Dear Colleagues [back] It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that I present to you this new Anesthesiology newsletter, in a different format and medium. As most of you are already aware, consistent with the recent creation of the Department of Critical Care Medicine (CCM), the print publication Anesthesiology & Critical Care News is replaced by two separate electronic newsletters – one to cover news in the Department of Anesthesiology, the other for the Department of Critical Care Medicine. Dr. Ake Grenvik continues as editor of the CCM newsletter, and I have agreed to take on the editorship of Anesthesiology News, together with Ms. Patti Boyle, production editor for the former joint newsletter, and Brad Stezoski, who will serve as Webmaster for both newsletters. We will be ably assisted by a distinguished panel of Editorial Board members, 'correspondents,' and contributors.

We will use every opportunity to present the newsletter in a scholarly and professional manner, focusing mainly on academic news, highlights, and achievements. We will strive to make it a reliable source of information for everyone in the Department, and an important outreach activity. Anesthesiology News will appear in your e-mail boxes bi-annually, and later, with your help and contributions, we expect to publish quarterly. We launch the News with several changes to the original print format. First, Anesthesiology News will be published exclusively on the Web. This will increase flexibility and visibility while keeping costs down. The News will appear on the Department of Anesthesiology’s public-access Internet page, which means that anyone and everyone with Internet access – worldwide – will be able to read it. Because our readership may greatly increase, Anesthesiology News can serve as an important 'window' on our Department. We will exploit this visibility to put our best foot forward for 'marketing' our Department and for recruiting new members. We will take advantage of Web-based technology by adding links to other publications, articles, and Websites related to anesthesiology and available on the Internet. We also plan to pursue educational grants to enhance the appearance and quality of the content. The print version no longer exists. However, articles or pages of interest can be printed in a handsome format, thanks to the expertise of Webmaster Brad Stezoski.

What else is new? Anesthesiology News will also have an ‘Events Calendar’ to report on local affairs (faculty meetings, University Senate meetings, etc.), as well as national and international meetings, congresses, and symposia of note. These sections will be updated more frequently. More important, we will be all-inclusive – regularly reporting on and about the activities of our Nurse Anesthesia and Anesthesia Technology staff. There will be regular feature articles on staff and faculty members (‘In the Spotlight’) and special articles on scholarly topics. We will report on the activities of each of the facilities in our UPMC Health System. Whenever possible, we will highlight the unique aspects of our expansive Department, which is unparalleled in the anesthesiology world.

We hope you will join us in this effort.

Sincerely,

Ernesto Pretto

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