ASRA Pain Medicine Update

June’s Member Spotlight series showcases Deirdre Kelleher, MD, nominated by Marissa Weber, MD. Dr. Kelleher is an assistant professor of anesthesiology at Weill Cornell Medical College, and an active member of ASRA Pain Medicine. Dr. Kelleher is especially active with the Green Anesthesia Special Interest Group, where she serves as the current vice chair.

“Everyone who has worked with Dr. Kelleher can attest to her boundless energy and optimism,” Dr. Weber states. “She is a true asset to the ASRA Pain Medicine Community.”

After medical school, she moved crosstown to Weill Cornell, training in general surgery for three clinical years before pivoting to anesthesiology. Her postdoctoral training also included several research fellowships, focusing on clinical outcomes and human factors research. After residency, she completed her regional anesthesia and acute pain medicine fellowship at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, NY, and was the first fellow to complete the complementary medicine track, becoming certified in medical acupuncture.

Currently, Dr. Kelleher teaches and practices as an assistant professor of anesthesiology at Weill Cornell Medicine. She chairs the department's sustainability committee and is the lead physician for the perioperative sustainability working group for the New York Presbyterian enterprise. She is passionate about finding more environmentally sustainable approaches to care, encouraging the use of regional anesthesia, and reducing the use of inhalational agents.

Throughout her career, Dr. Kelleher has belonged to a multitude of professional societies. Currently, Dr. Kelleher is an active member of ASRA Pain Medicine, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the New York State Society of Anesthesiologists (NYSSA), the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture, and the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health.

Presently, Dr. Kelleher is the treasurer of the Medical Acupuncture Research Foundation. She is also the founder and chair of the ad hoc environmental sustainability in anesthesia committee for NYSSA. She is eager to continue to share her holistic and environmentally friendly approach to anesthesia care with our community.