Rose Berkun, M.D.
Dr. Berkun is an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at the State University of New York at Buffalo. She is a Director of Anesthesia Services at the Aesthetic Associates Center in Amherst, NY, as well as a Medical Director of Anesthesia Services at the Dent Neurological Institute in Hamburg, NY.
Dr. Berkun is a medical school graduate of the SUNY at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and its Anesthesiology Residency program. After completion of her residency, Dr. Berkun developed a great interest in Regional Anesthesia and spent time with Dr. Trip Buckenmaier at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington, DC, as well as with Dr. Carlo Franco at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL, to develop enhanced skills for peripheral nerve block techniques.
In 2004, Dr. Berkun pioneered a regional anesthesia program at St. Joseph Hospital in Buffalo, NY, that utilized continuous peripheral nerve blocks on an outpatient basis. She quickly identified an educational gap and the need for further continuous medical education (CME) in the field of Regional Anesthesia. Subsequently, she established a course at SUNY at Buffalo School of Medicine, as well as at the annual meeting of the New York State Society of Anesthesiologists’ Post Graduate Assembly (PGA). Both events continue to feature Dr. Buckenmaier and Dr. Franco as Course Directors and Faculty.
As the Program Director for this Comprehensive Regional Anesthesia Workshop, Dr. Berkun continues to provide hands-on, in-depth and unmatched continuing education for physicians.
Course Directors
Chester Buckenmaier, M.D.
Dr. Buckenmaier is a Director and Principal Investigator for the Defense & Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management Program (DVCIPM). He is the Program Director of the National Capital Consortium’s Regional Anesthesia Fellowship Program at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), Assistant Professor in Anesthesiology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) and Diplomat with the American Board of Anesthesiology. Author and Co-Editor of the Acute Pain Management Section in Pain Medicine Journal, a topic in which Dr. Buckenmaier is extensively published nationwide.
Carlo D. Franco, M.D.
Dr. Carlo D. Franco is a Professor of Anatomy and Anesthesiology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, IL., and he is Chairman of Regional Anesthesia at John H. Stroger, Jr. (JHS) Hospital of Cook County. Dr. Franco is extensively published in major anesthesiology journals in the U.S. and worldwide. He is an Associate Editor of the Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management Journal, and his expert anatomical dissections and writings are globally featured in regional anesthesia textbooks. The Regional Anesthesia Manual authored by Dr. Franco is now in its 5th edition.
Faculty Base
Scott M. Croll, M.D.
Dr. Croll is an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), the Chief of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Services at Evans Army Community Hospital and the Anesthesiology Consultant to The Surgeon General.
Upon completion a Fellowship in Regional Anesthesia/Acute Pain Medicine at Duke University in 2004, he became a co-Fellowship Director of the National Capital Consortium Regional Anesthesia Fellowship Program. He has published journal articles and book chapters while teaching residents and cadaver-based anatomy/regional anesthesia workshops for over a decade.
Paul H Willoughby, M.D.
Dr. Willoughby is an Associate Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology at Stony Brook University Medical Center; where he developed the first comprehensive acute pain service and regional anesthesia program.
Having conducted research involving ultrasound and the anatomy of the axilla in the 1990’s, Dr. Willoughby is one of the first to integrate ultrasound in the practice of regional anesthesia. A teacher at heart, he has developed programs in ultrasound guided regional anesthesia and is an international speaker. Numerous departments have adopted his business model for acute pain management. He is Past-President of the New York State Society of Anesthesiologists.
Marc Fineberg, M.D.
Dr. Fineberg is an Associate Clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and Chief of Sports Medicine at The State University of New York at Buffalo. He is the Team Physician for the Buffalo Sabres and the UB Bulls.
He received his undergraduate degree in Biology from Syracuse University and his medical degree at Northwestern University. He did his orthopedic residency at NYU and a sports medicine and shoulder fellowship at Harvard /Massachusetts General Hospital.
Dr. Fineberg specializes in arthroscopic knee and shoulder reconstruction, as well as minimally invasive techniques for major tendon repairs, and has published several articles related to his specific areas of expertise. fineberg.ubortho.com
Gregory Applegate, D.O.
Dr. Applegate, is an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and is a staff anesthesiologist at University Hospitals Case Medical Center. He received his osteopathic medical degree from the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his anesthesia residency at University Hospitals Case Medical Center.
Dr. Applegate completed a fellowship in Acute Pain Medicine and Regional Anesthesia at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He deployed to Baghdad as an anesthesiologist in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2007. Dr. Applegate’s experience involves multiple regional anesthesia workshops which include cadaveric dissection and ultrasound. He is a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Ohio Society of Anesthesiologist, American Society of Regional Anesthesia, and is a diplomat of the American Board of Anesthesiology.
Christian Arzola, M.D., MSc.
Dr. Arzola is an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Toronto and staff anesthesiologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
He is a contributing editor of the Obstetric Anesthesia Digest Journal. His training includes a master degree in Clinical Epidemiology, Applied Biostatics, Medical Education and a Fellowship in Obstetric Anesthesia. His research and teaching interests are obstetric anesthesia, ultrasound-assisted neuraxial blocks, and ultrasound applications in obstetric anesthesia.
Sergei Kolesnikov, M.D.
Dr. Sergei Kolesnikov is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at the State University of New York at Buffalo and an Attending Anesthesiologist at Kaleida Health.
Working at an orthopedic surgery center, Dr. Kolesnikov and his colleges introduced an acute pain service to the ambulatory setting, providing continued and prolonged nerve blocks for upper and lower extremities. This experience led to publications in peer reviewed journals and presentation at the International Anesthesia Research Society.
Tony Tsai, M.D.
Dr. Tony Tsai is a private practice attending anesthesiologist at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, NY. He completed his regional fellowship at the New York School of Regional Anesthesia, at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital. Dr. Tsai has published both peer-reviewed journal articles and textbook chapters on regional anesthesia. He is one of the leading experts in the field of Regional Anesthesia.
Tripti Kataria, M.D., MPH
Dr. Kataria is an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Chicago, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care where her practice centers on regional anesthesia. She has published abstracts and articles in regional anesthesia and continues to teach regional anesthesia techniques at multiple workshops.
Michael Kent, M.D.
Dr. Kent is currently a staff anesthesiologist at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and assistant residency director. Dr. Kent is an Assistant Professor at Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD. He completed his fellowship in 2010 in Regional Anesthesia/Acute Pain Medicine under Col Trip Buckenmaier.
Dr. Kent has taught at numerous regional anesthesia courses and is an active investigator at the Defense and Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management.
Andrew Murphy, M.D.
Dr. Murphy is a partner at Westside Anesthesia Associates in Rochester, NY. Dr. Murphy is an expert in Regional Anesthesia and teaches peripheral nerve block techniques at multiple workshops.
Douglas R. Sillart, M.D.
Dr. Sillart is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He is the Director of Regional Anesthesia and the Assistant Director of Anesthesia Services at the Millard Fillmore Ambulatory Surgery Center.
In 2011, Dr. Sillart developed the Regional Anesthesia program at his present surgery center, a high volume center with an emphasis on orthopedic surgery that services professional and amateur athletes.
Dr. Sillart is a medical school graduate from the SUNY at Buffalo School of Medicine and its Anesthesiology Residency program with an emphasis in Pediatric Anesthesia. After his residency, he held the position of Medical Director at the Our Lady of Victory Ambulatory Surgery Center.
Jean Daniel Eloy, M.D.
Dr. Eloy is an alumnus of New Jersey Medical School, Class of 2004. As a senior resident, he was awarded the prestigious Dr. Albert P. Shih Humanitarian Award for outstanding dedication to patients in Anesthesiology. After completing his residency in Anesthesiology at UMDNJ-NJMS in 2008, he was offered a faculty position in the department. In 2010, Dr. Eloy pursued a Clinical Fellowship in Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.
Upon his graduation and return to New Jersey, he established the Acute Pain Management and Regional Anesthesia Services, and he became the Anesthesiology Residency Program Director at Rutgers. Dr. Eloy has won the Golden Apple award for excellence in teaching in June 2012 and the Subspecialty Golden Apple award for excellence in teaching, awarded by the NJMS student council in March 2013 and was instrumental in setting up the anesthesia section of the Preventive Medicine and Public Health clerkship for medical students.
Elizabeth Freck, M.D.
Dr. Freck is currently a staff anesthesiologist at Northeast Ambulatory Anesthesia, LLC in Buffalo, NY. She completed her fellowship in Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Management at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in 2010 and went on to work as an Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins Hospital in the Division of Regional and Obstetric Anesthesia, and Acute Pain Management. Dr. Freck completed her anesthesiology residency in 2009 at Yale-New Haven Hospital after attending Boston University School of Medicine. Dr. Freck has taught at several regional anesthesia courses including cadaver dissections and live models. She is particularly interested in the use of ultrasound to facilitate peripheral nerve blocks and in peripheral nerve block catheter placement for prolonged post-operative analgesia.
Samuel Shatkin Jr., M.D.
Samuel Shatkin Jr., M.D. is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, trained in all aspects of facial and body enhancement, and he is an Adjunct Clinical Instructor at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Dr. Shatkin is the recipient of the 2009 and 2010 “Top Surgeons in America” award from the Consumers Research Council and more recently “Who’s Who in Healthcare 2012” for Plastic Surgery and Top Doctors in America 2013. His one-of-a-kind Ambulatory Surgery Centre was just listed as one of the Top Ambulatory Surgery Centers in Western New York Ranked by Number of Procedures in 2013. Dr. Shatkin applies his specialized knowledge and skill to provide services to the entire Western New York community.
Workshop Planning Committee
Stacey Watt, M.D.
Dr. Watt is a Graduate of the class of 2001 at the SUNY Health Science Center, School of Medicine, in Syracuse, NY. She completed her Anesthesiology Residency, as well as her fellowship in Pediatric Anesthesiology, at the SUNY at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in Buffalo, NY.
Dr. Watt is the Associate Director, the Vice Chair for Education, and the Education Committee Chair of the UB Anesthesiology Residency program and an Associate Clinical Professor of UB Anesthesiology. Furthermore, she is the Program Director for the Pediatric and the Obstetric Anesthesiology Fellowship programs.
Dr. Watts CV can be viewed at:http://ubpediatricanesthesiology.com/images/Watt2012.pdf
Elizabeth Mahoney, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology
State University of New York at Buffalo
Workshop Planning Committee Member
Buffalo, NY
Judith Wedekind
Workshop Administration
University at Buffalo
Department of Anesthesiology