Throughout National CRNA Week, celebrations are honoring nurse anesthetists at UNCMC and across the UNC Health system. Kicking off the week, the department recognized UNC military and Veteran CRNAs who have been anesthesia care providers to frontline U.S. military personnel. Among our current CRNAs, we recognize: Paul Daniel – Army; Joel Jo – Air Force; David Kilduff – Army; Terri Qualls – Army; David Rider – Army (David 20 years of service in June 2025!); and Stacy Sheppard – Active Duty Army.
On Tuesday, a catered Taco Tuesday fed hungry, hardworking CRNAs dropping in between cases at UNCMC. On Wednesday, the department hosted a “We Are Everywhere Wednesday” breakfast, in recognition of highly trained CRNAs whose skill set extends critical access to anesthesia care to lower-resourced areas of North Carolina and around the world. Two additional events for National CRNA Week honor the entirety of nurse anesthetists’ mark contributions to medical care delivery, from direct patient care, to research (publications, conference presentations), to education (mentoring, career growth), to leadership within the institution, APP Center, and professional organizations nationwide). On the last day of National CRNA Week, UNC Health’s CRNAs will earn CE credits at “SRNA Spotlight,” joining students in training and peer nurse anesthetists at Duke University Medical Center’s Student Led Seminar!
UNC Anesthesiology Chair Ted Sakai, MD, PhD, MHA, FASA, noted: “The exceptional anesthesia care our department provides our surgical patients is only possible because of our fantastic peri-operative teamwork. The expertise and dedication of our CRNAs to patient safety are truly invaluable. We celebrate and thank all [UNCMC and UNC Health system] CRNAs for their commitment to excellence and being an indispensable part of our team this week and every week!”