Editorial introductions

Abstract

Current Opinion in Anesthesiology was launched in 1988. It is one of a successful series of review journals whose unique format is designed to provide a systematic and critical assessment of the literature as presented in the many primary journals. The field of anesthesiology is divided into 15 sections that are reviewed once a year. Each section is assigned a Section Editor, a leading authority in the area, who identifies the most important topics at that time. Here we are pleased to introduce the Editors of the journal and the Section Editors for this issue. EDITORS Paul G. BarashPaul G. BarashPaul G. Barash, MD is currently Professor Emeritus of Anesthesiology at Yale Medical School, USA and has served as Chair of the Department, as well as Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs. In 2010 he was given the Distinguished Service Award of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists (SCA) in recognition of his contributions to the specialty of cardiac anesthesiology and the SCA. In addition to more than 300 contributions to literature in the form of original scientific publications, reviews, book chapters and abstracts, he is Senior Editor of the Clinical Anesthesia series of textbooks and electronic media. The Lippincott-Raven Interactive Anesthesia CD, of which he is Senior Editor, has received the international Folio Award for the best teaching CD in Medicine, Science and Technology. He is also Senior Editor of the first anesthesia software designed specifically for personal digital assistants (PDA), Clinical Anesthesia for the PDA. The newest edition of Clinical Anesthesia (7 E) was the first truly electronic textbook of the twenty-first century. Powered by the Inkling search engine the textbook is available on iPad, smartphone, the web and e-readers. He is also Senior Editor of Clinical Anesthesia: Fundamentals, a textbook aimed entry-level residents that emphasizes multimodal teaching formats. As a cardiac anesthesiologist, Dr Barash has been repeatedly named in the Best Doctors in America publication. He served as Chair of the Multicenter Study for Perioperative Ischemia (McSPI), which is the largest group of investigators in the world studying perioperative cardiovascular complications; their publications have appeared in leading medical journals including the New England Journal of Medicine and JAMA. He was selected by the Yale residents as Teacher of the Year (2004). He has also been recognized for his teaching and achievements in education with the International Anesthesia Research Society Teaching Recognition Award for Achievement (2014) and the Society of Education/Duke Award for Excellence and Innovation in Anesthesia Education (2015). At the 2016 Annual Meeting of the ASA, Paul was awarded the Excellence in Education Award; this was the first time this honor was bestowed. His department at Yale established the Annual Paul G. Barash Faculty Award for Excellence in Education and Leadership. He has served as President of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, the major professional group for his sub-specialty. In addition, he also served as a Senior Examiner for the certification process of the American Board of Anesthesiology. Finally, he was a consultant to NASA on Perioperative Medicine for Manned Space Flight (Anesthesia Pre and Post Flight Working Group). Hugo Van AkenHugo Van AkenDr Hugo Van Aken has been Professor and Chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care Medicine and Pain Therapy at University Hospital Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany since August 1995, and became Professor Emeritus in August 2016. From 1986 until 1995 he was Professor and Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium. He has been Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University Hospital Bonn, Germany since April 2015. He is currently Editor-in-Chief for Current Opinion in Anesthesiology and Editor for Best Practice & Research: Clinical Anesthesiology, as well as a member of several anesthetic international editorial boards and scientific societies. From 1999 to 2011, he served as member of the Board of Trustees of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS). From 2001 until the end of 2006, he was President of the DAAF (German Academy of Education in Anesthesiology). From 2000 to 2004, he was President of the European Academy of Anesthesiology (EAA). Following the amalgamation of the three major European anesthesia organizations, he served as Secretary of the new European Society of Anesthesiology (ESA) from 2005 to 2006. From 2008 to 2011 he was Chairman of the National Anesthesia Societies Committee (NASC) of the ESA. From 2007 to 2008 he was President of the German Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive-Care Medicine (DGAI). Since 2009, he has been the Secretary General of the DGAI. Since 2012, he has been a member of the Executive Committee of the World Federation of Societies of Anesthesiology (WFSA) and Liaison Officer for the World Health Organization (WHO) as member of the Executive Committee of the WFSA. Since 2013, he has been the Founding Chairman of European Patient Safety Foundation (EUPSF). Dr Van Aken has been an honorary member of the American Association of University Anesthesiologists (AUA) since 1990. In 1992, he became an honorary member of the Polish Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive-Care Therapy, and in 2000 he was made an honorary member of the Belgian Society of Anesthesia and Resuscitation. He is a fellow of the Royal College of Anesthetists (FRCA) and a fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anesthetists (FANZCA). In 2003, he was elected as an honorary member of the Association of Anesthesiologists of Georgia and as an honorary member of the American Society of Anesthesiology. In 2007, he was awarded an honorary membership to the Czech Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive-Care Medicine and in 2009 an honorary membership to the German Society of Internal Medicine, as well as honorary membership of the Dutch Society of Anesthesiology. In 2009 he was appointed as a member of the German National Academy of Sciences (Leopoldina). In 2012 he became an honorary member of the Chinese Society of Anesthesiology. In July 2015 he received, for his outstanding activities in the medical field, the Cross of Merit (First Class) of the Federal Republic of Germany. Dr Van Aken is author of more than 596 articles in current content listed journals and many chapters in national and international textbooks, and has a variety of major research interests including regional anesthesia, fluid management, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, intestinal microcirculation and sepsis. SECTION EDITORS Paul M. HeerdtPaul M. HeerdtDr Paul M. Heerdt is a Professor of Anesthesiology at Yale University School of Medicine, USA and a fellow of both the American Heart Association and the American College of Chest Physicians. Dr Heerdt earned his medical degree from the University of Tennessee, USA in 1982 followed by a PhD in Cardiovascular Pharmacology in 1985. He completed his residency in Anesthesiology at Massachusetts General Hospital and then a fellowship in Cardiothoracic Anesthesia at Washington University in St. Louis, MO, USA. Following clinical training, Dr Heerdt remained on the faculty at Washington University for several years before moving to Cornell University in 1992. At Cornell, he was a faculty member in the departments of Anesthesiology and Pharmacology until 2015. During this time, Dr Heerdt directed the Cardiothoracic Research Laboratory as well as the Thoracic Anesthesia clinical service. In 2016, he accepted a faculty appointment at Yale University School of Medicine predominantly focused upon cardiovascular research and teaching. Manuel L. FontesManuel L. FontesManuel L. Fontes, MD is Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at Yale School of Medicine, USA. He is the Division Chief for Cardiac Anesthesia, Director of Clinical Research, Program Director of the Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellowship, and Medical Director of Perfusion Services. Dr Fontes earned his medical degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. He completed his residency in anesthesiology and a fellowship in cardiothoracic anesthesiology at the New York–Presbyterian Hospital/Cornell University Medical Center, USA. Dr Fontes followed this with two years as a postdoctoral fellow and clinical instructor in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of California, San Francisco. In 1994, he joined the Department of Anesthesiology at Yale as an Assistant Professor; in 1999, he returned to Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York City, Department of Anesthesiology as an Associate Professor; in 2011, he became Professor of Anesthesiology at Duke University Medical and Director of Clinical Anesthesia Research Endeavor; and in 2015, he returned to Yale. Dr Fontes was named Physician of the Year for 2005 and 2006 and America's Top Anesthesiologist for 2007–2018. He is a member of several professional organizations, such as the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the Society of Critical Care Medicine, and the American Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists. Dr Fontes serves as a reviewer for medical journals, including Critical Care Medicine, Current Opinion in Anesthesiology, and the Journal of Clinical Anesthesia. He is an Associate Editor for the renowned textbook Anesthesiology, Problem Oriented Patient Management. He also maintains an active research program focusing on cardiovascular surgical outcomes, and he has more than 150 original articles, reviews, and book chapters. He served 17 years in the United States Army, and he has been very active in Global Health medical missions since 1995. Frances F. ChungFrances F. ChungDr Frances F. Chung is a Professor of the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at the University of Toronto, University Health Network, Canada. She is a Co-Founder and past President of the Society of Anesthesia and Sleep Medicine. She is also a Past President for the Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia. Dr Frances Chung's research interests are in several areas: sleep apnea, patient safety, monitoring, perioperative medicine, pain, nausea and vomiting, and ambulatory anesthesia. In total, she has over 270 publications with a H index of 58 and over 10,000 citations (www.stopbang.ca). Her research work has been recognized through multiple awards, including the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada's McLaughlin-Gallie Visiting Professorship, the Research Recognition Award from the Canadian Anesthesiologist's Society, the Research Award from the Department of Anesthesia, University of Toronto, the Fellow Teaching Award, University Health Network, and the Distinguished Services Award from the Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia.