Department of Anesthesiology for Professionals

A Message from the Director

The Mission of the Department of Anesthesiology at HSS is:

To support this mission, our Department has adopted the Vision:

Gregory A. Liguori, MD

We are well on our way to achieving this vision. The triad of exceptional clinical care, research, and education is the foundation upon which our department is built. The Department of Anesthesiology at HSS is the premiere department in the world for the practice of regional anesthesia and acute pain medicine for orthopedics. Each year we perform over 30,000 regional anesthetics for patients undergoing the full spectrum of orthopaedic procedures. Our exceptional clinical outcomes with respect to exceptional analgesia, low infection rates, and low thromboembolic phenomena are the direct result of the skill and training of our anesthesiologists, coupled with extensive experience in performing this unparalleled volume of cases. Although we work in a highly specialized environment, anesthesiologists at HSS have a diverse background with subspecialty training in pediatric, thoracic, cardiac, pain medicine, critical care, and of course, regional anesthesia. Our philosophy is to embrace new and innovative equipment and techniques only after a track record of safety and efficacy has been well established.

Research initiatives in the Department of Anesthesiology at HSS include a variety of projects related to regional anesthesia and pain medicine and their applications in orthopaedics. Our goal is to advance the science or regional anesthesia and pain medicine through high quality trials. We collaborate extensively with our world-class colleagues in orthopaedics, rheumatology, radiology, neurology, and pediatrics and this multidisciplinary effort results in exceptional science. We draw on the support of the Research Division at HSS and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatics at Cornell to enhance the scientific validity of our projects. Furthermore, collaboration with other outstanding institutions around the world has increased the scope and quality of our clinical, basic, and translational research.

Finally, the department has made outstanding contributions to the education of all students of regional anesthesia. Our support to Cornell Medical Students in their classrooms and in our OR’s have been very well received. We provide a comprehensive clinical curriculum for residents from the Cornell and Johns Hopkins anesthesia programs, as well as elective rotations in regional anesthesia for orthopaedics for institutions around the world. Our fellowship in regional anesthesiology and acute pain medicine is among the largest in the world and we have trained over 60 Fellows in the last decade. Today, these fellows are clinical and academic leaders in regional anesthesia worldwide. The Tri-Institutional Pain Medicine Fellowship is one of the most competitive and comprehensive programs in the country. Finally, our continuing education initiatives, highlighted by our signature course, “Controversies and Fundamentals in Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Medicine” is one of the largest recurring national meetings dedicated to regional anesthesia and acute pain medicine in the country.

In summary, I would like to welcome you to our website and invite you to explore further the exceptional Department of Anesthesiology at HSS.

To learn more about the HSS Department of Anesthesiology, please read our 2010 Annual Report.

Announcements

• HSS Anesthesiology Staff Presentations at National and International Anesthesiology Society Meetings
• Dr. Michael Gordon chosen by 2010-2011 Fellows as “Teacher of the Year”
• Dr. Douglas S. T. Green chosen by Weill Cornell Medical College Anesthesiology Residents as “Teacher of the Year”
• Dr. Carrie Guheen receives the “HSS Attending Anesthesiologist Award for Clinical Excellence”
• Dr. Cassie Kuo receives the “Dr. Nigel E. Sharrock Award for Academic Excellence”
• Dr. Richard King participates in Medical Mission to Guatemala

Academic Affiliations