Every year, the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research publishes rankings based on each department’s federal funding. While these rankings do not tell the entire story about the impact and health of a department’s research program, it provides an important perspective.
In 2025, the UNMC Department of Anesthesiology was ranked 20th in the country, a remarkable achievement given its size and its busy clinical enterprise. The ranking appropriately reflects the stature the department’s researchers have achieved through years of hard work. Numerous individuals deserve praise for this year’s ranking. Two individuals, Karsten Bartels, MD, PhD, and Hanjun Wang, MD, also deserve acknowledgement of their selflessness and their efforts on behalf of their colleagues. Drs. Bartels and Wang are both accomplished and well-funded investigators. They also contributed significantly to the success of other investigators in the department. I am grateful for their leadership and vision.
The UNMC Department of Anesthesiology has historically been known for training outstanding clinicians, both CRNAs and physicians. The acuity of the patients who depend on UNMC and Nebraska Medicine for health care is among the highest in the country. In addition, the complexity of the surgical and interventional procedures performed at UNMC and Nebraska Medicine is exceptional. Creating the proper mix of didactics and clinical experience for students, residents and fellows is a dynamic process at which the clinical and education teams in the UNMC Department of Anesthesiology continue to excel.
To add to this effective learning environment, David Pinaula will be joining the UNMC education team to work with the vice chair of education and innovation, Nick Markin, MD. Together with collaborators at Emory University and the Uniformed Services Academy, they will be working on a project known as the Anesthesia Research Group for Education Technology (TARGET), which is designed to deliver the right education intervention to the right learner at the right time. It is an innovative tool that leverages artificial intelligence. It will be used to enhance the education of all anesthesiology professionals.
I also want to acknowledge the tremendous support for global health and humanitarian aid work at UNMC and Nebraska Medicine. Global health and humanitarian aid projects will be a major focus for the department in the future. Supporting the efforts of UNMC’s Center for Global Health and Development will be a high priority. In addition, under the leadership of Megan Chacon, MD, the UNMC Department of Anesthesiology will expand its own global health and humanitarian aid initiatives. The department also will forge new collaborations with other academic institutions and philanthropic organizations that support initiatives in this domain. I want to express my gratitude to Emory’s Ravi Thadhani, MD, Anne Marie McKenzie-Brown, MD, and Cinnamon Sullivan, MD, for providing significant financial support for Emory initiatives that will become global health collaborations between Emory and UNMC going forward.
Finally, as a newly appointed chair who recently moved to UNMC and Nebraska Medicine, I want to say how grateful I am for the opportunity to work with one of the most talented anesthesiology teams in the country in a department where all are welcome and appreciated.