Leadership shifts and a closely watched legal ruling are putting anesthesiologists in the spotlight nationwide.
From department chair transitions to a federal appeals court decision on out-of-network reimbursement, here are five anesthesiologists making headlines:
1. Talmage Egan, MD, is stepping down from his role as chair of the department of anesthesiology, perioperative and pain medicine at the University of Utah. Dr. Egan has spent more than three decades at the university, including 11 years as department chair.
2. Albany (N.Y.) Medical Center appointed Jaime Ortiz, MD, as chair of the department of anesthesiology. Dr. Ortiz specializes in ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve blocks and has expertise in regional anesthesia, acute pain management and medical acupuncture.
3. West Islip, N.Y.-based Long Island Anesthesiologists has lost its antitrust lawsuit against UnitedHealthcare and MultiPlan after a federal appeals court ruled that steep cuts to out-of-network reimbursement rates do not constitute an antitrust injury. In a Feb. 6 summary order, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal of the anesthesiology group’s claims, finding the alleged harm stemmed from lawful bargaining behavior and changes in reimbursement law, not illegal anticompetitive conduct.
4. The Charlottesville-based University of Virginia School of Medicine appointed Michael Mazzeffi, MD, as permanent chair of its department of anesthesiology, effective immediately. Dr. Mazzeffi has served as interim chair since January 2025 and joined UVA in 2022 as a professor of anesthesiology. He previously held leadership roles at the Washington, D.C.-based George Washington School of Medicine and the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.
5. Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis appointed Padma Gulur, MD, as head of the department of anesthesiology and the inaugural Alex S. Evers MD Distinguished Professor in Anesthesiology, effective Aug. 1. Dr. Gulur currently serves as interim chair of anesthesiology at Durham, N.C.-based Duke University and is nationally recognized for her work in pain management and opioid safety.
