UNC Department of Anesthesiology is pleased to announce the appointment of Wade Weigel, MD, FASA, as Interim Assistant Vice Chair of Patient Safety & Quality Improvement (Research Focus). In his new role, Dr. Weigel will be instrumental in guiding the department’s efforts to enhance patient safety and QI scholarship output. He will mentor and assist anesthesiology members in bringing department QI projects to the national stage, from abstract presentation at meetings to peer-reviewed publications, and even larger QI studies with intramural/extramural fundings. 
Dr. Weigel brings extensive experience in quality improvement (QI) research, clinical guideline development, and resident mentoring to this new role, both at the institutional and national levels. As a Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt, he led multiple QI projects within the department that achieved sustainable change and produced scholarly publications. Dr. Weigel has also helped lead clinical research, and developed a departmental QI publication framework to strengthen scholarly output.
At the national level, Dr. Weigel has made significant contributions to several American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) guidelines, including those on NPO updates, GLP-1 agonists, and neuromuscular blockade. His service on the ASA Committee on Practice Parameters is a testament to his commitment to advancing best practices in anesthesiology.