Research Opportunities

The department offers the Research Track as one option for the CA-3 year.  Residents electing the Research Track spend six months of their CA-3 year engaged in basic or clinical research under the direction of a designated research mentor.

For some residents, the Research Track might be their first exposure to the scientific method.  For residents with prior research experience, the Research Track permits them to improve their scientific skills.  In both cases, upon completing their designated projects, residents will be positioned to decide whether they wish to pursue research as a significant part of their careers.  If so, they will ready to begin formal postdoctoral fellowships, typically lasting two or three years.

The resident electing the Research Track will select a project and mentor in consultation with Drs. Heard and/or Dershwitz.  The UMass campus in Worcester has a large, vibrant, and diverse research community, with many faculty members eager to welcome senior residents into their laboratories.

Some of the interests of the Department of Anesthesiology faculty include development of best-practice techniques for pediatric sedation (Dr. Foley); management of sepsis and ARDS and prevention of catheter-related bloodstream infections (Drs. Heard and Walz); clinical pharmacology of intravenous anesthetics and antiemetics (Dr. Dershwitz); long-term effects of anesthetic agents (Dr. Lichtor); mechanisms of thyroid hormone action in the brain (Dr. Leonard); spectroscopic-based, noninvasive measurement of blood and tissue chemistry (Drs. Soller and Walz); biofilm-associated infections due to Staphylococcus epidermidis (Dr. Vuong); and the neurobiology of addiction to alcohol and opioids (Dr. Treistman).

Clicking on any of the names in the preceding paragraph will open their research web pages.