Looking Back on 2025: Celebrating the Department of Anesthesiology
The Department of Anesthesiology had a full and meaningful year in 2025—marked by impactful research, global collaboration, educational excellence, and a continued commitment to building a strong, supportive departmental culture. Throughout the year, we invited members of our team to share photos and moments that mattered most to them, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to reflect on what we’ve accomplished together.
Strengthening Global Partnerships
Our Global Health efforts continued to grow in 2025, while remaining grounded in long-standing, trusted partnerships. In The Gambia, our collaboration with local anesthesia providers included multiple visits focused on education, training, and the delivery of lifesaving equipment—reinforcing our shared commitment to sustainable, locally driven care.
This year also marked our second trip to Honduras, where faculty and trainees partnered with a multidisciplinary University of Utah team to support the expansion of cardiac surgery services. This ongoing work, conducted at the Instituto Nacional Cardiopulmonar (INCP) through Open Heart Honduras, reflects our broader goal of building capacity through education, collaboration, and long-term partnership.
Advancing Research & Scholarship
Research, innovation, and scholarship remained central to our department’s mission in 2025, with faculty, trainees, and collaborators contributing across clinical research, education, innovation, and policy.
Several research milestones stood out this year. A department-led study on detecting ataxic breathing for early identification of opioid-induced respiratory depression was selected as a featured article in the September issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia. Additional work on single-syringe total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) was also published in Anesthesia & Analgesia. In the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, Dr. Brewer co-authored a study examining noncontact respiratory monitoring, supporting the potential for continuous respiratory assessment without physical probes.
Innovation extended beyond publications. Sovant™, a faculty-invented oxygen delivery system developed by Dynasthetics, received FDA approval in 2025—marking a significant step in translating clinician-driven ideas into real-world patient care solutions.
Education and scholarly exchange were also key themes. The Western Anesthesia Residents Conference (WARC) 2025 brought together trainees and faculty from across the region to showcase resident-led research, quality improvement projects, and medically challenging cases, reinforcing our commitment to mentorship and academic growth.
At the national level, Dr. Candice Morrissey began her year as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow, administered by the National Academy of Medicine. Through this highly selective fellowship, she is gaining hands-on experience in federal health policy—bringing clinical insight to decisions that shape the future of health care.
Across the year, department members contributed to more than half a dozen peer-reviewed journals and made meaningful impacts across research, innovation, education, and policy. We are proud of the breadth of this work and the people behind it.
Wellness, Culture, and Community
In January, we launched WeCARE, a department-wide initiative focused on fostering a culture of support, collaboration, and respect. As the program approaches its one-year mark, WeCARE continues to shape how we engage with one another and how we show up for our colleagues and learners.
Community-building remained a priority throughout the year. From the New Resident BBQ and Department Holiday Party to the newly renamed TDE Wellness Picnic, these moments of connection—large and small—helped reinforce our shared sense of belonging across roles, teams, and career stages.
Looking Ahead
As we move into 2026, we anticipate another year of growth, discovery, and connection. We are especially excited to welcome Grace Lim, MD, MSc, MBA, as our new Department Chair in February. Her leadership marks an important next chapter for our department.
Thank you to every member of our community for the dedication, creativity, and care you bring to this work. We're looking forward to what’s ahead!