Research
Our department currently ranks 15th (out of 133 anesthesiology training programs) in NIH funding. The research department consists of 20 full-time faculty and staff, including an epidemiologist to assist residents and faculty in scholarly projects.
Matt Mauck, MD, PhD
Sarah Linnstaedt, PhD
Vice Chair of Research Matt Mauck, MD, PhD, is a leading physician scientist in the pathogenesis of chronic pain following traumatic injury, such as major thermal burns. Dr. Mauck’s research centers around determining fundamental molecular mechanisms that underlie the transition from acute to chronic pain following burn injury.
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology Sarah Linnstaedt, PhD, is a renowned RNA biologist whose research centers around the role that molecular and genetic mechanisms play in post-traumatic chronic pain development. Her wide-ranging portfolio of federal and industry awards support studies aimed at identifying novel therapeutic strategies that improve quality of life due to chronic pain.
Our residents consistently present at local and national meetings, including the North Carolina Society of Anesthesiologists, Pain Society of the Carolinas, American Society of Anesthesiologists, Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, Society for Pediatric Anesthesia, Society of Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology, and Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia. Many resident research projects are presented as posters at national meetings or published as manuscripts in leading anesthesiology journals or accepted as abstracts for publication, including an epidemiologist and statistician to assist residents.
We support individual Residents with research interests and academic aspirations who wish to allocate a significant portion of their residency towards protected research time. A six-month research track is available for residents in their final year of training, who desire to pursue an intensive research project.
Visit UNC Anesthesiology Research to learn more about the many basic science and clinical research activities housed within our department that are helping advance in pain medicine therapeutic solutions and anesthesia care!
Quality Improvement
Our department has robust Patient Safety and Quality Improvement and Enhanced Recovery. Departmental leaders in PSQI include Dr. Greg Balfanz, Dr. Lindsey Gouker, and our dedicated PSQI Program Manager, Nathan Woody, who has earned his UNCH Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and serves as a Quality Improvement Coach for many of our residents and faculty.
Our residents participate in a variety of Quality Improvement projects throughout their training. During intern year, they are paired with a faculty mentor to construct and complete a small-scale QI project which will be presented at our Departmental Grand Rounds at the conclusion of their Academic Medicine Rotation. As CA-2s, they will be similarly paired with a faculty mentor and will lead a year-long Quality improvement project. Our department hosts an annual Resident QI Symposium for our CA-2 residents to present these projects (See 13th Annual Resident QuaIity Improvement Symposium Showcases CA-2 PSQI Solutions). Each resident is also encouraged to submit their QI projects to present at the ASA Annual Conference.