Brunson Teaching Day and Residency and Fellowship Graduation Ceremony

On Saturday, June 1, 2019, the Anesthesiology Department at UMMC gathered for our annual Brunson Teaching Day. This event served to highlight our graduating senior residents and their research projects that they worked on throughout the year. The following were the presented projects:

• Dr. Matt Buck—“Examining the Opioid Epidemic in Mississippi”     Mentors—Drs. Eriator and Tucci
• Dr. Arvind Chandrashekar—“ERAS Outcomes for Laparoscopic Nephrectomies at the University of Mississippi Medical Center”     Mentor—Dr. Ken Oswalt
• Dr. Corey Lake—“Improving Quality Improvement”     Mentor—Dr. Henrique Vale
• Dr. Jenna Lane—“The Resurgence of Nitrous Oxide for Labor Analgesia”     Mentors—Drs. Bacon and Tucci
• Dr. Dennis Marcelo—“Development of a Rat Neuroma Model to Study Hyperalgesia and the Histopathological Changes Associated with Pain”     Mentor—Dr. Tucci
• Dr. CC Martin—“The Evaluation of Factors Limiting Delivery of Single-Shot Peripheral Nerve Blocks in an Outpatient Surgery Center”      Mentor—Dr. Kurnutala
• Dr. Warren Masterson—“Assessment of Spinal Cord Ischemia after Injection of Intrathecal Epinephrine in a Rat Model”      Mentors—Drs. Kurnutala and Tucci
• Dr. Vince Morella—“Utilization of EMR in Real Time to Improve Patient Care in Anesthesia”      Mentor—Dr. Vannucci
• Dr. Raime Robinson—“Peroperative Identification of Opioid Tolerant Surgical Patients”     Mentor—Dr. Eriator
• Dr. Christiano dos Santos e Santos—“Metabolic Biomarkers for Injury Progression in a Rodent Model of Spinal Contusion”     Mentor—Dr. Grayson

Drs. Arthur Boudreaux, Charles O’Mara, Jimmy Stewart, and John Lauria all served as judges, and awarded Dr. Marcelo with the first place prize, Dr. Masterson with second place, and Dr. dos Santos e Santos with third. Many thanks to the efforts of the program committee—Drs. Claude Brunson, Doug Bacon, Arthur Calimaran, and Charles Robertson.

Later that evening, the residency and fellowship graduates were honored with a graduation ceremony at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. The night began with cocktails, followed by the program and dinner. Our guest speaker was Dr. Arthur Boudreaux, Professor of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

Dr. Dennis Marcelo brought home the Resident of the Year Award, Dr. Vince Morella was given the Resident Colleague of the Year award, and Dr. Jenna Strother was awarded the resident citizenship award. Along with the senior residents mentioned above, the pediatric anesthesia fellow, Dr. Forrest Duncan, and the pain fellows, Drs. Jian Chen, Kevin Dang, Peter Fliss, and Jim Rabalais were all recognized. Drs. Henrique Vale and Hess Robertson received the chair’s faculty awards, and Drs. Brian Heirlemeier and Ken Oswalt were awarded Teacher of the Year for the Residency. Dr. Anand Prem received the Teacher of the Year award for the pain fellowship. Dr. Arthur Calimaran was also honored for his more than a decade of service as the residency program director.

Dr. Jenna Lane was also recognized for her being awarded the Claude Dr. Brunson Distinguished Service Award by the MSMA earlier in the year. This award is given in recognition of exemplary service to patients and the profession of anesthesiology through her efforts in advocacy and education on issues that improve and influence the delivery of safe anesthesia.

Included are several pictures from the night. Congratulations to all our graduating residents and fellows!