Annual Events and Endowed Lectures
Highlighting achievements, inspiring ideas, and bringing the anesthesiology community together
Academic Evening
Our Academic Evening is an opportunity for residents, fellows, medical students, postdoctoral students, and research associates to present their research and academic work to their colleagues and the faculty. All submitted abstracts are presented as posters in one of three categories: basic science research, clinical research, or case reports. A faculty selection committee ranks the top two basic science research and clinical research abstracts and the best case report, all of which are presented in oral form at the end of the evening. An invited distinguished guest judge selects first- and second-place awards.
Recent guest judges:
2024: Margaret M. Sedensky, MD, University of Washington School of Medicine
2023: Vivianne Tawfik, MD, PhD, Stanford University
2022: Roderick G. Eckenhoff, MD, University of Pennsylvania
Research Retreat
The Research Retreat showcases the breadth and depth of our department's scholarly achievements. The department’s research scientists and physician-scientists meet to discuss current and future projects, our T32 research training grant, NIH funding and funding from institutional and foundation sources, and publication trends. With a focus on academic anesthesiology and the physician-scientist pipeline infrastructure, the annual retreat stimulates collaboration and the sharing of resources, while celebrating the successes that shape the future of research in our field.
Learning Forum
Our Learning Forum is an inclusive gathering designed to engage anesthesiology trainees, faculty, and staff in dynamic, topical discussions of educational interest. Each year, we invite speakers to share their insights on themes like leadership, innovation, and professional growth, sparking meaningful conversation and ideas. The Learning Forum is a welcoming, social platform for learning, connection, and meaningful conversation, open to all members of our department.
The E.M. Papper, MD, Endowed Lectures in Anesthesiology
This lecture series honors Dr. Emanuel Papper, who was appointed first chair of the new Department of Anesthesiology at Columbia University in 1952. Dr. Papper helped develop the field as a specialty of academic, research, and clinical importance, separate from surgery. In our department, he left an indelible mark in the programs he created, which help direct our work to this day. The E.M. Papper Endowed Lecture in Anesthesiology and the E.M. Papper Endowed Lecture in Pediatric Anesthesiology celebrate his legacy.
Recent lectures and guest speakers:
2024: Turn On, Tune In, and Wake Up: Psychedelic Reversal of the Anesthetized State
George A. Mashour, MD, PhD, Professor of Anesthesiology & Pharmacology, Director, Michigan Psychedelic Center, University of Michigan
2024 (Lecture in Pediatrics): Wake Up Safe and Pediatric Perioperative Safety
Jayant (Jay) Deshpande, MD, MPH, Professor of Pediatrics (Emeritus), Nemours Children’s - Orlando, University of Central Florida
2023: The Gathering Storm: Anesthesia’s Challenges and Opportunities
Daniel I. Sessler, MD, Michael J. Cudahy Professor and Chair, The Cleveland Clinic
The Allen I. Hyman, MD, Endowed Lectures in Critical Care Medicine and the History of Anesthesia
Dr. Hyman is a distinguished alumnus of Columbia College who revolutionized care for premature infants by creating the first neonatal intensive care unit at Columbia University Medical Center. He joined our faculty in 1965, with neonatal respiratory care at the heart of his early career. Later, as much of his clinical activity shifted to adult critical care medicine, he was appointed co-director of the Surgery-Anesthesiology Intensive Care Unit. Between 1985 and 1993, he served as acting chair and then vice chair of the Department of Anesthesiology. Dr. Hyman's generous gifts to the department make it possible to host two distinct annual lectures, the Allen I. Hyman, MD, Endowed Lecture in Critical Care Medicine and the Allen I. Hyman, MD, History of Anesthesia Endowed Lecture.
Recent lectures and guest speakers:
2024: Healing ICU Care: Harnessing the Power of Science and Humanism
(Hyman Endowed Lecture in Critical Care)
E. Wesley Ely, MD, MPH, Grant W. Liddle Chair in Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
2024: The Discovery and Development of Dexmedetomidine
(History of Anesthesia)
Mervyn Maze, MD, William K. Hamilton Distinguished Professor of Anesthesia, University of California, San Francisco
2023: Are the Sciences Really Meritocratic? Lessons from the History and Sociology of the Nobel Prizes
(History of Anesthesia)
Harriet Zuckerman, PhD, Emerita Professor of Sociology, Columbia University
The Sidney W. Winchell, MD, Endowed Lecture
The family of Sidney W. Winchell, MD, established this endowment in appreciation of the outstanding faculty teaching and rich clinical experiences he had as a trainee at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. Dr. Winchell was a resident during the tenure of Dr. Emanuel M. Papper, first chair of the Department of Anesthesiology. He was a passionate clinical anesthesiologist whose dedication to excellence in patient care inspires this lectureship, which celebrates compassion, skill, and innovation in anesthesiology care.
Recent lectures and guest speakers:
2024: Lessons learned from TRICS IIIabout transfusion and the conflict between evidence and practice
David Mazer, MD, Professor, Departments of Anesthesia and Physiology, University of Toronto
2023: Leadership in Turbulent Times
James P. Rathmell, MD, Professor of Anesthesia, Harvard Medical School
2020: Quality, Safety, and Value in Perioperative Care: The role of the anesthesiologist in the era of healthcare reform
Lee A. Fleisher, MD, Professor & Chair of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Professor of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
The Desmond A. Jordan, MD, Endowed Memorial Lecture
Desmond A. Jordan, MD, was admired for his extraordinary expertise as an anesthesiologist and intensivist, biomedical researcher and gifted teacher, and trusted mentor and friend. As first medical director of the cardiothoracic intensive care unit at CUIMC, he established the protocols for the care of heart transplant patients on artificial life support. As an educator, he prepared scores of trainees in anesthesiology and critical care medicine, many of whom helped endow this lecture. Dr. Jordan also was a trailblazer in the field of health information technology. He held leadership positions in the Congressional Black Caucus, at the New York State Department of Health, at NewYork-Presbyterian, and at several other organizations. Learn more here about Dr. Jordan. The Jordan Endowed Memorial Lecture explores the importance of cultivating a culture that embraces varied perspectives and ensures equitable opportunity in anesthesiology and perioperative medicine.
Recent lectures and guest speakers:
2024: Leveraging implementation science and quality improvement to achieve diversity, equity, and inclusion in perioperative medicine
Meghan Lane-Fall, MD, MSHP, FCCM, David E. Longnecker Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, University of Pennsylvania
2023: Our Role As Perioperative Physicians in Promoting Health Equity
Allison Lee, MD, MS, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Officer for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons
2022 (Inaugural lecture): Diversity in Graduate Medical Education
William McDade, MD, PhD, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer for the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)
The Richard Smiley, MD, PhD, and Barbara Thornton Endowed Lecture in Anesthesiology and Obstetrics
Dr. Smiley and Ms. Thornton's vision for this lecture series is to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes by enhancing the partnership between the anesthesiology and obstetrical teams. Dr. Smiley has been with the Department of Anesthesiology at Columbia since 1984, when he began anesthesiology training. After completing a research fellowship at Rockefeller University in 1987, he joined the faculty. Dr. Smiley served as Chief of Obstetric Anesthesia from 1994–2018. Ms. Thornton, a chemical engineer (BS, MIT 1977, and MS 1978, Princeton), worked as an oil trader for more than a decade before joining CUIMC. She manages the Department of Surgery’s IT Division.
Recent lectures and guest speakers:
2024: Amniotic fluid embolism
Luis D. Pacheco, MD, Professor and Division Chief, Obstetrics & Maternal-Fetal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch
2023 (Inaugural lecture): Over three decades of learning––The contributions of anesthesiologists to obstetric care
Cynthia A. Wong, MD, Professor of Anesthesia, Chair and DEO, Department of Anesthesia, University of Iowa