts

Baugh R, Green CR: A retrospective review of elderly patients treated with epidural analgesia for postoperative pain control.
Bogush S, Klarr P: General anesthesia for thyroidectomy in a patient with amiodarone induced hyperthyroidism.
Collins S, Pandit U, Collier P, Malviya S: An evaluation of transmucosal midazolam preanesthetic medication in children.
DeRemer S, Dowling C: Hearing loss following subarachnoid injection.
Dorantes D, Naughton N, Tait A: Factors that influence parturients decision to consent or decline participation in clinical anesthesia research.
Dorantes D, Polley L, Columb M, Naughton N, Wagner D, Vandevenm C: Relative analgesic potencies of ropivacaine and bupivacaine for epidural analgesia in labor.
Gaca J, Malviya S, Reynolds P, Voepel-Lewis, T: Biomedical blood gas analyzer and radiometer co-oximeter reading in patients with congenital heart disease.
Grover T, Pandit S: Malignant hyperthermia in a patient with history of myopathy.
Justice W, Skilton R: Epidural hematoma in an anticoagulated patient with an indwelling epidural catheter.
LaGorio J, Green CR: Thoracic epidural analgesia compared to other methods of analgesia for single lung transplant.
Minott S, Green CR: Evaluation of naloxone administration to patients on the acute pain service.
Naji M, Mullin V: Sudden onset of quadriplegia following general anesthesia.
Redd D, Baliga N, Wahr J: Cost effectiveness of intraoperative cell saver use.
Schmitt M, Webster J, Zivot J: Differences in size of the left and the right internal jugular vein as measured by the siterite ultrasonographic technique in various patient positions.
Thompson V, Naughton N: Spontaneous coronary artery dissection in pregnancy.
Walton S, Munro H, Merkel S, Voepel Lewis T: Effect of ketorolac on postoperative outcomes in children following posterior spinal fusion.
Wicks C, Malviya S, Reynolds P, Voepel-Lewis T: Comparison of preoperative sedation with im midazolam/ms04 catheterization.
Wright K, Mullin V: Novel approach to the treatment of established complex regional pain syndrome involving the knee.
Zaki A, Munro H: Dose response of oral granisetron in pediatric outpatient surgery.
Zimmerman A, D’Errico C: Anesthetic and airway management of a child with chyloptysis following a Fontan procedure.