Academic Background

M.D. University of Texas, Houston, TX, 1978

Postdoctoral Training

Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Newton, MA, Residency in Internal Medicine, 1978-1981
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, Residency in Anesthesiology, 1981-83
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, Fellowship in Critical Care Medicine, 1983-84

I attend in both the operating room and surgical intensive care units, however, my clinical and research interests center on critical care medicine. I enjoy the challenge of caring for the critically-ill patient and receive great satisfaction in seeing a patient for whom I have cared survive such an illness. The surgical intensive care units at UMass Memorial Medical Center provide care for a diverse patient population: cardiothoracic, vascular, trauma, neurosurgical, transplant, urologic, orthopedic, burns and general surgery. In some of these units, “medical” patients are also cared for by the ICU team. This is an exciting time for critical care medicine - both in general and at UMass Memorial. A plethora of prospective, randomized studies pertaining to the care of the critically-ill patient has been conducted and has enabled us to improve the care and outcome of these patients. Furthermore, coordinated care is very important in the treatment of these patients. At UMass Memorial, the administrative structure of critical care was changed. The silo approach to the patient has been abandoned and provision of care is much more coordinated and spans across many departments and divisions. In addition, telemedicine in the form of the eICU allows behind the scenes backup monitoring of all patients. The changes have resulted in documented and gratifying improvements in patient outcomes.

My research interests include strategies to prevent catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI), sepsis and septic shock, the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and monitoring. Over the past several years, UMass Memorial has been a part of a number clinical trials evaluating the effectiveness of catheters impregnated with antibiotics to prevent CRBSI, passive immunotherapy with anti-endotoxin or anti-tumor necrosis factor-a antibodies in patients with sepsis, and alveolar lavage with surfactant in the treatment of patients with ARDS. The department also has an active and vibrant basic science and clinical research effort in noninvasive monitoring headed by Dr. Babs Soller with whom I collaborate.

I believe active involvement in organized medicine is very important. I am a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the American Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists, the Massachusetts Society of Anesthesiologists, the Society of Critical Care Medicine, and the American College of Chest Physicians. I have either held leadership positions or served on committees in all of these organizations. In addition, I have lobbied for our specialty at both the state and federal levels. My goal is to help and encourage more physicians to become involved in state and national specialty societies.

Lastly, the number of patients waiting for an organ far exceeds the number or organs that are donated. UMass Memorial Medical Center is a member of an initiative sponsored by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the federal government to increase organ donation. UMass Memorial has been a leader in New England in providing organs following either brain death or cardiac death.