Articles written by Kara M. Barnett
A Day in the Life of an Ambulatory Anesthesiologist
“More than two decades ago, my mother’s friend—a seasoned ambulatory anesthesiologist—gave me what she considered sage advice: ‘Don’t go into anesthesiology. It’s boring. All I do is sedate healthy patients for colonoscopies.’ Looking back, I am so grateful I followed my heart—and not my mom’s friend’s advice.”
Read the articleSafety While Traveling: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Carbon monoxide is a true silent killer—odorless, colorless and tasteless. It claims over 1,000 lives each year in the United States. This is a timely issue with holiday and mid-winter vacations right around the corner.
Read the articleExploring Anesthesiology Through a Summer Research Fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
“After our first year of medical school, we had the exciting opportunity to participate in the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER) Medical Student Anesthesia Research Fellowship (MSARF) at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). This eight-week summer research program was an important step in our journey into anesthesiology.”
Read the articleDr. Rebecca S. Twersky: A Pioneer in Ambulatory Anesthesia Safety (1955–2023)
Rebecca Twersky, M.D., MPH, FASA, affectionately known as Riki, grew up as the third of four children in an Orthodox Jewish household in Los Angeles. Her father, a Holocaust survivor, was a prominent rabbi, and her mother was daughter of a rabbi who had emigrated to the United States after World War I. Dr. Twersky’s […]
Read the articleWomen Pioneers
For the past 20 years, women have comprised roughly half of all medical school classes in the United States. Yet only 36% of today’s full-time academic anesthesiologists in this country are women—and even fewer women hold leadership roles within the specialty. Here in the 21st century, the gender gap in anesthesiology still persists.
Read the articleBuilding on a Strong Foundation
It is an honor to step into the role of Sphere editor and chair of the NYSSA Communications Committee. This marks an exciting opportunity to build on the strong foundation put in place by our former editor and communications chair, Dr. Sonia Pyne. I would like to thank Dr. Pyne, who served as chair for […]
Read the articleParadoxical Breathing in a Patient Undergoing CT-Guided Needle Biopsy Under Propofol Sedation
Maricka Bennett, M.S., Joanna Serafin, Ph.D., and Kara M. Barnett, M.D., FASA, SAMBA-F Introduction Propofol is a commonly administered anesthetic due to its ease of titration to a desired level as well as its safety profile. However, propofol administration in a patient with a natural airway can lead to respiratory depression, hypoxia and, less commonly, […]
Read the articleSupporting Your Lactating Colleagues in the Workplace
As physicians, we are all aware of the benefits of lactation for both mother and child,1 but lactating clinicians face many workplace barriers. A 2018 article by Cantu et al. identified the most common barriers reported by female physicians, including lack of time to pump, unpredictability of one’s schedule, and lack of an appropriate place […]
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