The mission of the Medical College of Wisconsin's Department of Anesthesiology is threefold:
- To achieve excellence in providing patient care
- To teach medical students, interns, residents and fellows
- To conduct research in the field of anesthesiology This also creates an educational environment for housestaff, medical students and anesthesiologist assistant students that utilizes a variety of
learning activities. Core training is based on one-on-one instruction with faculty and guided hands-on experience. The didactic educational program of the department consists of case discussions, lectures, journal clubs, and visiting professorships. The Department also utilizes adult and pediatric patient simulator training, practice-based learning discussions, and oral examinations to prepare residents for the board certification process. Special workshops are offered on an annual basis and include Anesthesia Machine, Trauma, and Airway Management, among others. Residents are assigned faculty mentors with whom they meet at least semi-annually to review their performance and obtain guidance for improvement and choice of future career goals. Resident input with the Chairman and Program Director is designed to review the training program and examine areas for potential improvement. Faculty in the Department of Anesthesiology conduct basic and clinical research. These investigations have been well funded through NIH, VA, American Society of Anesthesiologists, and American Heart Association grants. Our Department ranks fifth in NIH funding among all departments of anesthesiology in the United States. Basic research in cardiovascular, respiratory, neuropathophysiology and pharmacology is conducted in a large number of laboratories housed at the Medical College of Wisconsin and the VA Medical Center. The Department has received both a NIH Training Grant and a Program Project Grant to study cardioprotection afforded by certain anesthetic drugs against ischemia and reperfusion injury. Additional NIH funds are devoted to exploring mechanisms of chronic pain and unconsciousness. Clinical investigations of cardiovascular disease, the autonomic nervous system, and drugs used to treat patients during anesthesia and in the intensive care unit have provided evidence that has altered the practice of anesthesiology. Faculty of the Department have been leaders in shaping the future of our subspecialty.
