The 15th annual Safar Symposium and fifth annual Multi-Departmental Trainees’ Research Day was held on May 22-23, 2017. This yearly event honors the late Dr. Peter Safar and his wife Eva for their contributions to the scientific community and highlights current research in areas spanning Dr. Safar’s interests. The research day event is a collaboration between the Departments of Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Neurological Surgery, and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, as well as the Peter M. Winter Institute for Simulation Education and Research (WISER).
The theme of the 2017 event was “Pediatric Neuroanesthesia, Neurocritical Care, Resuscitation, and Rehabilitation: All Roads Lead to the CNS.” Forty-seven posters were presented, as well as five oral presentations from trainees in each of the five collaborating departments. Joel Aldo Caporoso, PhD, a T32 postdoctoral scholar working with mentor Yan Xu, PhD, was the oral presenter from the Department of Anesthesiology, presenting “Two-plate Thermal Preference Test of Novel Glycine Receptor Specific Analgesics in Mus musculus.”
Marsha Ritter Jones, MD, PhD, a T32 postdoctoral scholar working with mentor Kathy Albers, PhD, won the Best Poster Award among all the posters at the symposium for “Skin Overexpression of Neurturin Upregulates TNF-α in CFA Inflammation.” Marta Wells, BS, a graduate student working with mentor Pei Tang, PhD, won the 1st place Department of Anesthesiology poster award for “Structure-Based Discovery of Novel Glycinergic Modulators.” Phillip Adams, DO, a T32 postdoctoral scholar working with mentor Cecilia Lo, PhD, won the 2nd place Department of Anesthesiology poster award for “Intraoperative Renal Oximetry Associated with Severity of Postoperative Acute Kidney Injury after infant Congenital Cardiac Surgery.”
Presentations on the first day of the symposium focused on pediatric neuroanesthesiology, neurocritical care, resuscitation, and rehabilitation, and included:
- "ADAPT – Redefining Standard of Care in Pediatric TBI " by Michael Bell, MD, Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
- “Pediatric TBI – Beyond Acute Care” by Brad Kurowski, MD, Division of Pediatric Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
- “Biomarkers, Genetics, and Epigenetic Studies to Explore the Neurocognitive Effects of Anesthesia in Children” by Richard J. Levy, MD, Professor of Anesthesiology and Pediatrics at CUMC, Vice Chair for Pediatric Laboratory Research, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons
- “Cerebral Blood Flow – Shining a New Light on an Old Target in Cerebral Resuscitation” by Mioara Manole, MD, Division of Emergency Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
- “RBM3, Hypothermia, and Cerebral Resuscitation – Why Age Might Matter” by Travis C. Jackson, PhD, Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
- “Using Big Data to Reshape Pediatric Neurocritical Care” by Christopher Horvat, MD, Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Donna M. Ferriero, MD, MSc, Chair of Pediatrics and Physician-in-Chief, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, delivered the 37th Peter and Eva Safar Annual Lecture in Medical Sciences and Humanities, “The Vulnerable Newborn Brain: Lessons from Neuroimaging.”
WISER director Paul E. Phrampus, MD moderated day two of the symposium, which focused on improving pediatric patient safety through simulation and featured the keynote presentation “Improving Pediatric Patient Safety Through Simulation” from Marc Auerbach, MD, FAAP, MSc, Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Emergency Medicine) and Emergency Medicine; Director, Pediatric Simulation, Yale Center for Medical Simulation; Medical Director, CT Emergency Medical Services for Children, State Partnership Grant; Associate Director of Pediatric Simulation, Department of Pediatrics; Associate Pediatric Trauma Medical Director) as well as the following lectures:
- “Identifying the Importance of Communication Through Simulation Based Training” by Melinda Fiedor Hamilton, MD, MSc, Director, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC (CHP) Pediatric Simulation Center; Associate Director, Pediatric Programs, WISER; Associate Professor, Critical Care Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
- “Pediatric Sepsis Shock Simulation Training and Research” by Ashley Keilman, MD, Fellow, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
- “Just in Time Pediatric Simulation: A View from Both Sides, Students and Clinical Preceptors” by Candace Hippel, CNRA, MSN (CHP) and Aleena Rorapaugh, SRNA, BSN
- “Effectiveness of Simulation Based Training for the Management of Acute Congenital Heart Disease” by Tyler Hutchison Harris, MD (Pediatric Cardiology, CHP)