UNC Anesthesiology is thrilled to congratulate the research team of Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and UNC Medical Center Director of Neuro-Anesthesia Samuel Neal Blacker, MD, for being awarded Second Place in the 2026 Editors’ Choice category for a 2025 article published in Anesthesia & Analgesia. Blacker and colleagues received Second Place in this category their manuscript entitled, “An Exploratory Analysis of ChatGPT Compared to Human Performance With the Anesthesiology Oral Board Examination: Initial Insights and Implications.*” 
Voted on by the Anesthesia & Analgesia Editorial Board, the Editors’ Choice awards are bestowed upon research teams whose article(s) (published in Anesthesia & Analgesia the prior year) demonstrates exceptional scholarship and innovation. Dr. Blacker and colleagues were chosen for an Editors’ Choice award for their 2025 Anesthesia & Analgesia article highlighting the strength of the UNC Anesthesiology Research Division’s TEACHER (The Excellence in Anesthesiology at Chapel Hill Education Research) Lab. The mission of the TEACHER Lab at UNC Anesthesiology is to produce to improve anesthesiology education through introducing innovative curriculum and applying evidence-based instructional practices to hands-on learning. Blacker and colleagues earned an Editors’ Choice Award for their study published in the June 2025 Anesthesia & Analgesia. The article compares A.I. (ChatGPT) with human performance in anesthesiology oral board examination, effectively demonstrating how thoughtful application of emerging technologies can advance anesthesiology education and assessment.
UNC Anesthesiology Vice Chair of Education Rob Isaak, DO, stated: “The merits of this article demonstrate the TEACHER Lab in action. All of the planning, mentorship, and execution of this study and manuscript creation is a testament to the value of the educational research lab we have here at UNC Anesthesiology.”
UNC Anesthesiology Chair Ted Sakai, MD, PhD, MHA, FASA, stated: “We congratulate Dr. Blacker and the entire research team on this outstanding achievement—and for bringing national recognition to our department and institution.”