Sarah Hankin

Faculty promotions

The UNMC Department of Anesthesiology is proud to recognize the following promotions, effective July 1.

Jun 29, 2026

Maria Michaelis, MD

Anesthesiology celebrates class of 2026 graduates

The UNMC Department of Anesthesiology gathered the evening of Saturday, June 20, to honor its graduating residents and fellows at the department’s annual graduation celebration.

Jun 29, 2026

Eleven graduates from the anesthesiology graduation pose together in front of a fireplace at Omaha Country Club.

Cale Kassel, MD, named director of Nebraska Society of Anesthesiologists

Cale Kassel, MD, has been named director of the Nebraska Society of Anesthesiologists Board of Directors, and Lauren Costello, MD, will serve as alternate director.

Jun 29, 2026

Cale Kassel, MD, and Lauren Costello, MD, representing UNMC on the national stage.

UNMC Department of Anesthesiology joins national oxygen trial

UNMC is one of four sites nationwide participating in IntraOp Ox, a two-year, multicenter study examining whether intraoperative oxygen levels affect patient outcomes including organ injury and mortality.

Jun 29, 2026

Levi Zehr, MD, site principal investigator

Repurposing HIV drugs to fight Alzheimer’s

Anna Frie is awarded the Nancy and Ronald Reagan Alzheimer’s Scholarship Award for her project titled “Leveraging antiviral drug repurposing to inhibit NLRP3-mediated neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s disease.”

Jun 29, 2026

Anna Frie poses with Sowmya Yelamanchili, PhD, and Gurudutt Pendyala with her award certificate.

UNMC student brings Alzheimer’s research to national hackathon at Allen Institute

Foroughi-Nezhad, a second-year PhD student in the lab of Gurudutt Pendyala, PhD, was one of just 18 researchers selected from a global applicant pool to attend the hackathon-style workshop in Seattle this May.

Jun 29, 2026

Foroughi Nezhad headshot in dark vest and tie.

In the spotlight: Sarah Pribil Pardun

Sarah Pribil Pardun, a graduate student in the UNMC Department of Anesthesiology, has been selected as a recipient of the American Physiological Society’s Cardiovascular Section Research Recognition Award.

May 12, 2026

Sarah Pribil Pardun is a research graduate student in the laboratory of Lie Gao, PhD.

Resident spotlight: Timothy Dillinger

Timothy Dillinger is a resident physician at the UNMC Department of Anesthesiology.

May 12, 2026

Resident spotlight: Jeff Garvey

Jeff Garvey is a resident physician with the UNMC Department of Anesthesiology.

May 12, 2026

Resident spotlight: Caleb Hoopes

Caleb Hoopes is a resident physician at the UNMC Department of Anesthesiology.

May 12, 2026