K. Elliott Higgins, III presenting at NAM on Health & Well-being initiatives

K. Elliott Higgins, III, MD has been awarded the 2025 SEAd Grant, a starter educational research grant sponsored by the Society for Education in Anesthesia (SEA) 

Mingxia Gu, MD, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine and a member of the Broad Stem Cell Research Center at UCLA
We are delighted to announce the arrival of Mingxia Gu, MD, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine and a member of the Broad Stem Cell Research Center at UCLA.

Mingxia received her training with distinguished scientists in the fields of stem cell and vascular biology at Stanford. She joined the Center for Stem Cell & Organoid Medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital as Assistant Professor in 2020.

Mingxia’s lab has published articles work has be in leading journals such as Science Translational Medicine, Cell Stem Cell, Circulation Research, and Nature Cardiovascular Research. Her research program is supported by multiple NIH grants and private foundations.

Laleh Jalilian, MD, at conference
Laleh Jalilian, MD, Appointed Artificial Intelligence Physician Informaticist (AI PI) for UCLA Health Information Technology
Dr. Jalilian's technical expertise in implementation science, predictive AI, and generative AI, combined with her clinical domain expertise, will help prioritize, develop, and oversee AI implementation at UCLA Health. Please join us in congratulating her on her new appointment!
Anesthesiologist
DAPM Well-Being Team Develops Novel Tool to Guide Improvement
K. Elliott Higgins, MD, Theodora Wingert, MD, & Jose Hernandez Carcamo recently published a landmark article in Anesthesiology.
Olivia Diaz, DAPM Team Member, poses in front of Universidad de California step and repeat

Ms. Olivia Diaz has been re-elected as La Comunidad Co-Chair for the 2025 year. Congratulations, Olivia!

DAPM team members of JEDI Committee outside at their annual retreat

3rd Annual Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee Retreat

The department’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee held its 3rd Annual Retreat this month at the W Hotel in Westwood. The retreat began with a summary of milestones followed by a session with the Department Chair and engaging discussions that set the stage for a productive day. We concluded with a presentation on the Restorative Practices in Academic Medicine (RPAM) Initiative at the David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM), led by Olivia Diaz. We ended with a Community Building Circle to foster reflection and connection.

SOAP Center of Excellence designation asset

UCLA Named Center of Excellence by the Society of Obstetric Anesthesia & Perinatology By Lisa Lewis, MS