Message from the chair

Welcome to the Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, UC Davis Health. As the new Chair of the department, I am honored to work closely with our dynamic team of clinicians, innovative researchers, passionate educators, and talented administrative staff.  Our overall workforce includes over 100 attending physicians, 48 CRNAs, 71 residents and fellows, 28 Emeritus and volunteer Professors, as well as more than 25 administrative and support staff members. In conjunction, providing exceptional care to our patients across Sacramento and the broader Northern California region, extending to the borders of Oregon and Nevada. 

Our team is dedicated to delivering evidence-based, compassionate care across all age groups and specialties, from unborn fetuses and preterm infants to centenarians. We support patients undergoing a wide range of procedures, including diagnostic, therapeutic, interventional, obstetric, and surgical interventions. Our commitment to providing individualized, high-quality care is central to our mission, and we continuously strive to achieve the best possible outcomes for each patient.

As a department, core values of patient centered care and integrity-based decision-making drive our overall strategy.  We employ the Anesthesia Care Team model and support excellence throughout all members of our skilled clinical team.  We are committed to upholding the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion in every aspect of our work. In addition, ongoing efforts in overall wellness initiatives are the supporting backbone that we strive to offer to each of our staff, faculty, and trainees. 

I welcome you and encourage you to get familiar with our website that provides insight into the ways we strive to deliver the most effective clinical care for our patients, education of future experts in the field of anesthesiology and pain medicine and deliver innovative ideas into the future of health care in the perioperative space.

Education:

Education and training are cornerstones of our department, supported by the state-of-the-art Center for Virtual Care. This advanced simulation facility allows us to provide our residents and fellows with top tier learning experiences, ensuring they are well-prepared to lead in our specialty. We are proud of our continuous accreditation in core residency and fellowship programs, and our graduates excel in advanced fellowships and academic and private practice roles across the western United States and beyond.

We are proud to be partners with the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing as we launch a new DNP program at UC Davis Health. Our CRNA colleagues are integral to our care model, and we value their professional commitment, skill, and dedication. This new education opportunity will be a critical growth strategy to maintaining and growing our future healthcare workforce. 

Clinical:

As the only Level 1 trauma center north of San Francisco in both pediatric and adult care, an ACS verified children’s surgery center, a fetal care and treatment center, and a center of excellence in burn care, UC Davis Health is committed to innovation and growth. We are excited about our plans to expand, including a new Outpatient Surgery Center opening in 2025 that will include 16+ procedure suites, and a large hospital tower towards the end of the decade, which will further enhance our ability to serve patients.

At UC Davis Health, we are proud of our commitment to diversity and inclusion, reflected in our department and across the institution. Our people are our greatest asset, embodying collaboration and respect in every interaction. We respect all other people without regard to race, religion, ethnicity, age, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation or socioeconomic class. We abide by and uphold the UC Davis Principles of Community. UC Davis Health is honored to be ranked #1 among Public Health Systems on Forbes’ List of Best Large Employers and recognized by Newsweek as one of the Greatest Workplaces for Families.

Research:

In our pursuit of excellence, we are deeply involved in advancing the science of anesthesiology and pain medicine. Our research efforts span a variety of critical areas, including the physiology of surgery and anesthesia, mechanisms underlying anesthesia, enhanced recovery after surgery, and the management of acute and chronic pain. Our Division of Pain Medicine, recognized as a Center of Excellence by the American Pain Society, exemplifies our dedication to excellence, with our fellowship program consistently ranked among the best in the nation. Future research avenues include partnerships with small business innovations, use of AI in patient selection and monitoring, and post operative cognitive outcomes.  We strive to grow the clinical research footprint of our department and are committed to supporting promising faculty to achieve in this area.

Why UC Davis?

All academic medical centers face challenges, as do our communities, regions, states, country and the world. At UC Davis we have tremendous resources that can be brought together to find innovative approaches to finding solutions to those problems.  These are some to consider:

• The School of Veterinary Medicine:  The largest veterinary medicine school in the United States, Ranked #1 worldwide in Best Veterinary Schools by US News & World Report.
• The College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences:  ranked #1 in agriculture and forestry in the world three years in a row by QS World University Rankings, is the most published and cited U.S. research university in agricultural sciences, environment / ecology, and food science and nutrition.
• The Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing which features state of the art learning facilities and a new $50 million nursing school building. It offers degrees in four graduate programs: physician assistant, nurse practitioner, masters and PhD’s in nursing leadership.
• UC Davis School of Law: Ranked in the top 55 American Law Schools by U.S. News & World Report. UC Davis School of Law features award-winning trial and appellate advocacy programs, clinics, and externships, five student-run journals, and more than 40 active student organizations.
• UC Davis Graduate School of Management: The UC Davis Full-Time MBA program is ranked among the premier business schools for the 21st consecutive year in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings released in March 2016.
• UC Davis Center for Healthcare Policy Research is comprised of UCD faculty from the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Law, Economics, Sociology, Communication and Human Development. CHPR serves to inform policy at the legislature; answers questions posed by State and Federal health programs; provides input to public health officials; educates about the intersections between evidence, healthcare policy and practice. CHPR faculty train researchers while conducting multidisciplinary studies.
• The UC Davis Mind Institute is a collaborative international research center focused on causes, development and treatment for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders.
• UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center:  One of 44 national centers designated as “comprehensive” by the National Cancer Institutes.  It’s recognized for excellence in its integrated research programs, innovative biomedical technologies and cancer health outreach and education. 

Thank you for your continued support. If you are interested in joining our team or learning more about our work, please feel free to reach out. Together, we will continue to advance the field of anesthesiology and pain medicine, striving for excellence in every aspect of our mission.

Nate Weitzel, M.D.
Professor and Chair