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Congratulations!

Our department is full of wonderful and engaging faculty, staff, and trainees who are being recognized on campus, in our community, and nationally for their outstanding work and character.  We would like to start recognizing awards and achievements of everyone in the department in every issue of the newsletter.    


Congratulations to most recent residency and fellowship graduates for 2023:
Anesthesiology residency:
• Hammad Baig—Pain management fellowship at UMMC
• Justin Cook—Private Practice in Tennessee
• Wesley Dillard—Staying on as faculty at UMMC
• Beunca Graffree—Pediatric anesthesia fellowship at Emory
• Justin Mahaney—Staying on as faculty at UMMC
• Casey Orzechowicz—Pain management fellowship at UMMC
• Devin Reed—Pain management fellowship at UMMC
• Tyler Shack—Pediatric anesthesia fellowship at Emory
• Steven Smith—Staying on as faculty at UMMC
• Marty Waddell—Critical care fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic 

Pain Fellowship:
• John Lutz—Mississippi Sports Medicine in Jackson, Mississippi
• Renee Marchegiani—Private practice in pain management in Alaska
• Jared McCallum—Private practice in pain management in Ontario, Canada 
• Clayton Newell—Tennessee Valley Pain Consultants in Huntsville, Alabama 
• Elliott Pennington—Baldwin Bone and Joint in Baldwin county, Alabama

Cardiac Fellowship:
• Annilin Severns—Staying on as faculty at UMMC

We have several new educational leadership position announcements—Dr. Caroline Walker is the now the permanent medical director of the Adult Cardiovascular division of the department, Dr. Patrick Newman is joining the residency team as the Associate Program Director for the Residency, Dr. Sara Robertson will be assuming the role of the Program Director for the Residency and the Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowship, Dr. Anesh Rugnath will be taking over as the Program Director for the Pain Fellowship, Dr. Ike Eriator will take on the role of Director for Clinical Research, and Dr. Walker Sturdivant will be assuming the role of the Assistant Program Director for the Pain Fellowship.  

Dr. Hess Robertson has recently been recognized with the Spero Award 2023 Physician Champion of the Year by Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency (MORA).

Congratulations to Dr. Olga Ostrovsky for twenty-five years of service to the department! Dr. Joe King also achieved a milestone here at UMMC by completing 5 years of service. 

Dr. Michelle Tucci received grant funding from the Mississippi Center for Clinical and Translational Research (MCCTR) for her project titled, “Novel NPY Antagonism for Treatment of Immunoporosis”. A big congratulations to her for securing this highly coveted funding.

Dr. Veronica Carullo recently got inducted into the Academy of Anesthesiology. This is in recognition for the academic work that Dr. Carullo has done for our specialty.

And finally please welcome Drs. Harendra Arora, Wesley Dillard, Sarah Guy, Luiz Lima, Justin Mahaney, Annilin Severns, and Steven Smith—all who joined the department within the last year.  Also welcome to Connor Fairchild, Makenzie Gannon, Maxwell Harmon, Taylor Harmon, Hannah Redden, and Morgan Self—all CRNAs added to our department within the last year as well!

We also would like to recognize all of our incoming interns.  They were welcomed by our current upper level residents at a get together at the beginning of the academic year at Pig and Pint in Fondren.  We are so glad you are here!
Intern Welcome Party