December 19, 2025
The annual Academic Giving Competition (AGC) returned for its fourth time in October 2025. First introduced in 2022, the AGC is a fun, friendly competition held between academic anesthesiology departments as a means to raise funds in support of anesthesiology’s early-career investigators.
The 2025 competition ran for 12 days, centered around ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2025. This year, participating departments were once more separated into two tiers based on faculty size to create a level playing field for the competitors. All departments with 110 or more faculty members were designated as Large Tier, while all departments with fewer than 110 faculty members were designated as Small Tier.1 Departments in each tier competed for victory in one of two winning categories: most funds raised and most donors.
14 Small Tier and 24 Large Tier departments – the most in the AGC’s history! – stepped forward to stand at the starting line and compete in AGC 2025. Each of these “Teams” was led by volunteer “Captains” from among their faculty, ready to give their all to fundraise in support of education and research in anesthesiology. These Team Captains provided their time and enthusiasm in fundraising among their colleagues and keeping them informed of which Teams were leading the pack at each bend in the competition.
Year after year, FAER is floored by the tremendous number of donations surging in during the AGC, consistently surpassing the Foundation’s original fundraising goals. In keeping with this trend, FAER raised its goal to $400,000 for AGC 2025, a 14% increase over its AGC 2024 goal and enough to fund both an entire Mentored Research Training Grant (MRTG) and Research in Education Grant (REG).
With their feet poised and ready to put the pedal to the metal, the Team Captains launched AGC 2025 with a bang on October 3. And the anesthesiology community was more than ready! The AGC saw a powerful initial surge in donations as the competition got underway before settling into a steady flow of gifts coming in during its first week. Giving heated up again as prospective donors arrived in San Antonio for ANESTHESIOLOGY – coinciding with the final weekend of the AGC – with both those in attendance and at home donating in support of the specialty’s aspiring scientists.
Following a whirlwind of activity and giving during the annual meeting, roughly $295,000 had been raised as the AGC entered its final day on October 14. A terrific showing from Captains and donors alike, to be sure, but still 27% away from the year’s goal. However, as FAER has come to expect from its incredible supporters, rather than this deficit dampening the competitors’ spirits, it galvanized them into making a strong final push for the finish line. Momentum continued to build as the last hours of AGC ticked away, with Teams speeding towards the checkered line to claim the coveted top spot on the winners’ podium until the competition concluded at 11:59 p.m. CT on October 14.
When the dust settled, the 38 AGC teams had raised a jaw-dropping $407,482 thanks to 1,240 wonderful donors!2 Not only were the funds raised enough to cover the MRTG and REG, the surplus raised was enough to sponsor a Medical Student Anesthesia Research Fellow (MSARF) too! The total raised in 2025 represents a 10% increase in funds raised during AGC 2024, and a 32% increase compared to AGC 2023.
FAER is honored to count so many exceptional individuals among its friends and supporters and would like to offer a true and lasting thank you to all those who donated to FAER and its mission during AGC 2025. To our donors and Team Captains, know that this success is yours!
Without further ado, FAER is delighted to celebrate the winners of the 2025 Academic Giving Competition. Drumroll please!
Please join FAER in congratulating The Medical College of Wisconsin, Columbia University, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, and University of Wisconsin–Madison on winning this year’s AGC. FAER would also like to give a special shoutout to our runners-up for each tier:
In addition to celebrating our winners and runners-up, FAER is also pleased to share a selection of honorable mentions from this year’s competition. These honorable mentions celebrate the incredible work from the many departments and donors participating in the AGC.
Chomping at the Bit!
The team at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), led by Captain Keith Vogt, MD, PhD, was primed and ready when invitations to participate in AGC 2025 landed in their inbox this summer! UPMC Vice Chair of Research Senthil Sadhasivam, MD, MPH, MBA, FASA, signed their department up for the competition within 5 minutes of being invited!
Bringing the Heat!
Emory University, led by Captain Rachel Hadler, MD, brought the heat for AGC 2025! Together, their team raised $9,660 during this year's competition - nearly twice their goal for 2025 and twice what they raised during AGC 2024!
A Strong First Showing!
FAER was delighted for the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) to sign up for its first-ever AGC in 2025! Lead by Captain Tanith Graham, MD, UMMC raised a total of $2,109 from 30 donors during AGC 2025, tying for third place for greatest number of donors (Small Tier)!
Stepping Up for FAER!
UTHealth Houston, led by Captains Paul Potnuru, MD, and Aubrey Samost-Williams, MD, stepped up for the specialty this AGC, directing all funds raised by their Team towards the Step Up for FAER campaign! Together, they helped bring the campaign $8,489 closer to its goal of endowing a new, endowed Mentored Research Training Grant for clinical investigators!
Spreading the Love!
It’s always wonderful to see physician-scientists celebrating the departments that have supported them along the way! That’s just what Eric Sosa, MD, PhD, did during this year’s AGC, making three separate gifts in honor of Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of California, Los Angeles, each of which supported his research endeavors over the year!
We hope you will join FAER in congratulating our winners, runners-up, and honorable mentions on their achievements. As always, though, the true winners of this competition are the physician-investigators these funds will help support, and the patients who will benefit from the research FAER grantees and program participants produce.
To follow is a full list of all departments and Team Captains that participated in the fourth annual AGC. On behalf of FAER’s grantees, fellows and scholars, FAER expresses its immense gratitude to everyone who helped make this competition such a success. You can also download a photobook of the outstanding AGC 2025 Team Captains here!
| LARGE TIER TEAMS | |
| Institution & Department | Team Captain(s) |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine |
George Bekheet, MD Jessica M. Cassavaugh, MD Heloise DuBois, MD J. Mark Lunderberg, MD, PhD Sara E. Neves, MD Brian P. O'Gara, MD Simon C. Robson, MB, ChB, FRCP, FAASLD, PhD Parker Woolley, MD |
| Columbia University Department of Anesthesiology |
Charles W. Emala Sr., MD, MS May Hua, MD, MSc |
| Emory University Department of Anesthesiology |
Rachel Hadler, MD |
| Indiana University School of Medicine Department of Anesthesia |
Fletcher A. White, PhD |
| Johns Hopkins Medicine Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine |
Lee Goeddel, MD, MPH Roger A. Johns, MD, PhD, MHS C. David Mintz, MD, PhD Kathryn R. Rosenblatt, MD, MHS Emmett E. Whitaker, MD, FAAP |
| Keck School of Medicine of USC Department of Anesthesiology |
Omar A. Durra, MD, FASA |
| Mayo Clinic Rochester Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine |
Emily Sharpe, MD, FASA Yu Shi, MD, MPH |
| Medical College of Wisconsin Department of Anesthesiology |
Michele Duranso Thomas J. Ebert, MD, PhD Cynthia A. Lien, MD Astrid G. Stucke, MD |
| Stanford University Medical Center Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine |
Pamela Flood, MD, MA Eric R. Gross, MD, PhD |
| UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine |
Matthew A. Fischer, MD Soban Umar, MD, PhD |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine |
Brant M. Wagener, MD, PhD Dawn Williams, MA |
| University of California, San Diego Department of Anesthesiology |
Tosha Becerra Songolo, MD Minh H Tran, MBBS, FANZCA |
| University of California, San Francisco Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care |
Catherine L. Chen, MD Alexendar Perez, MD, PhD |
| University of Colorado Department of Anesthesiology |
Benjamin H. Cloyd, MD, MPH Rodrigo Sagastegui |
| University of Michigan Medical School Department of Anesthesiology |
Chad M. Brummett, MD |
| University of Pennsylvania Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care |
Caoimhe C. Duffy, MD, MSc, CPPS, FCAI Tori N. Sutherland, MD, MPH E. Railey White, MD |
| University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine |
Keith Vogt, MD, PhD |
| University of Utah School of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology |
Norman E. Taylor, MD, PhD |
| University of Washington School of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine |
C. Michael M. Crowder, MD, PhD |
| UTHealth Houston Department of Anesthesiology |
Paul Potnuru, MD Aubrey Samost-Williams, MD |
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center Department of Anesthesiology |
Marie-Louise Meng, MD Edward Sherwood, MD, PhD |
| Washington University in St. Louis Department of Anesthesiology |
Bradley Fritz, MD, MSCI Ben Julian A. Palanca, MD, PhD, MSc |
| Weill Cornell Medicine Department of Anesthesiology |
Kane O. Pryor, MD Hannah Wunsch, MD, MSc |
| Yale School of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology |
Robert B. Schonberger MD, MHS, MHCDS |
| SMALL TIER TEAMS | |
| Institution & Department | Team Captain(s) |
| Boston Children's Hospital Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine |
Susan Goobie, MD, FRCPC; Megan Nolan |
| Case Western University / Cleveland Medical Center Department of Anesthesiology |
Bryan Lauck Benson, MD Salim M. Hayek, MD, PhD |
| Mayo Clinic Arizona Department of Anesthesiology |
Molly Kraus, MD; Adam Milam, MD, PhD |
| Tulane University School of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology |
Vinod Singaram, MD, PhD |
| University of California, Davis Department of Anesthesiology |
Michael J. Jung, MD Hong Liu, MD, FASE |
| University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine Department of Anesthesia |
David W. Kaczka, MD, PhD, FASA, ATSF Detlef Obal, MD, PhD, DESA David Run Zhou Ye, MD, PhD |
| University of Miami School of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Medicine and Pain Management |
Paloma Toledo, MD, MPH |
| University of Mississippi Medical Center Department of Anesthesiology |
Tanith Graham, MD |
| University of Nebraska Medical Center Department of Anesthesiology |
Nicholas W. Markin, MD, FASE Hanjun Wang, MD |
| University of Vermont Health Department of Anesthesiology |
W. Gabe Tharp, MD, PhD |
| University of Virginia Department of Anesthesiology |
Lauren Dunn, MD, PhD Mohamed Tiouririne, MD |
| University of Wisconsin - Madison School of Medicine and Public Health Department of Anesthesiology |
Elizabeth Townsend, MD |
| Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology |
Michael Kazior, MD Shilen P. Thakrar, MD |
| West Virginia University School of Medicine Department of Anesthesiology |
Heather Hayanga, MD, MPH, FASE, FASA Julie L. Huffmyer, MD |
Visit FAER’s dedicated AGC website for more information on this year’s competition. If your department is interested in taking part in next year’s AGC, please contact FAER@faer.org. Additional invitations and information will be sent in 2026.
1Faculty counts were compiled by FAER staff via review of department faculty listings available on their respective websites.
2This total represents an increase over the original amount raised and number of donors publicized in October due to additional AGC-related donations being accounted for after the initial announcement. All AGC-related online donations received or checks post-dated after October 14 were applied to the competition itself rather than a specific Team and were excluded when tallying totals to determine winners.
THE FOUNDATION FOR ANESTHESIA EDUCATION AND RESEARCH (FAER)
FAER is a related foundation of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). For nearly 40 years, FAER has been dedicated to developing the next generation of physician-investigators in anesthesiology. Charitable contributions and support to FAER help fuel the future of anesthesiology through scientific discovery. Funding priorities include: Research, Education, and Training. At the time of this article's publication, FAER has awarded more than $61 million in research grants and programs since 1986. To donate to FAER, visit FAER.org/donate.
Curated by: BH
Last updated by: BH
Date of last update: December 19, 2025
email: FAER@faer.org
site: FAER.org
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