Michigan Anesthesiology hosts inaugural Research Retreat

Michigan Anesthesiology hosted its inaugural Research Retreat on Saturday, October 28, at the Michigan League.

“It is terrific to be able to come together today and celebrate the department — celebrate in a way that we haven't before,” said Chad Brummett, MD, the Bert N LaDu Professor of Anesthesiology and senior associate chair for research.  

“Today's the day where we can really go a little deeper. And I think there's good momentum, good support, because our research mission has grown incredibly in recent years.”

The full-day event was designed as a time to celebrate, reconnect with colleagues, and plan for the future. It included nearly 40 poster presentations, rapid-fire data blitz presentations, and information from both departmental and institutional units on resources available to assist researchers in their work.

“I want to thank our research teams. You help create a vibrant academic and intellectual culture in the department,” said George Mashour, MD, PhD, Robert B. Sweet Professor of Anesthesiology and department chair. 

I feel blessed that we are in a position not just to think about how to survive but how to thrive — how to deepen the science, how to extend the impact to make broader contributions, not just to the field of anesthesiology, but to medicine, to science and to society.”

Hannah Wunsch, MD, MSc, provided the keynote address. Wunsch joined the Weill Cornell Medicine Department of Anesthesiology this fall as the new vice chair for research and director of outcomes research.  

“Humans love origin stories — certainly Marvel has figured this out,” she said. 

“So I’m going to share with you a different origin story, which I think has a lot of important reflections on current practices. And that origin story is, ‘How did we get from wards and hospital care that looked like this to hospital care that looks like this?’” 

Wunsch’s presentation — based on her book, The Autumn Ghost: How the Battle Against a Polio Epidemic Revolutionized Modern Medical Care — detailed how the creativity and innovation necessary to combat the 1952 polio epidemic in Denmark eventually led to advances like ventilators and modern-day critical care medicine. 

She encouraged attendees to reflect on everything that had to happen for progress to occur — exposure to other systems of care, a willingness to break down hierarchies, financial support, encouragement of alternative perspectives — as they think about their own work.

For additional highlights of the day, view the event gallery below.