This article has been reprinted in its entirety from the October issue of the journal Anesthesiology, Volume 131, Issue No. 4.
The American Society of Anesthesiologists chooses a recipient for the Excellence in Research Award annually. The award is to honor an individual investigator for research work that substantially advances science in the service of saving lives. This year’s recipient, Judith Hellman, M.D., has engaged in research that is the perfect example of this mission.
Physician-scientist Judith Hellman, M.D., the William L. Young Endowed Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the University of California, San Francisco Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, has spent her career tracking how the interactions between microorganisms and the body’s innate immune system lead to shock and organ dysfunction in sepsis and inflammatory critical illness. Given the role of sepsis in so many intensive care unit (ICU) deaths and our ongoing struggles to...