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Many individuals across the country face the dilemma of deciding between anesthesiology and another specialty; we think many would find it helpful to hear the thought process behind choosing one way or another in this critical crossroads. Through our "Anesthesia Versus" series, we will interview and to get to know the perspectives of residents who had previously trained in other specialties or who were closely deciding between specialties before ultimately deciding on anesthesiology.
Video: CRNA Turned Cardiac Anesthesiologist
Featured: Listen to Dr. Jane Fitch share her experiences as a CRNA turned cardiac anesthesiologist and past president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, as well as the Society of Academic Anesthesiology Associations & the Association of Academic Anesthesiology Chairs.
Interviewer: Iman Soliman, MS4, Sidney Kimmel Medical College; Senior Advisor, Medical Student Component Governing Council, ASA
Featured: William Manson, MD, Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology; Department of Anesthesiology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Interviewer: Iman Soliman, MS4, Sidney Kimmel Medical College; Senior Advisor, Medical Student Component Governing Council, ASA
Featured: Nathanael Moore, MD, Anesthesiology Resident Physician; Department of Anesthesiology, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH
Interviewer: Shyam Lakshmanan, MS4, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine; Senior Advisor, Medical Student Component Governing Council, ASA
Video: Anesthesia Versus General Surgery
Featured: Zoe Ozment, MD, Anesthesiology Resident Physician; Department of Anesthesiology, Mount Sinai Hospital (Icahn School of Medicine), New York, NY
Interviewer: Shyam Lakshmanan, MS4, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine; Senior Advisor, Medical Student Component Governing Council, ASA
Anesthesia Versus Pediatrics (mp3)
Featured: Ellen DeJong, MD, Board-Certified Pediatrician, Anesthesiology Resident Physician; Department of Anesthesiology, Stanford Healthcare, Palo Alto, CA
Interviewer: Shyam Lakshmanan, MS4, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine; Senior Advisor, Medical Student Component Governing Council, ASA
The practice of anesthesiology encompasses several subspecialties, including pediatric anesthesiology, cardiothoracic anesthesiology and critical care. In our subspecialty interview series below, members of the Governing Council speak with practicing anesthesiologists about the pathways to pursuing these various paths and their respective scope of practice.
Interview: Critical Care Anesthesiology
Interviewers: Cade Solich and John O’Hare
Interviewees: Dr. Michael Gropper, MD, PhD - Professor and Chair of the UCSF Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care; Dr. Rebecca Aslakson, MSci, PhD, MD - Chair of the Anesthesiology Department at University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine
Interview: Obstetric Anesthesiology (Interview 1)
Interviewers: Jocelyn Coholich and Cade Solich, MSC Education Crew Members
Interviewees: Dr. Christine Warrick, Director of Obstetric Anesthesiology and the Medical Director of Labor and Delivery for Anesthesiology - University of Utah School of Medicine; Dr. Mark Rollins, Anesthesiologist and obstetric anesthesiology specialist - Mayo Clinic - Rochester
Interview: Obstetric Anesthesiology (Interview 2)
Interviewers: Jocelyn Coholich and Cade Solich, MSC Education Crew Members
Interviewee: Dr. Ioannis (Yanni) Angelidis, Anesthesiologist and Obstetric Anesthesiology Specialist - University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Interview: Chronic Pain
Interviewers: Emily Lee (MS2, Keck School of Medicine of USC), Vinh Nguyen (MS4, California University of Science and Medicine)
Interviewee: Dr. Alexander Chen
Interview: Regional Pain
Interviewers: Emily Lee (MS2, Keck School of Medicine of USC), Vinh Nguyen (MS4, California University of Science and Medicine)
Interviewee: Dr. Joseph Kim
Interview: Pediatric Anesthesiology
Interviewer: Michelle Wu
Interviewee: Dr. John Erkmann, the Chairman for the Department of Anesthesiology at Children's Mercy Kansas City
Interview: Pediatric Anesthesiology
Interviewer: Dhruv Nagesh
Interviewee: Dr. Sarah Nizamuddin, Associate Professor and Associate Residency Program Director of Anesthesiology - University of Chicago
Interview: Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology
Interviewer: Ashley Yang
Interviewee: Dr. Chung-Jen Chen, Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology - Montefiore Medical Center
Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology (mp3)
Featured: Teresa A. Mulaikal, MD, FASE, Anesthesiology Residency Program Director, Division of Cardiac and Critical Care, Columbia University, New York, NY
Interviewer: Tanisha Verneus, MS4, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Member-at-Large, Medical Student Governing Council, ASA
Recorded August 2021
Critical Care Anesthesiology (mp3)
Featured: Claudia Sotillo, MD, Anesthesiology Residency Associate Program Director, Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA; Amanda Xi, MD, Staff Anesthesiologist/Intensivist, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
Interviewer: Tanisha Verneus, MS3, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Member-at-Large, Medical Student Governing Council, ASA
Recorded August 2021
Neuroanesthesiology (mp3)
Featured: Maria Bustillo, MD, FASA, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology; Chief, Division of Neuroanesthesiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
Interviewer: Tanisha Verneus, MS4, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Member-at-Large, Medical Student Governing Council, ASA
Recorded September 2021
Obstetric Anesthesiology (mp3)
Featured: Robert Gaiser, MD, FASA; Professor of Anesthesiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT; David Stahl, MD; Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH; Emily E. Sharpe, MD; Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology; Director of Education Obstetric Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
Interviewer: Tanisha Verneus, MS3, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Member-at-Large, Medical Student Governing Council, ASA
Recorded April 2021
Pain Medicine (mp3)
Featured: Halena Gazelka, MD; Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Interviewer: Tanisha Verneus, MS3, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Member-at-Large, Medical Student Governing Council, ASA
Recorded April 2021
Pediatric Anesthesiology
Featured: Emmett Whitaker, MD, Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Neurological Sciences, & Pediatrics, The University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT
Interviewer: Tanisha Verneus, MS4, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Member-at-Large, Medical Student Governing Council, ASA
Recorded September 2021
Perioperative Medicine (mp3)
Featured: Jeanna Blitz, MD; Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Director, Perioperative Medicine Fellowship, Duke University, Durham, NC.
Interviewer: Tanisha Verneus, MS4, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Member-at-Large, Medical Student Governing Council, ASA
Recorded June 2021
Practicing Anesthesiology in the Navy/Armed Services (mp3)
Featured: Steven Bradley, MD; Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, USUHS, LCDR, Medical Corp, US Navy.
Interviewer: Tanisha Verneus, MS4, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Member-at-Large, Medical Student Governing Council, ASA
Recorded June 2021
Regional Anesthesiology (mp3)
Featured: Ed Mariano, MD, MAS, FASA; Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA.
Interviewer: Tanisha Verneus, MS3, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Member-at-Large, Medical Student Governing Council, ASA
Recorded March 2021
Research (mp3)
Featured: Soban Umar, MD, PhD; Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA.
Interviewer: Tanisha Verneus, MS3, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Member-at-Large, Medical Student Governing Council, ASA
Recorded March 2021
Trauma Anesthesiology (mp3)
Featured: Christian Diez MD, MBA, FASA, Associate Professor and Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL
Interviewer: Tanisha Verneus, MS4, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Member-at-Large, Medical Student Governing Council, ASA
Recorded September 2021
Video: A Real Talk About Burnout and Wellness for Trainees: What I Wish I Knew Before
Presenter: Daniel S. Orlovich, MD PharmD, Author, Anesthesiologist, Pain Medicine
Video: Advocacy - Health Policy For Our Profession, For Our Patients
Presenter: Silvana Barbosa, Grassroots Program Administrator, ASA
Q&A Facilitator: Natalie Koons, MS3, University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, President-Elect, Medical Student Component Governing Council, ASA.
Video: Grant Writing 101 with Dr. Catherine Chen
Sponsored by: FAER/Early Stage Anesthesia Scholars (eSAS)
Presenter: Catherine L. Chen, MD, MPH; Assistant Professor, UCSF Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care.
Additional Resource: Eight Tips for Applying for your First Grant
Video: Women as the Future of Anesthesiology
Presenter: Elizabeth B. Malinzak, MD; Chair, ASA Committee on Young Physicians; Director of Medical Student Education, Duke Anesthesiology.
Q&A Facilitator: Natalie Koons, MS3, University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, President-Elect, Medical Student Component Governing Council, ASA.
Video: How to Succeed During Your Anesthesia Rotation:
Presenters: Aditi Balakrishna, MD; Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN; Milad Sharifpour, MD; Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine, Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, GA.
Q&A Facilitator: Natalie Koons, MS2, University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, President-Elect, Medical Student Component Governing Council, ASA.
Video: Pathways to Anesthesia: Why I Love Being an Anesthesiologist
Presenter: Emily Methangkool, MD, MPH; Vice Chair, Quality and Patient Safety HS Associate Clinical Professor, Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology, UCLA Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Los Angeles, CA.
Video: How to Find the Perfect Mentor
Presenter: Tiffany Moon, MD, PhD; Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Management, UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Facilitator: Matthew Hidalgo, MS4, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, Senior Advisor, Medical Student Component Governing Council, ASA
MiMentor - a community of healthcare professionals and students throughout the country committed to mentoring aspiring health professionals. Visit the pre-medical segment page to learn about more mentoring opportunities.
Together We Mentor - aims to increase interest among underrepresented minority (URM) undergraduate pre-medical and medical students regarding anesthesiology with early career exposure through a series of virtual webinars in topics related to the field of anesthesiology, culminating in one day, an in-person course on professional development for pre-selected medical students. For any inquiries or concerns, send an email.
F-1 Doctors - F-1 Doctors mentoring program provides free guidance to international applicants applying to US health professional programs through over 120 mentors from more than 30 countries,. For questions, please reach out.
It is never too early to start thinking ahead. Explore each stage from medical student to early career anesthesiologist.
Last updated by: Residency Engagement
Date of last update: February 16, 2026
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