Verna L. Baughman, MD

Dr Baughman is Professor of Anesthesiology and Neurosurgery at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She received her BA in 1968 from DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana, with a major in both French and Biology. She then worked as a research editor/writer for the Encyclopaedia Britannica and as a hospital administrator. She attended Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University, Chicago, receiving her medical degree in 1981. Following an internship and residency in Anesthesiology at Michael Reese Medical Center in Chicago, she spent a year as a Neuroanesthesia Research Fellow. Her interest in neuroanesthesia has dominated her laboratory research program, with a focus on stroke and the effects of various drug therapies in ameliorating neuronal damage from ischemia. She is also interested in the effects of estrogen and menopause in relation to cerebral ischemia.

Dr Baughman has to her credit over 100 publications including original research papers, textbook chapters, and editorials. She has been an active member of the editorial board for the Journal of Neurosurgical Anesthesia and Critical Care for sixteen years. She currently reviews papers for Anesthesiology, Anesthesia & Analgesia, Journal of Clinical Anesthesia, Stroke and American Journal of Physiology . She has been a visiting professor at many universities and a frequent lecturer at national meetings. Dr Baughman was cited in "Best Doctors in America" in 1995 and again in 1996.

Dr Baughman's interest in education is evidenced by consistently being voted by the resident staff as one of the best departmental teachers. She was selected to receive the 2001-2002 Excellence in Teaching Award, which recognizes quality teachers at the University of Illinois. In 2003 Dr Baughman was honored as the first Distinguished Teacher of the Year by the Society of Neurosurgical Anesthesia and Critical Care. She is also a consultant to the pharmaceutical industry, evaluating new drugs and equipment. Dr Baughman is an active member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Society of Neurosurgical Anesthesia and Critical Care, International Anesthesia Research Society, and Stroke Council of the American Heart Association.