Stephen Brannan, MD, an assistant professor with the UNMC Department of Anesthesiology, was appointed the department’s director of perioperative echocardiography in January.
Dr. Brannan replaced Nicholas Markin, MD, who was appointed vice chair of education and innovation within the department. Working with Dr. Markin and members of the educational leadership team, Dr. Brannan has been leading the point-of-care ultrasound educational effort within the department and will continue to move all aspects of echocardiography education, quality and patient care forward.
Born in Lincoln, but raised in northern Minnesota, Dr. Brannan found his way back to Omaha for medical school at Creighton University before returning to UNMC in 2015 for his anesthesiology residency. A critical care anesthesiology fellowship followed in 2019 and a cardiac anesthesiology fellowship in 2020 before he joined the faculty in 2021. Colleagues say his dedication to patient care and education continues to drive his enthusiasm for his work.
As director of perioperative echocardiography, Dr. Brannan said he aims to uphold the high standards set by Dr. Markin while adapting to the evolving needs of learners. He plans to work closely with Dr. Markin, along with the residency program and fellowship leaders to refine the echocardiography training experience. Additionally, he said he is committed to creating learning opportunities for faculty interested in echocardiography and ultrasound, ensuring that the perioperative echocardiography service remains a cornerstone of patient care.
Dr. Brannan said he sees his role in two broad categories: education and administrative tasks.
Beyond teaching residents, fellows and faculty necessary aspects of echocardiography, he said his role includes ensuring the functionality of essential equipment, collaborating with cardiology and cardiac surgery colleagues and maintaining high-quality echocardiographic services.
Dr. Brannan said many experienced faculty members have dedicated countless hours into developing a nationally leading echocardiography educational curriculum for fellows, residents and faculty to maintain competence in perioperative echocardiography.
“These efforts by many cumulated into the perioperative echo service which provides a valuable service to our patients and which faculty are proud to provide to our colleagues,” Dr. Brannan said.
Dr. Brannan’s interest in anesthesiology was driven by a love for both intellectual challenges and hands-on procedural work. Cardiac anesthesiology appealed to him due to the mastery required in perioperative echocardiography and the collaborative nature of working with multidisciplinary teams.
“Early on in my residency, I became interested in the use of ultrasound in the perioperative arena. Nearly every week I saw how anesthesiologists, CRNAs, surgeons, and others looked to cardiothoracic anesthesiologists for help because of their ability to utilize the diagnostic capabilities of echocardiography and recommend therapeutic interventions to stabilize a patient,” Dr. Brannan said.
Dr. Brannan has a strong commitment to education, having taught at multiple national workshops for the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM). In addition to becoming an invited faculty teacher and teaching point of care ultrasound to a diverse audience, he also became a member of the adult ultrasound committee last year. He said his passion for sharing knowledge stems from the mentorship he received from Daniel Johnson, MD, and he is determined to “pay it forward” by training the next generation of anesthesiologists in perioperative ultrasound and echocardiography.
Dr. Brannan said he appreciates not only the challenge and fulfillment the role provides but also the opportunity to contribute to life-changing treatments for complex cardiac cases.
“Every day I love coming to work and working with the outstanding members of this department along with other care team members to provide the very best care in the region,” he said. “Particularly for cardiac care, our patient population is the most complex and often have nowhere else to turn for the possibility of getting life-changing and improving treatments or surgeries.
“I enjoy the opportunity to teach our medical students, residents, fellows, SRNAs and every learner who comes through our department, just as I have benefited greatly from the generous time and effort people poured into me to get me to where I am today.”
Tara Brakke, MD, adult cardiothoracic anesthesiology division chief, expressed her appreciation to Dr. Markin for his leadership and impressive growth of the echocardiography program the past seven and a half years, citing his commitment to excellence in education and dedication to advancing patient care.
“Given his passion for education, commitment to excellence and continued success in echo-related publications and presentations, I know Dr. Brannan will maintain the trajectory of our nationally recognized program,” Dr. Brakke said. “He gives the role a unique perspective as he participates in echocardiography in the ORs, the ICU and the procedural areas. We look forward to his continued collaboration with the members of the the department, surgeons, cardiology and all of Nebraska Medicine.”