About Us

The department is proud of its rich academic heritage. The department was founded in 1968 by Dr. Nicholas Greene, who many of you may recognize as one of the founding fathers of both the journals of Anesthesia and Analgesia, as well as Anesthesiology. The department quickly established itself as a nationally recognized leader in academics as well as clinical anesthesiology and resident education. Dr. Luke M. Kitahata was Chairman of the department from 1973 to 1982. Dr. Kitahata's expertise in neuroscience was pivotal in establishing a robust research enterprise. In 1982, Dr. Paul Barash was appointed Chairman, and under his leadership both the clinical and educational programs experienced dramatic growth. This increased clinical activity provided new opportunities for expanded translational and clinical research activities.

In 1995, I became Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at Yale University School of Medicine, and Chief of the Anesthesiology Service at Yale-New Haven Hospital. The department has experienced significant growth in both the volume and scope of anesthetic practice reflecting the true "perioperative" nature of the discipline. There has been an expansion of both undergraduate and postgraduate medical education programs and activities, highlighted by the Resident Research Scholars Program. Our research enterprise encompasses basic, translational and clinical arenas. Developing and educating future physician scientists are vital to ensuring a robust future for our specialty.

The primary clinical venue for the department's clinical activities is the Yale-New Haven Medical Center. This year, Yale-New Haven Hospital was the only Hospital in Connecticut to be ranked in the top 15 of the U.S. News and World Report's Honor Roll reflecting its commitment to advancing clinical care. At Yale-New Haven Hospital, the department provides care for adult patients in a variety of clinical settings including inpatient and ambulatory operating rooms, labor and birth, preadmission testing center, as well as perioperative pain service. The department also delivers care to pediatric patients at the Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital. In addition, we are responsible for perioperative management of patients at the West Haven Veterans Administration Hospital. The latest clinical addition to our clinical practice includes the Temple Surgical and the Shoreline Medical Center facilities.

Our clinical experience is diverse and continues to grow. For the 2007-2008 academic year, we will administer over 30,000 anesthetics. In addition to operative responsibilities, our faculty is actively involved in the management of patients in the Surgical Intensive Care Units as well as the Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit. The construction of the Yale-New Haven Cancer Hospital is well underway with an expected completion date of early 2010. When this facility becomes operational, it will provide 8 additional anesthetizing locations.

Our residency training program, comprised of 57 residents has recently been enhanced by the development of the Yale Resident Research Scholar Program. This program selects residents with the opportunity to embark upon a research career during their traditional residency training (please see link in our website for more details). We are firmly committed to resident education and are proud of our rich and vibrant educational traditions. We offer fellowships in cardiac anesthesia, neuroansthesia, OB anesthesia, pediatric anesthesia, critical care, ambulatory anesthesia and regional anesthesia.

Our research program encompasses clinical, translational and basic areas of investigation. As one of the nation's premier research institutions in the country, Yale is an ideal environment for embarking upon collaboration via both intra and inter departmental research endeavors. The focus of these programs range from cellular and molecular biology, and tissue engineering to clinical research focused on a variety of topics. We encourage you to visit the research section of the website for a more detailed discussion of specific research programs and investigators.

I hope that this brief description of the department's activities and accomplishments has helped to peak your interest in learning more about the Department of Anesthesiology at Yale University. Please take this opportunity to review the other areas of this site.

Roberta L. Hines, M.D., Chair