Research

We seek to be the pre-eminent academic anesthesiology department in the world by making major advances in the field and developing the next generation of outstanding researchers.

We focus on three areas of excellence and house nationally and internationally recognized centers for each of these research domains:

Our work spans the translational spectrum, from computational in silico modeling, to animal experimentation, to prospective observational or interventional clinical research, to large-scale epidemiology.

Advancing the Field

The University of Michigan is consistently ranked among the top 10 medical schools and health systems in the country and our Department of Anesthesiology at U-M has been ranked #1 of all U.S. anesthesiology departments in National Institutes of Health funding since 2015. Furthermore, we have a wide array of foundation, state, and industry funding that complements our robust portfolio.

Our researchers: produce research and commentaries that have been published in journals such as the New England Journal of MedicineLancetJAMAJAMA SurgeryScienceScience AdvancesNature GeneticsNature CommunicationsPNAS, and Current Biology; serve in major editorial positions, including journals like Anesthesiology; and serve in leadership positions in the three major academic associations in the field — Association of University AnesthesiologistsFoundation for Anesthesia Education and ResearchInternational Anesthesia Research Society

In addition to generating some of the most influential clinical and foundational work within the field of anesthesiology, we have rich and productive interdisciplinary connections to basic science, public health, engineering, and even philosophy and the arts.

Furthermore, our faculty serve major research leadership roles across the university — as well as nationally — in fields that transcend the traditional boundaries of anesthesiology, including genomics, precision health, drug discovery, and translational science. We are committed to major impact in anesthesiology as well as science, medicine, and society in general. We are also committed to shaping a more diverse and inclusive future for academic anesthesiology, both within our department and across the country.

Developing the Next Generation

Career development starts from our internship, with a unique research training month, then progresses to our research resident track, the C-STAR program. We are also one of 16 departments in the country to host an NIH T32 postdoctoral training program.

As a testimony to our fertile culture of career development, three faculty members from Michigan Anesthesiology received the American Society of Anesthesiologists Presidential Scholar Award between 2011 and 2017. Currently, we have multiple faculty anesthesiologists funded by NIH K and FAER awards.

Leadership

Chad Brummett, M.D.

Senior Associate Chair for Research

Amy Bohnert, Ph.D.

Executive Director of Pain & Opioids Research

Dan Clauw, M.D.

Executive Director of Pain & Opioid Research

Anthony Hudetz, D.B.M., Ph.D.

Executive Director of Neuroscience Research

Phillip Vlisides, M.D.

Executive Director of Neuroscience Research
Sachin Kheterpal, MD, MBA

Sachin Kheterpal, M.D., MBA

Executive Director of Outcomes Research