Drs. Patrick Kochanek, Peter and Eva Safar Lecturer Lewis Nelson, and Yan Xu.

2018 marked the 16th year of the Safar Symposium, which took place on May 31st and June 1st. This year, the program focused on the watershed effect of the opioid epidemic on resuscitation medicine. The title of the event was “The Opioid Epidemic: Implications for Resuscitation Medicine.” Outstanding national and local faculty presented the latest findings in their respective fields, including novel investigations spanning bench to bedside. The speakers lectured on topics as diverse as the opioid use in the ICU to phenotyping cardiac arrest. The program featured a number of guest speakers including Anthony F. Pizon, MD, Kurt Kroenke, MD, and Robert Newmar, MD, PhD, as well as several experts hailing from the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Robert Newmar, chief of Emergency Medicine at the University of Michigan presenting his lecture, which included a tribute to Dr. Peter Safar. 

The major highlight of the event was the 38th Peter & Eva Safar Annual Lectureship in Medical Sciences and Humanities, which was presented by Lewis S. Nelson, MD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine and the Director of the Division of Medical Toxicology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Dr. Nelson’s lecture, titled “The Newest Opium War: Insights into the Current Opioid Crisis,” was a comprehensive exploration of the causes of the opium epidemic. The lecture delved into the historical origins of the crisis, the reasons behind the exponential growth of illegal opioid use in recent decades, and examined why the current standard of care is inadequate.

Dr. Patrick Kochanek presenting the Nancy Caroline Award to Dr. Raj Kumar.

Dr. Raj Kumar was selected to receive the Nancy Caroline Award The Caroline Award given every year to the most outstanding young trainee in the Safar Center. Safar Center Associate Directors select the winner based on the quantity and quality of their publications, and/or national and international awards for research.

Dr. Mioara Manole visiting a trainee poster.

Students and faculty discussing their research at Trainees Research Day.

The first day of the Symposium closed with the Multi-Departmental Trainees’ Research Day, which featured a total of forty-one abstract submissions by trainees from the Departments of Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Neurological Surgery, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Overall prize winners and departmental award winners are shown below.

The second day of the Safar Symposium was held at the Peter M. Winter Institute for Simulation, Education, and Research (WISER). The program was titled “Advancing Your Nursing Career Through Simulation.” Speakers presented talks on advancements in augmented and virtual reality simulations, certification, and nursing career advancement. The program featured A number of outstanding national and local speakers including Chad Epps, MD, Jeffrey Groom, PhD, CRNA, Kristen M. Brown, DNP, CRNP, CPNP-AC, Geoffrey T. Miller, MS, MS, EMT-P, and John M. O’Donnell, CRNA, MSN, DrPh.

Watch recordings of the first day of lectures at the links listed below.