04 wint anes alum single pgs - Department of Anesthesiology - Duke ...

DUKE ANESTHESIOLOGY ALUMNUS | 3
communicate to the most junior in a way
that communicates the importance of the
specialty.
Finally, although there is
great fear in our academic
anesthesia community
that anesthesia
research is somehow
being devalued
as the national
momentum
towards molecular
and genetic research
continues, I do not at all
see it this way. The NIH numbers
do not look good, but I believe
that anesthesiology may have an increasingly
important role to play, as many of the
techniques we now view as highly experimental
become routine laboratory exercises.
While it is important to know how the
carburetor works, ultimately one has to
know the road map in order to get from
point A to point B. The ability to appreciate
the evolution of modern biology and to
combine it with targeted experiments is
something that I believe is well within our
grasp as a specialty. Some exceptional individuals
(Dr. Debra Schwinn comes so
immediately to mind, her presence at our
alumni ceremony also noted by Dean R.
Sanders Williams) have capitalized on this
by achieving great credibility in the basic
sciences, and also directing their research
toward ideas of clinical import.
Recently, I have had the pleasure of seeing
methylnaltrexone, a drug I helped
develop, enter national phase III trials for
opiate-induced constipation and enter
phase II trials here at Duke (with Dr. TJ Gan)
for postoperative ileus. While the Duke trial
will involve prophylaxis of postoperative
ileus, other uses of the drug to treat periph-
It seems almost
incredible that some
30 years ago patients did not
receive surgery because they
eral side effects, including urinary retention,
inhibition of gastric emptying, and
immunosuppression, are emerging.
Having worked with the
compound from in vitro
studies (literally taking
human gut
from the operating
room and
doing the basic
pharmacology)
through human
proof of concept trials,
I have a great passion
for its development. I
am, therefore, especially pleased
to see our pivotal trials in patients occur at
Duke, as I know they will be done well.
Indeed, translational research appears to be
the buzz word of the moment, and this
presents a wonderful opportunity for academic
anesthesiologists. Our emergence as
pain physicians, perioperative physicians,
and as intensivists provides us with enormous
insight about problems that need to
be addressed.
It is not an accident that so many anesthesiology
chairs have reached positions of
responsibility. Although perhaps disproportionately
represented in NIH standings, we
are increasingly recognized by our institutions
as “master jugglers.” The emergence
of anesthesiology as a fundamental and
bridging discipline within all U.S. medical
schools is not an accident but prophesied
by men like Dr. Harmel, Dr. Emmanual
(Manny) Papper, Dr. Richard (Dick) Kitz,
and others.
It was great fun to return to Duke for my
reunion. Like anesthesia itself, these past 30
years have been transforming.
were “too sick for anesthesia.”
This is [now] an almost
antique expression...
Jonathan Moss,
MD, PhD, is professor
and vice chairman
in the Department of
Anesthesia and Critical
Care at the University
of Chicago. He also is
professor of the college
and serves as chairman
of the Institutional Review Board, which oversees
1600 clinical protocols.
University of Chicago Medical Center
5841 S. Maryland Ave., MC 4028
Chicago, IL 60637
Office: (773) 702-3091
E-mail: jm47@midway.uchicago.edu
University of Chicago