A Season of Change
By: Anand Prem, M.D., F.A.S.A.
As spring approaches, the winds of change are blowing through our department as well.
The past four months have been tumultuous in a number of ways. While we have had several faculty members depart due to a variety of reasons, the loss of senior departmental leadership has been particularly impactful as well as largely unexpected.
Dr. Bacon announced his retirement at the turn of the year after seven years of steady leadership and growth in the department. His infectious personality, enviable collection of “bacony” ties/socks and repertoire of “dad jokes” will surely be missed. The untimely passing of Dr. Reid while on a hunting trip rocked the department as he was a well-respected clinician and administrator with a sphere of influence that extended far beyond our department. This was preceded by the untimely loss of another beloved member of the department, Heather Taylor. Soon after, our seasoned 2-time “Interim Chair” Dr. Calimaran decided to rightfully follow his beloved daughter and accepted a position at Cleveland Clinic. He has been here throughout my time at UMMC and his stellar work as Program Director of the Residency Program for more than 10 years is worthy of recognition as he took a program in trouble and transformed it into the thriving residency program it is today. On the positive front, several members of our Anesthesia family have welcomed “New” family members to the fold in the form of healthy babies. We share their excitement and wish them well in their role as parents.
As we were all trying to make sense of all these changes, I was approached to lead the department as Interim Chair. While it came out of the blue, I humbly accepted this opportunity to hopefully lend a calming presence and some stability as we navigated this transitional phase. While a search for a permanent Departmental Chair is ongoing, I am committed to doing this work to the best of my ability, putting the interests of the department above all else.
The top priority is to lessen the clinical burden on our faculty by adding to the numbers. I am particularly looking forward to the infusion of new talent at the start of the next academic year with 2 of our own residents joining the ranks, 1(2) prodigal son(s) returning and 2 others from around the country. Our recruitment efforts are going to continue with both locums and long-term hires to backfill the vacant slots. I clearly recognize the exemplary ways in which every member of the department has stepped up to tackle the clinical workload despite our manpower shortage. Special kudos particularly to the faculty who have felt the brunt of this crisis. We are also grateful to our CRNA colleagues who have stepped up in numerous ways as well to broaden our impact throughout the hospital.
As for the residency program, exciting times are around the corner. In a little over a month, we will be celebrating the graduation of the senior class of Residents and the Fellows and we wish them the absolute best as they embark on their promising careers. They will always be recognized as ambassadors of our department wherever they go and we are proud of our small contribution to their success and even more so of all their hard work and dedication to the specialty of Anesthesiology as a whole and patient care in particular. As the rest of the residents climb the totem pole, we are excited to welcome our incoming CA-1 class as they start their bootcamp in a few days. I particularly want to reassure the residents that while all these changes may be unsettling, the residency program will continue to thrive because we are all committed to your success. In my 13 years here at UMMC, I have been through 6 (yes six) Department Chair changes and we have always moved forward with a positive attitude and a renewed sense of purpose. There may have a been a few bumps on the road but things have always gotten better.
While change is often scary, hope springs eternal. Keep the Faith, Spring is here!!
P.S: Pet peeve in my new role: Writing those “Anes Everyone” emails :)