Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine

Chair's Welcome

Chair's Message:

I would like to introduce you to the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at the University of  New Mexico Health Sciences Center. Our department values:

     • Innovative educational programs
     • Quality patient care
     • A scholarly, questioning environment

The history of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine is relatively short but impressive. The school was founded in 1962 and by 1972 was nationally recognized for innovation in education. It was the first school in the United States to introduce problem based learning into the curriculum. The philosophy of innovation and the innovative educational advances have been incorporated into the spirit of our department and into our residency curriculum.  The School of Medicine values education and makes available to all faculty courses in teaching. Our Anesthesia faculty have taken advantage of these opportunities.

The School of Medicine and the Health Sciences Center has supported the development of a "state of the art” Simulation Center. The comprehensive center is a resource for all disciplines and schools within the Health Science Center.  Learners utilizing the center range from medical students and residents to nurses, pharmacists and respiratory therapists.  The center has two high fidelity mannequin simulators capable of simulating complex anesthesia experiences, high fidelity computer-based surgical simulators and literally thousands of passive plastic models.

I, as Chairman of the Department , believe that the position of Residency Program Director should be filled by an individual who has made education his career. I am very proud to have as my program director James Harding, MD. Dr. Harding’s many years of experience in both private practice and academia complement his administrative expertise.

Residents receive the majority of their training at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. The center has a number of hospital facilities that our residents rotate to during their training. The University of New Mexico Hospital has 384 inpatient beds. The hospital is a level one trauma center. Major tertiary care cases are referred from throughout the state to the center for unique subspecialty care. There are more than 14,000 anesthetic adult cases performed each year covering all surgical specialties. In 2003, the hospital opened a state of the art, outpatient surgical center which concentrates on offering specialty orthopedic care performed under cutting edge regional anesthesia. Our multidisciplinary pain management practice is also based at the outpatient facility. A new state of the art women’s and children’s hospital, the Barbara and Bill Richardson Pavilion, recently opened in 2007. It houses modern intensive care units, labor & delivery suites and pediatric operating rooms. At this facility, the full spectrum of pediatric subspecialty surgery is available to the children of the state. Over 5000 pediatric surgical cases are anesthetized by our department each year. External resident rotations include cardiovascular experience at the Veterans Administration Hospital.

I believe that our scholarly environment will stimulate our house staff to achieve the highest levels. Our Simulation Center has allowed us opportunities to develop new equipment. This stimulates not only technological research but also educational research concerning application and validation. We have agreements with national companies which brings the most cutting edge innovative equipment available today. Our faculty present at national meetings applications of the educational modalities which we incorporate into our curriculum. We have numerous clinical research projects.

 In the Department of Anesthesiology we have attracted faculty composed of individuals from diverse backgrounds who have been trained in quality institutions from around the world. The faculty members are friendly and have very collegial relations with residents.  I believe that our faculty members create an atmosphere of excellence which will allow our resident cohort to achieve their highest aspirations.

Our department values a balanced lifestyle. Albuquerque offers rich cultural diversity and excellent outdoor activities. The city is in the high desert at a mile high and the Sandia mountains rise behind the city to 10, 800 feet. The city supports a wide range of cultural events and is home to the state symphony orchestra. There are over 300 days of sunshine per year in Albuquerque. The city has a large Hispanic and native American population. Faculty physicians and residents enjoy skiing, hiking, mountain biking, kayaking and golfing.

I would like to invite you to come and see our resident anesthesiology training program. Our faculty physicians and residents can tell you about our innovative educational programs and rich clinical case load. We will be keen to show you around our modern facilities.

John Wills, MBBS FANZCA, MBA
Department Chair

John Wills, MBBS FANZCA, MBA