2024 AASPD Council Candidates
Listed Alphabetically by Last Name
Candidate for President-Elect
Candidates for Secretary
Candidate for Councilor – Critical Care
Candidate for Councilor – CT Anesthesia
Candidates for Councilor – Obstetrics
Candidates for Councilor – Pain Medicine
Candidates for Councilor – Pediatrics
Candidates for Councilor – Regional Anesthesia
Candidate for Councilor – Pediatric Cardiac
Candidate for President
Ameeka Pannu, MD
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Ameeka Pannu has been the Program Director for the Anesthesia Critical Care Medicine Fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA since 2020 where she also chairs the medical centers Code (Resuscitation) Committee. She is currently serving her second elected term as Councilor for Critical Care. She has been a Councilor of the AASPD since 2021, during which time she has been involved in the annual meetings and communication with the ABA for in-training and board examinations. Her special interest is in expanding resources for new program directors as they take on additional administrative responsibilities along with their education and clinical roles.
In addition to committee roles within at her department and institution, Ameeka is an active member of the Program Directors Advisory Council and the Clinical Practice Committee of the Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists (SOCCA) and has recently joined the critical care committee on the Society for the Advancement of Transplant Anesthesia. Her career focuses on teaching the principles and practice of intensive care medicine and advancing and securing the role of our current and future colleagues as leaders in perioperative and critical care medicine. Ameeka has taught on critical care topics in both local and national forums, and has been selected for further leadership training, completing both the Partnership’s yearlong BioDiversity Program and more recently Harvard Medical School’s Leadership Development Course for Physicians and Scientists.
Candidates for Secretary
Christina L. Jeng, MD, FASA
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai/The Mount Sinai
Christina L. Jeng, MD, FASA is an Associate Professor in Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Orthopaedics, and Medical Education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Jeng completed her undergraduate degree in Neurobiology at Yale University. She earned her medical degree and completed her anesthesiology residency at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She is the division chief of the Regional Anesthesiology Division and the director of the regional anesthesiology and acute pain medicine fellowship as well as Assistant Program Director for the resident training program at the Icahn school of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She has taught ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia in workshops at the annual meetings of the ASA and PGA, and has been invited to lecture and teach workshops in international symposiums.
Candidate for Councilor – Secretary
A. Murat Kaynar, MD, MPH
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Murat Kaynar, a graduate from the University of Istanbul, completed his residency at the Brigham and Women's Hospital followed by critical care fellowship at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). Murat was a faculty member at the BIDMC until 2006 and since then holds a faculty position at the University of Pittsburgh. He has been the PD for the ACCM program since 2006 and Councilor of the AASPD as well as SCCM during his tenure with a focus on education. He is also the editor for the Frontiers Intensive Care Medicine and Anesthesiology journal.
Murat understands the role of close collaboration between various subspecialties in anesthesia for a healthy future of the specialty with a goal of advancing the careers of current and future trainees becoming leaders in our field. He has created innovative programs at his home institution, including Ob-CCM and clinical bioinformatics and CCM combined fellowship programs. Murat is also exploring various pathways to recruit international talent into our specialty, both through the ACGME-I programs as well as alternate pathway programs to enrich our community at large. His goal is to strengthen the ties between the ACGME and subspecialty programs towards a more efficient communication channel in this ever-changing health care field for anesthesiology subspecialties.
He will be honored to serve our community if elected to the SAAAPM board.
Candidate for Councilor – Critical Care
Babar Fiza, MD
Emory School of Medicine
I am an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at Emory School of Medicine and currently serve as the Critical Care Medicine Fellowship program director. In addition, I chair the Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists Program Directors Advisory Council and have had the honor of serving as the AASPD Critical Care Councilor for the past two years. In this capacity, I have had the privilege of working closely with fellow councilors to advance the interests of our subspecialty at a national level. Among our key achievements has been the successful advocacy to the ABA to allow our fellows to take the advanced exam earlier, enabling them to pursue certification in critical care medicine immediately after graduation. This change marks a significant step forward in aligning our training pathways with the evolving needs of our fellows, ultimately enhancing their readiness and confidence as they transition into practice.
However, these past two years have not been without challenges. Our subspecialty has witnessed a notable decline in resident interest. This trend threatens the future pipeline of intensivists at a time when our field's importance is more evident than ever. In response, I collaborated closely with Dr. Hennessey during the SAAAPM annual meeting to lead the formation of specialized working groups dedicated to addressing these critical issues. These groups were tasked with developing comprehensive strategies to improve ACCM fellowship conditions nationwide and, more importantly, to rekindle interest in critical care medicine among our trainees.
Looking ahead, I would be privileged to continue serving in this position for another term, building on the foundation we have established and further advancing our shared vision for the future of critical care medicine. I am committed to ongoing collaboration with core and subspecialty program directors to deepen the integration of critical care medicine into our teaching paradigms. Additionally, I will continue to advocate for open dialogue with department chairs and residency program directors to explore the factors contributing to the declining interest in our field and to develop innovative strategies to attract more trainees to our specialty. Thank you for considering my candidacy for this position.
Candidate for Councilor – CT Anesthesia
Albert Tsai, MD
Stanford University School of Medicine
I am a Clinical Associate Professor and the Program Director for the Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesia fellowship at Stanford University. I completed my medical degree and anesthesiology residency at the University of Pennsylvania and ACTA fellowship at Stanford. I have a passion for medical education, curriculum development, and mentorship and wellbeing in anesthesiology, and have published on these topics. I serve on several subspecialty committees at the SCA and ASA, and have led educational initiatives at the institutional and national levels, including co-chairing SCA’s Adult Cardiac Anesthesia board review course and serving as an Associate Section Editor for Open Anesthesia. I have special interests in the development of novel technologies in medical education and their roles in delivering effective experiential learning.
I am interested in the CT Anesthesia council member position because I believe in the AASPD’s ability to advance the educational missions of the subspecialty, advocate for current and prospective fellows, and navigate challenges posed by an evolving recruitment and training landscape. In this role, I will leverage the experience and support network I have gained to foster inter-fellowship collaboration and facilitate programming that elevates our field and addresses our society’s challenges and opportunities. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Candidates for Councilor – Obstetrics
Stephanie K. Woodward, MD
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Stephanie K Woodward attended medical school at the University of Utah, completed residency at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and graduated from OB anesthesia fellowship at Northwestern University in 2021. She is currently the OB anesthesia fellowship director and the director of the maternal fetal surgery anesthesia program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center as well as the OB anesthesia resident rotation director. She is a strong advocate for medical students serving of as a faculty advisor for the Vanderbilt University Medical School and served 18 months as the director of undergraduate medical education for the anesthesia department prior to becoming fellowship director.
In addition to her local roles, she recently received the SOAP/Kybele International Outreach Grant and is currently studying if single shot spinals can reduce the rate of cesarean delivery in Kenya. She is on two ASA committees and is also the co-chair of the SOAP patient education sub-committee.
In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her husband and dog, oil painting, skiing, and yoga.
Candidate for Councilor – Pain Medicine
Prentiss A. Lawson, Jr., MD, CMQ
The University of Alabama at Birmingtham
Prentiss Lawson, Jr, MD, CMQ is an associate professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine, UAB Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Pain Medicine Division. Dr. Lawson received his medical degree at UAB in 2008 and then continued his training there with residency in Anesthesiology. Following residency, he pursued fellowship training in Pain Medicine at the University of Virginia. Before joining faculty at UAB in 2015, Dr. Lawson practiced pain medicine in the private setting. His clinical practice and research interests include the use of neuromodulation and other interventional and integrative treatments for chronic spinal pain, peripheral joint pain, and other chronic pain syndromes. Since joining faculty, he has also completed additional training in medical acupuncture. He believes in a patient-centered, holistic approach to helping patients cope with chronic pain and that general health and wellness are fundamental to building resiliency. In addition to patient care, he has served as a faculty mentor for numerous residents and pain medicine fellows, and he is the program director for the UAB Pain Medicine Fellowship program. As program director, Dr. Lawson has been a constant advocate for the fellowship and more importantly the fellows themselves. He hopes to bring similar passion, conscientiousness, and advocacy for others in the role of councilor.
Candidate for Councilor – Pain Medicine
Kimberly M. Youngren, MD
Dartmouth Health
I am a Clinical Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at Dartmouth Medical Center and have been the Pain Medicine Program Director at Dartmouth since 2021. I completed residency at the University of Connecticut, where I also served as chief resident. During residency, I developed a passion for both acute and chronic pain and went on to pursue a regional anesthesia and acute pain fellowship at Hartford Hospital in CT and subsequently a chronic pain fellowship at Dartmouth Medical Center. During my time at Dartmouth, I have also been extensively involved in undergraduate medical education at Geisel Medical School. At the medical student level, I work as a coach, small group facilitator, pain medicine course director, and implicit bias workshop facilitator.
In my role as program director, I have focused on the reform of our fellowship recruitment process by introducing a holistic application rubric that aligns with our programmatic core values, moving beyond reliance on scores. This includes the incorporation of bias awareness training, standardization of interview questions, the use of blinded interviewers, and a consistent scoring template for evaluating candidates.
I see the role as councilor as an exciting opportunity to lead the collaboration process to address the challenges that we are all facing as pain program directors. Most recently, the recruitment of quality candidates into pain fellowship in the unprecedented anesthesia market has been especially difficult. By partnering together we can increase the number of potential learners we reach and share strategies to impress upon current and future anesthesia residents the value of completing a pain fellowship. Thank you for considering my candidacy.
Candidates for Councilor – Pediatrics
Anna Jankowska, MD, FASA
NYU School of Medicine
Dr. Anna E. Jankowska decided at the age of 8 that she was going to become a physician and work in the operating room because it is a truly fascinating place. In this pursuit, she became a graduate of New York University College of Arts and Sciences with a bachelor degree in biochemistry. She received her medical degree from New York University School of Medicine. Dr. Jankowska completed her internship year at Montefiore Medical Center in general surgery and her residency in anesthesiology at New York University Langone Health. She completed her fellowship training at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in pediatric anesthesiology with a congenital cardiac track. Dr. Jankowska has been a faculty member at Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care and Pain Medicine at New York University Langone Health since 2010, and is still fascinated by what she is part of in the operating room every day.
Dr. Jankowska’s clinical practice focuses on pediatric and congenital cardiac anesthesiology.
She has served as the Program Director for the Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship at the NYU Langone Health, a program she started and developed, since 2015. Her area of interest is training and mentoring of pediatric anesthesiologists who are clinically strong and can serve as leaders at a local, institutional and national level. She enjoys mentoring residents who develop an interest in pediatric anesthesia, including helping them define their professional goals and select fellowship programs.
Dr. Jankowska’s research and discovery pursuits focus on intraoperative blood conservation practices, fellow and faculty feedback and development, and diversity in anesthesia workforce and leadership.
She is an active member of the Pediatric Anesthesia Program Director Association, Society of Pediatric Anesthesiologist – Perioperative Blood Management Special Interest Group, serves on a number of committees of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists and New York State Society of Anesthesiologists, and is a Fellow of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
Candidates for Councilor – Pediatrics
Kristen Labovsky, MD
Medical College of Wisconsin/Children's Wisconsin
Kristen Labovsky, MD is an Assistant Professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. She earned her medical degree from Rush Medical College, completed her anesthesia residency at the University of Chicago and her pediatric anesthesia fellowship at Medical College of Wisconsin and Children's Wisconsin. She is the Director of Education for Pediatric Anesthesiology and the Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowship Program Director. Prior to these roles, she also served as Residency Site Director and Associate Fellowship Program Director for Children's Wisconsin. Dr. Labovsky is committed to collaboration to achieve excellence in education. She created a formal structure for education in the Pediatric Anesthesia Division and Education Council for all learners that rotate through pediatric anesthesia. She has a special clinical interest in anesthesia for pediatric craniofacial and urological procedures, neonatal anesthesia, and bladder exstrophy. Dr. Labovsky is also actively involved in supporting the wellbeing for colleagues and learners as a peer supporter and Mental Health First Aid instructor.
Candidates for Councilor – Pain Medicine
T.J. Lockhart, MD, FASA
University of Nebraska Medical Center/Children’s Nebraska
Dr. Lockhart is an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology in the College of Medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in Omaha, Nebraska. He is also a staff pediatric anesthesiologist at Children’s Nebraska. As Director of Simulation for the UNMC Department of Anesthesiology, he is involved with developing, coordinating, and proctoring simulation exercises and Objective Structured Clinical Examinations as part of overall curriculum development for both anesthesia and other healthcare learners. His educational focus highlights using simulation education to improve readiness for common and atypical events, improving interprofessional communication, and POCUS education. Dr. Lockhart also helps facilitate national workshops as a faculty moderator in the multi-institutional organization, MOCA SIM@SPA, which uses mobile simulation to allow anesthesiologists to complete national MOCA Part 4 requirements. As Section Head of Pediatric Anesthesiology for Nebraska Medicine, Dr. Lockhart is responsible for leading a team of pediatric anesthesiologists to ensure that safe quality pediatric anesthetic care is provided in a mostly adult-based hospital environment. He serves as the Program Director for Children’s Nebraska/UNMC’s pediatric anesthesiology fellowship and is an active member of the Pediatric Anesthesia Program Director Association and the Society of Pediatric Anesthesia.
He completed his residency and pediatric anesthesiology fellowship through the Department of Anesthesiology at Washington University in St. Louis and St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Academic interests in addition to simulation education include regional anesthesia, POCUS education, and acute pain management. He enjoys expanding global health outreach and volunteers on yearly medical missions through World Pediatrics to underserved populations in the Eastern Caribbean.
Candidate for Councilor – Regional Anesthesia
Jody Cimbalo Leng, MD, MS
Stanford Health Care
Jody Leng, MD, MS is an Associate Clinical Professor (Affiliated) of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine at Stanford Health Care. She attended medical school at the University of Miami and completed her anesthesiology residency and Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine (RAAPM) fellowship at Stanford. Prior to her medical career, she earned a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Tulane University and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, and later worked as an R&D engineer at a biomedical device startup in Silicon Valley. She currently serves as the Program Director of the RAAPM Fellowship at Stanford, Director of RAAPM at the VA in Palo Alto, and a board member of the Regional Anesthesiology Fellowship Directors Association (RAFDA). She has taught workshops and lectures in regional anesthesiology and wellbeing in medicine at the annual SAAAPM, ASA, SEA, and ASRA meetings.
Candidate for Councilor – Regional Anesthesia
Tiffany Tedore, MD
Weill Cornell Medicine
Tiffany Tedore, M.D. is an Associate Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medicine and serves as Division Chief of Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine. She received her M.D. from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 2001, completed a residency in Anesthesiology at NYPH-Cornell in 2005 and a fellowship in Regional Anesthesiology at the Hospital for Special Surgery in 2006. Dr. Tedore has served as Program Director for the Fellowship in Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine at NYPH-Cornell since 2009, and in that position has had the privilege to mentor dozens of fellows in clinical care, research and education. Dr. Tedore serves as an Associate Editor for the British Journal of Anaesthesia and Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine and is active in clinical research focused on patient outcomes in the setting of regional anesthesia and analgesia for orthopedic and cardiac surgery. She is a member of the Regional Anesthesiology Fellowship Directors Association (RAFDA) and is a frequent speaker and instructor for organizations such as the ASA, ASRA, NYSORA, and the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA).
Candidate for Councilor – Pediatric Cardiac
Stephanie Grant, MD, FAAP
Emory University School of Medicine
Dr. Stephanie Grant is an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Pediatrics and is the Program Director for the Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology Fellowship at Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. She is currently in her first term as an AASPD Councilor representing Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology and was the first AASPD Councilor to represent this subspecialty after it became an ACGME accredited specialty in 2022. Dr. Grant is the current Chair of the Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Society (CCAS) Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology Program Directors’ Committee (PCAPD) and will become the Immediate Past Chair of this Committee in Spring 2025. As the Chair of PCAPD, she has led multiple national education initiatives to improve training in this subspecialty – including the development of evaluation templates and creation of a Standardized Curriculum for Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology Fellowships. Her research focus involves evaluating thrombin generation in patients with congenital heart disease.
