Research Awards

Award Opportunities:

• QA/Ambulatory Patient Safety Research Award (presented by both SAMBA and Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation): $500 for the abstract rated highest in the research and promotion of patient safety
• Excellence and Innovation Award: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place for the highest rated abstract submissions
• SAMBA Travel Award: $1,000 travel award to an anesthesia trainee whose original research abstract is accepted for presentation
• White Mountain Award: $1,000 split among 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place for the best research by an anesthesia trainee
• Dr. Rebecca S. Twersky Research Award: $2,000 to a junior attending who is the first author of the highest rated research or quality improvement abstract.

White Mountain Awards

The WHITE MOUNTAIN INSTITUTE, currently located in The Sea Ranch, California, is a not-for-profit private foundation which was established by Paul F. White, PhD, MD, SAMBA-F to support clinical research, alternative medical practices, art and intercollegiate athletics. As a founding member and former President of SAMBA, Dr. White established the White Mountain Institute (WMI) Research Awards to acknowledge excellence in clinical research at the SAMBA annual meeting. The awards honored the trainees whose research projects were judged to be the most outstanding by the organization’s research committee.

SAMBA Abstract Award Winners

Congratulations to all past SAMBA Annual Meeting Abstract Award Winners! To learn more about submitting an abstract for presentation and award consideration at the next annual meeting, please contact us at [email protected].

Click Here for 2024 Abstract Submission Information

SAMBA 39th Annual Meeting Award Winners (2024)

Dr. Rebecca S. Twersky Research Award Winner:

• Ellen Legare H. Johnson, MD – Medical University of South Carolina
• The Impact of Quadratum Lumborum Block versus Pericapsular Nerve Group (PENG) with Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve Blocks for Analgesia after Hip Arthroplasty: A Prospective, Randomized Clinical Trial 

SAMBA-APSF Ambulatory Patient Safety/Quality Improvement Award Winner:

• Elizabeth W. Duggan, MD MA – University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Validated Matched Scores of Gastric Contents in Patients Using vs. Not Using Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists (GLP-1RAs) Undergoing Upper Endoscopy

Excellence and Innovation Award Winners:

• 1st Place: Rafael Vazquez, MD – Massachusetts General Hospital
• A Novel Multimodal Analgesia Pathway is Associated with Decreased Peri-procedural Opioid Consumption for Patients Undergoing CT-Guided Hepatic Microwave Ablation in the Interventional Radiology Suite

• 2nd Place: Joanna Serafin, PhD – Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• Hemodynamic Stability and Recovery Outcomes for Anesthetic Combinations with Propofol, Midazolam or Remimazolam in Interventional Radiology Procedures at a Freestanding Ambulatory Surgery Center

• 3rd Place: Hanae K. Tokita, MD – Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
  • Comparison of Two Rescue Therapy Protocols for Treating Patients with Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting after Outpatient Cancer Surgery under General Anesthesia 

White Mountain Award Winners:

• 1st Place: Bartlomiej Bartkowiak, MD, PhD – Yale New Haven Hospital
• Transitioning to Chloroprocaine Spinal Anesthesia to Decrease PACU Recovery Delays in Cervical Cerclage Placement; Navigating the Challenge of Cultural Inertia in QI

• 2nd Place: Guozhen Xie, BSc – Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine
• A Single-Center Comparison of Recovery Metrics and Complications Rates for Propofol Supported Procedural Sedation With versus Without Adjuvants at a Hospital-Based Endoscopy Suite

• 3rd Place: Sandeep Sreekumaran Nair Sujatha, MBBS, MD – Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya Hospital, New Delhi, India
  • Comparison of Genicular Nerve Block with Adductor Canal Block for Postoperative Pain Management in Adults undergoing Arthroscopic Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Resident Travel Award Winner:

• Sandeep Sreekumaran Nair Sujatha, MBBS, MD – Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya Hospital, New Delhi, India
• Comparison of Genicular Nerve Block with Adductor Canal Block for Postoperative Pain Management in Adults undergoing Arthroscopic Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

SAMBA 38th Annual Meeting Award Winners (2023)

SAMBA-APSF Ambulatory Patient Safety/Quality Improvement Award Winner:

• Alan Kotin, MD – Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• Use of Preprocedure Questionnaire for Oncologic Interventional Radiology Patients to Enhance Patient Safety and Ensure Appropriate Procedure Scheduling and Location

Excellence and Innovation Award Winners:

• 1st Place: Melissa Kreso, MD, MsBA, FASA – University of Rochester Medical Center
• Improving Satisfaction All Around Thru Accurate Booking
• 2nd Place: Joanna Serafin, PhD – Memorial Sloan Kettering
• Postoperative outcomes after outpatient cancer procedures for super morbidly obese patients at a freestanding surgery center
  
• 3rd Place: John Guzzi, MD – Yale New Haven Hospital
• Charting a New Course: The Impact of EHR Optimization on the Administration of PONV Prophylaxis

White Mountain Award Winners:

• 1st Place: Lauren C. Williams, MD – Yale University School of Medicine
• Airway Management during Endoscopic Surgery for Laryngotracheal Stenosis
• 2nd Place (Tie): Scott Chung, MD – Mass General Brigham
• Closed Claims Analysis of Patient Injury in Ambulatory Surgery Centers
• 2nd Place (Tie): Nimesh Patel, MD – Henry Ford Health System
• The Effects of Virtual Reality on Procedural Sedation in Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Resident Travel Award Winner:

• Scott Chung, MD – Mass General Brigham
• Closed Claims Analysis of Patient Injury in Ambulatory Surgery Centers

SAMBA 37th Annual Meeting Award Winners (2022)

SAMBA-APSF Ambulatory Patient Safety/Quality Improvement Award Winner:

• Jaime Hyman, MD – Yale School of Medicine
• How to “unlearn” in the face of new evidence: A quality improvement initiative to remove gabapentinoids from Enhanced Recovery After Surgery pathways within a Health System

Excellence and Innovation Award Winners:

• 1st Place: Sonia Pyne, MD, MS, FASA – University of Rochester Medical Center
• Removing Waiting Time for Patients: Delivering on the Patient Experience
• 2nd Place: Hong Liang, DO – Mayo Clinic
• Most Common Diseases Diagnosed by the Preoperative Clinic and Their Associations with Postoperative Complications: A Review Of 13506 Patients
• 3rd Place: JP Ouanes, DO – Hospital for Special Surgery Florida
• Analgesia for arthroscopic rotator cuff repair comparing liposomal bupivacaine plus bupivacaine (LB+B) with ropivacaine plus dexamethasone (R+D)

White Mountain Award Winners:

• 1st Place: Natalie B. Simon, BA – Eastern Virginia Medical School
• Safety of Oncologic Patients Undergoing Anesthesia for Procedures in a Freestanding Outpatient Surgery Center
• 2nd Place (Tie): Mark Xiao – Mass Eye and Ear
• Impact of Perioperative Dexmedetomidine Use in Ambulatory Vitrectomy Procedures
• 2nd Place (Tie): Amelia Updegraff, MD – University of Utah
• Decreasing Desflurane use in ambulatory centers to help improve environmental impact and cost

Resident Travel Award Winner:

• Hong Liang, DO – Mayo Clinic
• Most Common Diseases Diagnosed by the Preoperative Clinic and Their Associations with Postoperative Complications: A Review Of 13506 Patients

SAMBA 36th Annual Meeting Award Winners (2021)

Excellence and Innovation Award Winners:

• 1st Place: Mariana Restrepo-Holguin, MD – Mayo Clinic in Florida
• New Disease Diagnoses and Intervention by the Preoperative Clinic: A Review of 10,589 Patients Scheduled for Elective Surgeries
• 2nd Place: Tyler Mills, MD – University of Utah
• Novel Electronic Preoperative Screening Tool to Guide Appropriateness for Ambulatory Surgery
• 3rd Place: Kara M. Barnett, MD, FASA – Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• Healthcare Simulation to Improve Team Functioning and Test New Policy Workflows at a Freestanding Ambulatory Surgery Center

White Mountain Award Winners:

• 1st Place: Mariana Restrepo-Holguin, MD – Mayo Clinic in Florida
• New Disease Diagnoses and Intervention by the Preoperative Clinic: A Review of 10,589 Patients Scheduled for Elective Surgeries
• https://vimeo.com/546103033
• 2nd Place: Tyler Mills, MD – University of Utah
• Novel Electronic Preoperative Screening Tool to Guide Appropriateness for Ambulatory Surgery
• https://vimeo.com/546102882
• 3rd Place: Aparajita Rao, BS – Hershey Outpatient Surgery Center
• Development and Implementation of a PACU Handoff Tool at an Ambulatory Surgery Center, Phase I
• https://vimeo.com/547645591

SAMBA 35th Virtual Annual Meeting Award Winners (2020)

Excellence and Innovation Award Winners:

• 1st Place: Dr. Greta Duncan Wiebe
• 2nd Place: Dr. Kara Barnett
• 3rd Place: Dr. Elizabeth Rieth

White Mountain Award Winners:

• 1st Place: Dr. Radhika Chalasani
• 2nd Place: Dr. Yennifer Gil
• 3rd Place: Dr. Sara Zouine

SAMBA 34rd Annual Meeting Award Winners (2019)

Excellence and Innovation Award Winners:

1st Place: Dr. Lynn Bichajian
2nd Place: Dr. Jonathan Mazer – Brigham and Women Hospital
3rd Place: Dr. Mark Jones – Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Resident Travel Award Winners:

• Dr. Jonathan Mazer – Brigham and Women Hospital
• Dr. Mark Jones – Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
• Dr. Saeyeon Kim – Seoul National University Bundang

White Mountain Award Winners:

• 1st Place: Emily Barney, MD – Duke University
• 2nd Place: Kapil Gupta, MD – Toronto General Hospital
• 3rd Place: Saeyeon Kim, MD – Seoul National University Bundang Hospital

SAMBA 33rd Annual Meeting Award Winners (2018)

Excellence and Innovation Award Winners:

• 1st Place: Julien Cobert, MD
• The Effect of Tourniquet Pressure on Tissue Oxygenation using the Oxyneurography Technique
• 2nd Place: Jeremy Teurel, MS
• An Evaluation of Patient and Parent Anxiety Using a Hand-Held Video Game Device
• 3rd Place: Somdatta Gupta, MD
• Financial Impact of Applying NICE/ASA Guidelines for Preoperative Testing in Everyday Practice

Resident Travel Award Winners:

• Julien Cobert, MD
• The Effect of Tourniquet Pressure on Tissue Oxygenation using the Oxyneurography Technique
• Somdatta Gupta, MD
• Financial Impact of Applying NICE/ASA Guidelines for Preoperative Testing in Everyday Practice
• Mark Jones, MD
• Characteristics of Reported Adverse Events during Moderate Procedural Sedation

White Mountain Award Winners:

• 1st Place: Nupur Dua, MD
• Safety and Feasibility of Anesthesia Provision for Pediatric Patients with X- linked Adrenoleukodystrophy in an Ambulatory Sedation Unit
• 2nd Place:Mark Jones, MD
• Characteristics of Reported Adverse Events during Moderate Procedural Sedation
• 3rd Place: Kapil Gupta, MD
• Risk Factors for Opioid-Induced Respiratory Depression in Surgical Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses

SAMBA 32nd Annual Meeting Award Winners (2017)

Excellence and Innovation Award Winners:

• 1st Place: Katherine Duncan, MD
• Readmission Rate After Lumbar Discectomy: A Retrospective Propensity-Matched Cohort Study Comparing Inpatients and Ambulatory Settings
• 2nd Place: Airat Abimbola Agbetoba, MD
• Low Dose Perineural Dexamethasone Increases Analgesia Duration in Interscalene Brachial Plexus Block Compared to IV Dexamethasone
• 3rd Place: Katherine Dobie, MD
• Sterile Gloves for Single Shot Peripheral Nerve Blocks – time to re-evaluate?

Resident Travel Award Winners:

• Katherine Duncan, MD
• Readmission Rate After Lumbar Discectomy: A Retrospective Propensity-Matched Cohort Study Comparing Inpatients and Ambulatory Settings
• Airat Abimbola Agbetoba, MD
• Low Dose Perineural Dexamethasone Increases Analgesia Duration in Interscalene Brachial Plexus Block Compared to IV Dexamethasone
• Kapil Gupta, MD
• Comparison of Ultrasound-Guided Paravertebral Block with Serratus Plane Block for Modified Radical Mastectomy

White Mountain Award Winners:

• 1st Place: Matthew Hallman, MD
• Optimizing Administration of Postoperative Oral Opioids in Ambulatory Surgery Patients
• 2nd Place: Rayhan Ahmed Tariq, MD
• A Case of Non-lethal Air Embolism During Bone Marrow Harvesting
• 3rd Place: Geoffrey Crandall, MD
• Anesthetic management of a patient with mitochondrial disease and severe chronic pain for ambulatory surgery

SAMBA 31st Annual Meeting Award Winners (2016)

Excellence and Innovation Award Winners:

• 1st Place: Eugene Viscusi, MD; Lynn Webster; David Soergel; David Burt; Franck Skobieranda
• Sum of Pain Intensity Differences with Oliceridine (TRV130), a Novel µ Receptor G Protein Pathway Selective (µ-GPS) Modulator: Analysis From a Placebo- and Morphine-controlled Phase 2a/b Study in Patients Following Bunionectomy
• 2nd Place: Borzoo Farhang, MD; Lydia Grondin, MD
• The Effect of Zinc Lozenges on Postoperative Sore Throat Syndrome: A Prospective Randomized, Double-blinded, Placebo-controlled Study
• 3rd Place: Karen DiDonato; Harold Minkowitz, MD; Neil Singla, MD; Timothy Melson, MD; David Leiman, MD; Pamela Palmer, MD, PhD
• Safety and Efficacy of Sufentanil Sublingual 30 mcg Tablets by Surgery Type for the Treatment of Acute Pain following Outpatient Abdominal Surgery
• Honorable Mention: Karl Kristiansen; Jackson Matthes; Don Matthews, MD; James Vecchio, MD
• Ventilatory Effects of Gastroenterologist-Administered Sedation for Colonoscopy

Resident Travel Award Winners:

• Meghan Cook, MD
• A Retrospective Chart Review of Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea undergoing ENT Procedures that Required Hospital Admission
• Christine Jette, MD
• Incidence and Duration of PACU Holds During Summer at a Pediatric Hospital
• Karl Kristiansen, MD
• Ventilatory Effects of Gastroenterologist-adminitered Sedation for Colonoscopy

White Mountain Award Winners:

• 1st Place: Adam Dalia, MD
• Optimizing Administration of Postoperative Oral Opioids in Ambulatory Surgery Patients
• 2nd Place: Meghan Cook, MD
• A Case of Non-lethal Air Embolism During Bone Marrow Harvesting
• 3rd Place: Leah Winters, MD
• Anesthetic management of a patient with mitochondrial disease and severe chronic pain for ambulatory surgery

SAMBA 30th Annual Meeting Award Winners (2015)

Excellence and Innovation Award Winners:

• 1st Place: Lucinda Everett, MD
• Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) Cases in the SAMBA Clinical Outcomes Registry
• 2nd Place: Karen Carlson, MD
• Laryngeal Mask Airways (LMAs) decrease Operating Room (OR) time in Endoscopic Sinus Surgery
• 3rd Place: Joseph Sebeo, MD
• Prospective randomized double-blinded study: does decreasing volume of interscalene nerve block used for surgical anesthesia in ambulatory shoulder arthroscopy offer same day patient recovery advantages?

Resident Travel Award Winners:

• Whitney Creed
• Assessment of Respiratory Sufficiency using a Non-Invasive Respiratory Volume Monitor during Upper Endoscopy
• Kimberly O. Onyirioha, MD
• Predictive Factors for Retained Surgical Items: Perspective from a Large National Database
• Diana Nicole Klopsis
• Quality Control Review of the ASA Physical Status (ASA-PS) Classification of Patients Undergoing Moderate Sedation by Non-Anesthesiologists

White Mountain Award Winners:

• 1st Place: Rebecca Scholl
• Fentanyl Induced Chest Wall Rigidity In A Child: A Rare But Serious Complication In The Ambulatory Care Setting
• 2nd Place: Sam Nia, MD
• Malignant Hyperthermia in a 29 year old male with no past medical history
• 3rd Place: Jyoti Dangle, MD
• Evolving Practice: Adductor Canal Block for Rescue Analgesia After Arthroscopic Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Surgery

SAMBA 29th Annual Meeting Award Winners (2014)

Excellence and Innovation Award Winners:

• 1st Place: Lucinda Everett, MD
• Comparison of cases in the SAMBA Clinical Outcomes Registry with AQI’s National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry
• 2nd Place: Karen T. Carlson, MD
• Analysis of Cataract Procedures in the SCOR Database
• 3rd Place: Elizabeth Rebello, MD
• Using Time Driven Activity Based Costing in Process Mapping Cancer Care: Fast Track Patients Undergoing Port-A Cath Placement under Monitored Anesthesia Care in the Ambulatory Care Setting

Resident Travel Award Winners:

• R. Seth Baker, MD
• Case report — Negative Pressure Pulmonary Edema During Emergence from General Anesthesia using an LMA
• Thomas Jan, MD, MPH
• Can Pain from Propofol Injection be Reduced with Ice Application at the Intravenous Site
• Jacques Lorthe Jr., MD
• A Simple and Low-Cost Nasal CPAP Mask/Circut for a Morbidly Obese Patient With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Under MAC for Hysteroscopy And D&C

White Mountain Award Winners:

• Kevin Kelsey Bradley, MD
• Intubatable? Debatable.
• Alberto Enrique Ardon, MD
• Opioid Consumption in Total Knee Arthroplasty Patients: A Retrospective Comparison of Adductor Canal and Femoral Nerve Continuous Infusions
• Jolaade Adebayo, MD
• Incidence of Complications after Glidescope Intubation in a Teaching Institution: A Retrospective Analysis from 2011-2012