As I reviewed the draft of this issue of The Michigan Airway, I was impressed with the diversity of activities and accomplishments of the Department members. We feel extremely fortunate to have recruited Ralph Lydic, PhD and Helen Baghdoyan, PhD who have dramatically strengthened and energized our basic laboratory effort, and research program in general.
In January, we will see the arrival of Marie Csete, MD, PhD who will be joining our liver transplant team as well as initiating a new basic laboratory effort on stem cell biology. After completing her residencies in both Internal Medicine and Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine she joined the faculty at UC San Francisco and later was recruited to UCLA to direct their liver transplant program. Four years ago she took a leave from her clinical activities to gain a PhD in Cell Biology at the California Institute of Technology. She has initiated an extremely innovative program in stem cell biology that she will be transferring to our lab the first of the year.
I am also struck by the academic productivity throughout the Department, from Pediatrics, OB, Pain, and the Main Hospital. Joyce Wahr’s publication in JAMA will invariably be a landmark article that effects the way potassium is managed. Our faculty are also being recognized for services provided at the University level and the medical community at large. Dr. Norah Naughton received a teaching award from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Dr. Vildan Mullin has been appointed to a State Advisory Committee on Pain by the Governor Engler; Dr. Carmen Green has received the Women-of-the-Year Award in Human Relations from the University of Michigan; and Dr. Allan Escher (a CA-1) has been appointed to the ASA Committee on Governmental Affairs.
Finally, we are all very proud of our residents’ participation in the MARC and for the first time in the MAC. The MAC is the Midwest Anesthesia Conference held in Chicago. This year for the first time Michigan was invited to participate in the “Anesthesia Jeopardy” contest and soundly defeated every other team. Congratulations to Donna Redd, Amy Kostrzewa, Kayode Williams and their coach, Jeremy Lieberman.
I would like to thank and congratulate Dr. Sujit Pandit on his retirement from 40 years of service in anesthesiology. He has made a profound impact on the way anesthesia is practiced throughout the world by his pioneering work in outpatient anesthesia culminated by his Presidency of the SAMBA organization. Although he is retiring January 1, 2000, he will remain as an emeritus faculty continuing to practice and teach on a part time basis.