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.
Several members of our team achieved major landmarks:
- Eric Payne, Greg Burnham, Valerie Tatum, and Paige Panter hit the 20-year mark at UMMC.
- Andrea Applin, Benji Brown, Karli Dilback, Emily Childress and Kevin Lott all reached 15 years of service at UMMC.
- Let us congratulate Dr. Lakshmi Kurnutala for his 10 years of service at UMMC.
- Mary Johnson achieved 5 years of service as a CRNA at UMMC.
- Rodonda Robinson, who serves in the role of a physician scheduler in the PAT clinic, achieved 5 years of service.
Let us congratulate Dr. Caroline Walker and the Adult CV anesthesia team for helping UMMC achieve HIGHEST rating for isolated CABG procedures for compliance with pre-op beta blockers. This is an important metric that is tracked through the Society of Thoracic Surgery (STS) database.
A BIG kudos goes out to Dr. LaToya Mason for being invited on December 13, 2024, to Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston to deliver a lecture for their weekly Obstetric Anesthesia Didactic Lecture series. Dr. Mason presented on the Role of OB Anesthesia Providers in Caring for Jehovah's Witness Laboring Patients as well as the Role of OB Anesthesia Providers in Patients Attempting Trial of Labor after Cesarean Delivery. She also had the opportunity to tour the L&D facilities at Brigham's L&D, speak with several of their obstetric anesthesiologists, engage with residents and fellows, and observe their practices. Per Dr. Mason, “While I gained several valuable insights while there, I am also delighted to say that many of our practices are in align with what there are carrying out there. It's always great to receive such confirmation that our institution is on part with what is being done in other notable institutions and parts of the country.”
Kudos to Dr. Ike Eriator for his recent writeup titled “Peripheral neuropathy’s discomforts run the gamut – from numbness to pain” in the UMMC newsletter called Consult.
Congratulations to Dr. Prem Anand for being asked by Faculty Affairs to Chair the School of Medicine Faculty Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure Committee. He has been serving on the SOM P&T committee for the last 4 years. To be asked to serve as the Chair of this very important institutional committee is a recognition of Dr. Prem Anand’s invaluable service and dedication to the institution.
A BIG kudos to several members of our team who participated in the “Spring into Service” event this past Saturday at the MS Food Network. Our group packed 700 boxes of food for distribution across the State of Mississippi. As always, the event was highly successful and once again demonstrated the commitment that our group has shown towards supporting the needs of our local communities.
The "MAS Outstanding Student Manuscript Award" refers to an award presented yearly at the MAS (Mississippi Academy of Sciences) annual meeting that took place on 3/20/2025 in Biloxi, MS. This award recognizes an outstanding student’s scholarly achievement in science and engineering research. Nicky’s manuscript was chosen amongst hundreds of submissions by the executive board of the MAS. The award provided travel support, complimentary meeting registration, and MAS membership, with strong consideration for publication in the MAS online journal. The 2025 MAS Outstanding Student Manuscript Award recipient was Nickhil A. Rugnath for his manuscript titled, “Pathophysiological Responses Associated with an Estrogen-Loaded Implantable Ceramic Delivery System”. MAS meeting is a great opportunity to showcase Anesthesiology poster abstracts under the Health Care category listed below. Registration and submission costs are nominal for students and residents.
Divisional Poster categories include the following:
- Agriculture and Plant Sciences
- Cellular, Molecular, and Developmental Biology
- Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
- Geology and Geography
- Health Sciences
- History and Philosophy of Science
- Marine and Atmospheric Science
- Mathematics
- Computer Science, and Statistics Neurosciences
- Physics and Engineering Psychology
- Social Sciences
Dr. Michelle Tucci can provide additional details regarding submission and deadlines for the 2026 MAS meeting.
Under the mentorship of Dr. Michelle Tucci, Nickhil has passionately pursued research in his field of interest, Anesthesiology, striving to improve patient care through scientific discovery. His research year has produced case reports, literature reviews, manuscripts, and multi-year quality improvement projects, reflecting his dedication to advancing the field—one study at a time. With a keen interest in perioperative medicine, pain management, and patient safety, Nickhil aims to contribute meaningful advancements that improve clinical outcomes and anesthesia practices. Having collaborated with Dr. Tucci for over five years, Nickhil values their partnership and looks forward to many more years of collaborative research, discovery, and innovation. With an unwavering drive to tackle unanswered questions, he remains committed to making a lasting impact in the field.