Scientific/Education Planning Committee
Faculty
Melissa Byrne, DO, MPH, FASA; University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Hari Kalagara, MD; Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL
Kwesi Kwofie, MD, FRCPC; Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
Oliver Panzer, MD; Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY
Kiran Rikhraj, MD, FRCPC; University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Associate Faculty
Brett J. Elmore, MD; University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Christina Goehl, MD; UT Health Houston, Houston, TX
Sana Khan, MD; UT Health Houston, Houston, TX
Keith A. May, MD, MBA, FASA; University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
Suryakumar Narayanasamy, MBBS, MD; Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Cincinnati, OH
Pratheeba Rajkumar, MBBS, DNB, IDRA, FIPM; Indira Gandhi Medical College & Research Institute (IGMCRI), Puducherry, India
Frederico Jimenez Ruiz, MD; University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Amanda Shakal, DO; UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
eLearning Curriculum Authors
Thomas Fichtner Bendtsen, MD, PhD; USabcd, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Risskov, Denmark
Jan Boublik, MD, PhD; Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
Stephen Haskins, MD; Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY
Lars Knudsen, MD, PhD; USabcd, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Risskov, Denmark
William Manson, MD; University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA
Anahi Perlas, MD, FRCPC; Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Canada
Erik Sloth, MD, PhD; USabcd, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Risskov, Denmark
Melissa Byrne, DO, MPH, FASA, is an associate professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and director of POCUS education for the department. Her research interests include curriculum design and implementation related to POCUS in graduate medical education. [top]
Brett J. Elmore, MD, is an associate professor of anesthesiology and orthopedic surgery and the regional anesthesia and acute pain medicine fellowship program director at University of Virginia (UVA) in Charlottesville. He completed his residency in anesthesiology at the University of Kentucky, where he also was chief resident, and completed a regional anesthesia fellowship at UVA. Dr. Elmore's research interests include outcomes after regional anesthesia, anatomy, multimodal analgesia, minimizing opioid use, and orthopedic anesthesia. As a member of the ASRA Pain Medicine Physician Mentorship and Leadership Development Special Interest Group, he has mentored several physicians newer to the field. [top]
Christina Goehl, MD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine at UTHealth Houston in Houston, TX, where she supports the regional anesthesia pod as well as staffing the acute pain service. She earned her medical degree from the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, and completed her residency and regional fellowship at the McGovern Medical School at UT Health Houston. [top]
Hari Kalagara, MD, is passionate about regional anesthesia and completed a regional anesthesia fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic. He holds the European Diploma in Regional Anesthesia from the European Society of Regional Anaesthesia and Pain Therapy and was awarded the ASRA Resident/Fellow of the Year Award in 2017 and the Presidential Scholar Award in 2026 from ASRA Pain Medicine. Dr. Kalagara is chair of regional anesthesia and acute pain medicine at Mayo Clinic Florida. He also serves as chair of ASRA Pain Medicine POCUS courses and is a member of the CME committee.[top]
Keith May, MD, FASA, completed a fellowship in regional anesthesia and acute pain medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond after 14 years in private practice. He is currently an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, where he also serves as the associate program director for the residency program. His professional interests include resident education, practice management, and regional anesthesia. [top]
Oliver Panzer, MD, completed his critical care fellowship at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) in New York, NY. After that, Dr. Panzer joined the faculty in the divisions of regional anesthesia and critical care in 2006. Early on he was fascinated by the impact of perioperative ultrasound on their clinical practice. He created and led perioperative ultrasound workshops and lectures for multiple classes of residents and critical care fellows at CUMC. Dr. Panzer became the director of perioperative ultrasonography in 2010 and leads the departmental Perioperative Ultrasound Curriculum Committee. He has taught courses nationally at the American Society of Anesthesiologists meetings since 2010, the Post-Graduate Assembly meetings in New York since 2014, and the Focus Assessed Transthoracic Echocardiography course since 2016. [top]
Kiran Rikhraj, MD, FRCPC, is a physician specializing in critical care and emergency medicine in Vancouver, Canada. She completed a dedicated critical care ultrasound fellowship at the University of Western Ontario and is a testamur of the National Board of Echocardiography. Dr. Rikhraj is passionate about sharing her expertise in POCUS and values communities committed to lifelong learning and advancing clinical care. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling with her husband, baking, and watching television. [top]
