2024 Virtual Fall Forum Speakers
Meredith Albrecht, MD
Division Chief OB Anesthesiology and Associate Professor
Medical College of Wisconsin - Froedtert Birth Center
Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
Dr. Albrecht has been the division chief of OB Anesthesiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin since 2017. Before she was a staff anesthesiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) specializing in OB, Thoracic, Gyn-Urology anesthesiology. She did her residency and fellowship (cardiothoracic) at MGH.
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Dominique Arce, MD |
Dr. Dominique Arce is a proud graduate of Meharry Medical College and completed her anesthesiology residency and obstetric anesthesiology fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where she served as the inaugural Director of Diversity Equity and Inclusion. Since transitioning to Stanford Medicine in 2022, Dr. Arce serves as the Associate Vice Chair for Faculty Development, Faculty Development Liaison to the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity, Associate Program Director for the Obstetric Anesthesiology Fellowship and host of the podcast ‘Represented’. When not at work she is enjoying the California sunshine with her anesthesiologist husband, Ehren and two daughters, Willamina and Harlow. |
Brad Bavaro, MD |
Dr. Brad Bavaro is an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at Northwestern University, where he is a member of his departmental education leadership team. Since completing his fellowship in 2016, he has endeavored to broaden the role of simulation in the education of residents, fellows, and other trainees. He also has a particular interest in patient safety and outcomes measures, most notably as they relate to the reduction of maternal morbidity and mortality.
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David J. Berman, MD
Assistant Professor, Associate Residency Program Director
Johns Hopkins Hospital
Baltimore, Maryland |
Dr. David (Dave) Berman is an obstetric anesthesiologist and Residency Associate Program Director at Johns Hopkins. He specializes in high-risk obstetric anesthesiology, anesthesia for fetal surgery, general adult anesthesiology, and medical education. He also has a special interest in malignant hyperthermia, and serves as a phone consultant for the MH Hotline. He attended medical school at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and elected to remain at Mount Sinai for his anesthesiology residency. He then completed a fellowship in obstetric, gynecologic and fetal anesthesia at Johns Hopkins, where he received numerous clinical and teaching awards. He subsequently joined the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine as full-time faculty.
In 2022, he was awarded the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology Teacher of the Year Award. He is involved in numerous committees locally, regionally, and nationally.
Dave is a testamur of the National Board of Echocardiography, and has a special interest in cardiac disease in pregnancy and the use of peripartum and perioperative echocardiography. He recently received his MEd from the Johns Hopkins School of Education, where his thesis involved personal finance education for medical trainees. His research interests include obstetric anesthesia outcomes, curriculum design/development and medical student & resident education.
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Arthur L Calimaran, MD
Director, Center for Obstetrical Anesthesiology
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland, Ohio |
Dr Calimaran is a member of the education advisory board of the Association of University Anesthesiologists. He co-chairs the publications committee of the Society for Education in Anesthesia. In addition, he is currently the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP) representative for the state of Ohio and a member of SOAP Teacher of the Year selection process. He also served as an Examiner for the American Board of Anesthesiology certification process.
Dr. Calimaran was the Residency Program Director and Chief of Anesthesia for Women’s Hospital at the University of Mississippi for over ten years. He also served as the Vice Chair and Assistant Dean of Graduate Medical Education at the same institution.
In addition to his contributions to literature in the form of original scientific publications, book chapters, and abstracts, Dr. Calimaran previously served as a Section Editor of the Journal of Clinical Anesthesia. He has been invited as Visiting Professor to numerous national and international academic institutions.
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Laurie Chalifoux, MD |
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Jennifer Dominguez, MD |
Jennifer E. Dominguez, MD, MHS is Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at Duke University School of Medicine, where she has been the Program Director of the Obstetric Anesthesiology Fellowship Program since 2016, and the Associate Vice Chair for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion since 2023. Dr. Dominguez graduated from Yale School of Medicine where she also completed a Masters in Health Sciences, and completed her Anesthesiology residency at Yale New Haven Hospital. She completed an ACGME-accredited obstetric anesthesiology fellowship at Duke and has been on faculty there since 2013. Dr. Dominguez is an active member of the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology, and an Associate member of the Association of University Anesthesiologists. She is currently a member of the SOAP Diversity and Inclusion committee, and the co-chair of the Mentorship & Pathways sub-committee, but she has served on several SOAP committees over the years. She has also served as the Chair of the Obstetrics Subcommittee of the Society for Anesthesia and Sleep Medicine since 2017 and was the lead author on the recent consensus guideline on the screening and diagnosis of OSA in pregnant people. Her research interests are related to obstructive sleep apnea in pregnancy, obesity in pregnancy, medical education and health equity in obstetric anesthesia and perioperative medicine. |
Holly Ende, MD
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, Tennessee |
Dr. Ende is an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she currently serves as Division Chief for Obstetric Anesthesiology and Associate Medical Director of the Vanderbilt Anesthesiology and Perioperative Informatics Research Group. Dr. Ende previously completed both anesthesiology residency and obstetric anesthesiology fellowship at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts and recently completed her Masters in Applied Clinical Informatics at Vanderbilt University. Her academic interests include informatics and predictive analytics, and particularly how we can leverage technology to improve the delivery of personalized medicine in women’s health. Her current research centers on development and implementation of postpartum hemorrhage risk prediction models in the electronic health record.
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Cedar J Fowler, MD
Division of Obstetric Anesthesiology and Maternal Health, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine
Stanford University
Stanford, California |
Cedar J. Fowler is a faculty member at Stanford University specializing in Obstetric Anesthesiology and Maternal Health. With an academic background including an M.D. and MPH from Tufts University School of Medicine and a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, Cedar completed his Anesthesia Residency and Obstetric Anesthesia Fellowship at Stanford.
At Stanford, Cedar is dedicated to enhancing anesthetic care for women during obstetric and gynecological surgeries. He has spearheaded the development of enhanced recovery pathways for various gynecological procedures in collaboration with surgeons and the anesthesia department. Cedar holds roles such as director of the Reproductive and Gynecological Surgery Care group, resident rotation director, and assistant director for the Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility group. His focus areas include intraoperative teaching, ERAS improvements, PONV management, and POCUS. Additionally, Cedar has been appointed as the abdominal section editor for the upcoming 7th edition of the Anesthesiologist's Manual of Surgical Procedures under Dr. Jaffe.
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Regina Fragneto, MD
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Robert R Gaiser, MD
Professor of Anesthesiology
Yale School of Medicine
New Haven, Connecticut
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Robert Gaiser, MD, is Professor of Anesthesiology and the Core Program Director in the Department of Anesthesiology at Yale School of Medicine. His primary interest in obstetric anesthesiology. He is a member of the American Board of Anesthesiology, serving as the Executive Director for Professional Affairs. He serves on the 3C Committee of the American Board of Medical Specialties. He is the Editor for the Anesthesiology section of Doody Enterprises and serves as an assistant editor for Anesthesia & Analgesia. He is an emeritus editor-in-chief for Journal of Clinical Anesthesiology and was president of the Society for Obstetric Anesthesiology and Perinatology in 2015. He serves on the Committee on Academic Anesthesiology for the American Society of Anesthesiologists. |
Matthew G Hire, MD
Assistant Professor
Northwestern University
Chicago, Illinois |
Dr. Hire is an obstetric anesthesiologist and serves as the residency program director at Northwestern University. His interests include medical student and resident education as well as trainee recruitment. |
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Michael P Hofkamp, MD
Director of Obstetric Anesthesia
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Temple
Temple, Texas
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Dr. Hofkamp is an associate professor of anesthesiology at the Baylor College of Medicine. He is a staff physician at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Temple where he is the Director of Obstetric Anesthesia. Dr. Hofkamp attended medical school at Rosalind Frankin University of Medicine and Science (The Chicago Medical School), did an internship in internal medicine at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, IL and completed his residency in anesthesiology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. Dr. Hofkamp participates in quality improvement research in obstetric anesthesia and has an interest in pain during cesarean delivery. Dr. Hofkamp is also a member of the Baylor Scott & White Research Institute institutional review board.
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Elizabeth Lange, MD
Associate Professor, Anesthesiology
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia |
As an obstetric anesthesiologist, I have focused my research on improving the quality of care for women delivering infants in the United States. My research has mostly focused on two areas, improving labor analgesia for pregnant patients and improving maternal and fetal outcomes. I have a special interest in disparities in maternal care and multidisciplinary approach to obstetric hemorrhage. I am an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at Emory University School of Medicine. I serve as the Section Chief for Obstetric Anesthesiology at Emory University Hospital Midtown. Since arriving in Atlanta from Chicago, I have had the honor of participating on the Maternal Mortality Review Committee for the Georgia Department of Public Health. Additionally, I am as the Georgia state representative for the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology. |
Grant Lynde, MD
Decatur, Georgia |
Dr. Grant Lynde is an obstetric anesthesiologist and healthcare executive with over 20 years of experience in clinical leadership and quality improvement within diverse healthcare settings. Most recently serving as the Chief Medical Officer for the Anesthesia Service Line at Healthcare Corporation of America (HCA) in Nashville, TN, Dr. Lynde oversees clinical production, quality initiatives, and compliance across more than 182 hospitals in the U.S. and the U.K.
Before this role, Grant served at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, where he held various leadership positions, including Vice-Chair of Quality. In this capacity, he significantly enhanced perioperative services, optimized clinical operations, and drove substantial cost savings and compliance improvements.
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Rebecca Minehart, MD |
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Jamie Murphy, MD |
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Heather Nixon, MD |
Dr. Heather Nixon is a Professor of Anesthesiology and the Division Chief of Obstetric Anesthesiology at the University of Illinois Hospital at Chicago where she has worked for the last 13 years.
She completed her residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical School and her Obstetric Anesthesiology Fellowship at Northwestern Memorial Hospital – Feinberg School of Medicine. Her previous academic appointments include Residency Program Director, Associate Head for Education and Obstetric Anesthesiology Fellowship Director.
Nationally, she served as the Vice Chair for the American Society of Anesthesiologists Committee on Obstetric Anesthesia for six years and a member of the board of directors for the Society of Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology for the last 9 years and holds the position of SOAP President currently. Dr. Nixon has received several national teaching awards including “Research in Education”, “Teacher of the Year Award” (both <10yrs and >10yr category) from the Society of Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology as well as the “Distinguished Educator in Anesthesiology Award from the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the Society of Education in Anesthesia. In addition, she was an American Medical Association Inspiration Award Honoree for her work as a mentor. She is a recognized national and international speaker and is a passionate advocate for patient safety as it relates to medication management in anesthesiology and the patient experience in obstetric anesthesia care.
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Jessica S Sheeran, MD
Associate Professor
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
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Dr. Sheeran is an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Virginia. She has been on the SOAP simulation subcommittee for the past three years and served as the editor for the “Simulation of the Month” for the past two years. She is also heavily involved in the UVA simulation center developing and facilitating simulation sessions as the course director for the third-year medical student anesthesia rotation and course director for the school of medicine clerkship readiness course. She additionally is the co-director of the UVA Labor and Delivery Multidisciplinary Simulation team that leads a multidisciplinary in-situ curriculum program for all staff on labor and delivery.
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Grace Shih, MD |
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Brandon M Togioka, MD
Vice Chair of Clinical Research
Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Oregon Health & Science University
Portland, Oregon |
Dr. Brandon Togioka grew up in Oregon and attended Oregon State University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering. He completed medical school, residency in anesthesiology, and an obstetric anesthesia fellowship at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Togioka is the Vice Chair of Clinical Research for the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at Oregon Health and Science University. He specializes in the design, implementation, and analysis of clinical trials. Dr. Togioka enjoys being the anesthesia lead on the morbidly adherent placenta team, designing labor and delivery plans for high risk parturients, and taking regular trauma call. Dr. Togioka was elected to the Association of University Anesthesiologists, has been recognized by Portland Monthly Magazine as a top doctor three times, and was an inaugural member of the Oregon Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Committee. He currently serves as chair of the Multicenter Perioperative Outcomes Group (MPOG) Committee on Obstetric Anesthesia and the Sponsors and Industry Subcommittee for the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP). |
Manny Vallejo, MD
Associate Dean and Designated Institutional Official
Anesthesiology, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Medical Education
West Virginia University
Morgantown, West Virginia |
Manuel C. Vallejo, MD, DMD, is the Associate Dean and Designated Institutional Official (DIO) for Graduate Medical education (GME) at West Virginia University (WVU). He holds the rank of Professor in the departments of Medical Education, Anesthesiology, Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Dr. Vallejo served as Director of Obstetric Anesthesia (2005-2013), Director of the Obstetric Anesthesiology Fellowship (1999-2013) at Magee Women's Hospital of UPMC, and WVU Chair of Anesthesiology (2013-2016). As the DIO, he was instrumental in the substantial growth of an additional 38 residency and fellowship programs to WVU GME since 2016.
Dr. Vallejo has a passion for teaching and mentoring trainees as evidenced by being the recipient of several prestigious honors and awards, including the “Excellence in Resident Clinical Teaching Award” presented by the University of Pittsburgh Department of Anesthesiology (2002, 2004, 2006), the University of Pittsburgh School of Nurse Anesthesia “Stephen C. Finestone Clinical Instructor of the Year Teaching Award” presented by the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing (2002), the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center “Award for Commitment and Excellence in Education, Research and Service” (2006), the University of Pittsburgh “Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award” (2012), the “SOAP Teacher of the Year Award ” (2019) presented by the Society for Obstetric Anesthesiology and Perinatology (SOAP), the “WVU Department of Anesthesiology Top 5 Teaching Award” (2019 and 2021), and the “WVU Chancellor’s Master Clinician Award for Outstanding Achievement” (2023).
He was elected to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Academy of Master Educators (2012), is a member of the WVU School of Medicine Academy of Advisors (2016-present) and elected to the WVU Academy of Excellence in Teaching and Learning (2019). Dr. Vallejo received the “Distinguished Educator in Anesthesiology Award” from the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the Society for Education in Anesthesia for advancing anesthesiology education and patient care (2020).
Dr. Vallejo has developed a national and international reputation as evidenced by being an invited lecturer/presenter at ASA and SOAP annual meetings with national committee participation for ASA, SOAP, and ACOG. He served as SOAP President (2015-2016), elected to the Association of University Anesthesiologists (AUA) in 2013. He serves as a committee member, former Vice Chair and current Chair of the ACGME Anesthesiology Residency Review Committee.
In his role as Vice Chair for Faculty Development and Institutional Affairs in the department of Anesthesiology, Dr. Vallejo serves as Chair of the Promotions Committee, Chair of the Moderate Sedation Committee, Quality Assurance/Patient Safety representative for Obstetric Anesthesia, and is a contributing member of the Obstetric Anesthesia High Risk Patient committee.
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Stephanie M Woodward, MD
Vanderbilt Medical Center
Nashville, Tenneesee |
Steph Woodward attended medical school at the University of Utah, completed residency at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and graduated from fellowship at Northwestern University in 2021. At Vanderbilt University Medical Center, she served as the director of undergraduate medical education for the anesthesia department from 2023-July 2024, and is currently the OB anesthesia resident rotation director and the OB anesthesia fellowship director. She is also the co-chair of the SOAP patient education sub-committee. |
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