NEW YORK (March 26, 2013) — Dr. Hugh C. Hemmings Jr. has been appointed chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology at Weill Cornell Medical College and anesthesiologist-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Hemmings currently serves as vice chair for research in the Department of Anesthesiology, the Distinguished Research Professor in Anesthetic Mechanisms, professor of anesthesiology and of pharmacology and attending anesthesiologist.
In his new role, Dr. Hemmings will lead the department as it positions itself at the forefront of patient-centered care, resident education, medical and graduate student education, and basic and clinical research in anesthesiology.
"Dr. Hemmings is a distinguished clinician, researcher and leader, and we are delighted to have him serve as chairman of Anesthesiology at Weill Cornell," said Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College. "Dr. Hemmings will continue to advance our already outstanding anesthesiology program, bolstering its research and clinical enterprise to bring the very best care to our patients."
"Anesthesiology has an impact on so many of our patients and plays a significant role in their care and comfort," said Dr. Steven J. Corwin, chief executive officer of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. "I am confident that Dr. Hemmings is ideally suited to lead the Department of Anesthesiology, as we work to fulfill our commitment to delivering the highest quality, most compassionate care and service to our patients."
"It is a distinct honor to be selected as chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell," said Dr. Hemmings. "The department has a proud history of service to patients and innovative research and medical education, and I look forward to working with our strong cadre of physicians and scientists to further that legacy in academic anesthesiology."
An expert in anesthesia for thoracic surgery and other high-risk procedures, as well as a distinguished investigator in neuropharmacology and cell signaling, Dr. Hemmings has authored more than 100 publications, including two textbooks on anesthesiology, and is an editor of the two leading journals in anesthesiology.
Dr. Hemmings received his bachelor's degree, M.D. and Ph.D. from Yale University. He served as a resident in anesthesia at the Massachusetts General Hospital and conducted postgraduate research in molecular and cellular neuroscience at the Rockefeller University. After completing a fellowship in cardiac anesthesia at the New York Hospital, he joined the anesthesiology and pharmacology faculty and medical staff at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell and Weill Cornell Medical College in 1991. He has directed the anesthesiology research program since 1995.
Weill Cornell Medical College
Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University's medical school located in New York City, is committed to excellence in research, teaching, patient care and the advancement of the art and science of medicine, locally, nationally and globally. Physicians and scientists of Weill Cornell Medical College are engaged in cutting-edge research from bench to bedside, aimed at unlocking mysteries of the human body in health and sickness and toward developing new treatments and prevention strategies. In its commitment to global health and education, Weill Cornell has a strong presence in places such as Qatar, Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Through the historic Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Cornell University is the first in the U.S. to offer a M.D. degree overseas. Weill Cornell is the birthplace of many medical advances — including the development of the Pap test for cervical cancer, the synthesis of penicillin, the first successful embryo-biopsy pregnancy and birth in the U.S., the first clinical trial of gene therapy for Parkinson's disease, and most recently, the world's first successful use of deep brain stimulation to treat a minimally conscious brain-injured patient. Weill Cornell Medical College is affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, where its faculty provides comprehensive patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The Medical College is also affiliated with the Methodist Hospital in Houston. For more information, visit weill.cornell.edu.
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, located in New York City, is one of the leading academic medical centers in the world, comprising the teaching hospital NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medical College, the medical school of Cornell University. NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell provides state-of-the-art inpatient, ambulatory and preventive care in all areas of medicine, and is committed to excellence in patient care, education, research and community service. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital also comprises NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division and NewYork-Presbyterian/The Allen Hospital. NewYork-Presbyterian is the #1 hospital in the New York metropolitan area and is consistently ranked among the best academic medical institutions in the nation, according to U.S.News & World Report. For more information, visit www.nyp.org.