Recent developments advance anesthesiology at UMMC

We hope you enjoyed the first edition of our departmental newsletter, The Pulse!

For our second edition we wanted to honor one of our previous department chairs, Dr. Roy Wilson, who recently passed away. Also included in this edition are articles highlighting two of our attending physicians, Dr. Kirk Reid and Dr. Latoya Mason-Bolden, who are making a difference in our department and in the UMMC community.

Pictures from our annual departmental gathering at Dr. Douglas Bacon’s home and a piece by Dr. Jim Rabalais about our department’s efforts regarding LifeBox round out the issue. And as always, the newsletter concludes with our residents and fellows section!

Recent developments and advancements in the department include:

• The department increased its number of pain fellowship spots to four.

• The department received approval for a pediatric anesthesia fellowship position, with its first fellow to start in July 2018.

• The department expanded its anesthesia services to UMMC’s outpatient GI center in Belhaven.

• The department hired a quality improvement physician, Dr. Andrea Vannucci.

• The department appointed Dr. Kirk Reid to the position of vice chief of medical staff.

• The Mississippi Department of Health invited Dr. Arthur Calimaran and Dr. LaToya Mason-Bolden to serve on its Maternal Mortality Review Committee. Invitation is representative of the anesthesiology department’s collaboration with ob-gyn and public health physicians to improve maternal health and safety in the state of Mississippi.

• The Mississippi State Medical Association selected Dr. LaToya Mason-Bolden for its Physician Leadership Academy Class of 2017-18. The in-depth, nine-month program provides training in core aptitudes, preparing physicians to excel as future leaders in their own practices, in organized medicine and in the public policy arena.

• The IHL Board approved funding for the brand-new Children’s of Mississippi expansion, broke ground in December 2017.

Thank you for being part of our UMMC anesthesia family and taking the time to read the newsletter. Happy New Year to everyone!

Sara B. Robertson, M.D.
Assistant Professor
University of Mississippi Department of Anesthesiology
Division of Pediatric Anesthesiology
Batson Children's Hospital