The Anesthesiology faculty of Weill Cornell Medical College are engaged in investigating a wide variety of topics relevant to anesthesia, critical care and pain medicine for the benefit of our current and future patients.

Current research efforts include:

• Mechanisms of anesthesia, to better define how a diverse group of pharmacological agents produce anesthesia
• Cardiovascular physiology, exploring how the heart adapts to the stresses of anesthesia and surgery
• Neuropharmacology and cell signaling, to understand at the molecular level how drugs affect neuronal function
• Neuromuscular pharmacology, developing and evaluating novel neuromuscular blocking drugs

More information on the Anesthesiology Research Scholarship.

Anesthesiology Department Researchers Awarded Recovery Act Funding
Drs. Hugh C. Hemmings, Jr. and Crina Nimigean have each been granted supplemental awards for the research they are conducting in our department. Dr. Hemmings was awarded supplemental funds for two of his active grants. His award money will go toward his research focused on cell signaling mechanisms in global cerebral ischemia and the synaptic mechanisms of general anesthetics. Dr. Nimigean's supplemental funds will go toward elucidation of ion channel structure and function. The Anesthesiology Department would like to congratulate Dr. Hemmings and Dr. Nimigean and wish them continued success in their research!

Postdoctoral associate, David Posson, Ph.D., wins fellowship award!
Join us in congratulating Dr. David Posson, who recently received the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award - Postdoctoral Fellowship. The Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) uses the T32 grant mechanism to support Institutional Training Grants at eligible institutions to develop or enhance research training opportunities for individuals selected by the institution who are training for careers in biomedical and behavioral research. David received his Ph.D. from the Department of Physics, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. His thesis research, under the mentorship of Dr. Paul Selvin, elucidated key conformational changes that occur within voltage-gated ion channels. In order to continue exploring new areas in ion channel biophysics, David joined the laboratory of Dr. Crina Nimigean at the University of California, Davis in 2007. In 2008, the Nimigean laboratory moved to the Department of Anesthesiology at Weill Cornell Medical College. Currently, David is studying the mechanisms of calcium-activated potassium channels using single channel recordings and crystallography. The Department of Anesthesiology wishes David and the Nimigean Laboratory continued success in their research. Click here to check out the laboratory webpage http://physiology.med.cornell.edu/faculty/nimigean/index.html.

The Department of Anesthesiology announces the launch of a completely renovated Research website, which provides a source of general information regarding research, practice and policies.

WCMC Anesthesiology participation at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists Lecture Schedule

Featured publication of the month:

Pulse Pressure and Long-Term Survival After Coronary
Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Nikolay M. Nikolov, Manuel L. Fontes, William D. White, Solomon Aronson, Shahar Bar-Yosef, Jeffrey G. Gaca, Mihai V. Podgoreanu, Mark Stafford-Smith, Mark F. Newman, Joseph P. Mathew. Link to article

Department of Anesthesiology Holds Annual Research Expo
December 10th, 2009
Poster Preview and Refreshments: 3-4pm
Special Research Seminar, Guest Speaker Dr. Aaron Kopman: 4-5pm
Poster Discussion and Reception: 5-6pm
View 2008 Research Expo

Scientist wins award!!
Please join in congratulating Dr. Crina Nimigean, who recently joined the Department of Anesthesiology, as a recipient of the 2010 Margaret Oakley Dayhoff Award from the Biophysical Society. The Margaret Oakley Dayhoff Award is given to a woman who holds very high promise or has achieved prominence while developing the early stages of a career in biophysical research within the purview and interest of the Biophysical Society. Dr. Nimigean was co-selected for this award for her contributions in understanding K+ channel gating and permeation mechanisms. Dr. Nimigean will be presented this award by the President of the Biophysical Society, Henry A. Lester, at the 2010 Biophysical Society Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA. The department wishes Crina continued success in her research effort to understand ion channel gating, the biophysical basis for the molecular actions of general anesthetics! Click to read more.