Mar. 5 | Anesthesia at Stanford: Stanford's Contributions to an Emerging Medical Specialty
Online and in-person. Open to the public. Registration required.
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
5 - 6:30 p.m. (Pacific time)
Light refreshments to follow
Li Ka Shing Center for Learning and Knowledge
Paul Berg Hall
Second floor
291 Campus Drive, Stanford
*Nearest parking at parking lot on Via Ortega and Via Ortega parking garage by way of Panama Street -- a 4 to 6-minute walk to event venue. Additional disability parking spots right outside Li Ka Shing Center (LKSC) near the LKSC Herb Garden (by way of a small driveway on Campus Drive). Permit parking is not enforced at A and C spots after 4 p.m. Please doublecheck street signs. Individuals with state-issued disability parking placards (from any state) can park in any marked space on campus (more details on this web page).
The story of the anesthesia service at Stanford is one of many firsts.
In 1909, Caroline Palmer founded a modern, all-physician anesthesia department at the Cooper Medical College, the predecessor of the Stanford Medical School, creating a model for other hospitals in the country. William Neff, her successor, later established California’s first university anesthesiology residency training program. After the medical school moved to Palo Alto in 1960, John Bunker chaired one of the country's first independent anesthesiology departments, building it into a world-class center for teaching, research and clinical care. Practice and technology innovations continued apace, with developments in infant and neonatal anesthesia and computational monitoring and analysis among many other areas.
In his talk, Jay Brodsky, Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Emeritus, will discuss the milestones of this important Stanford history and highlight the many contributions Stanford anesthesiologists made during the period 1909-1972 to this emerging and critical medical specialty.
This program is co-sponsored by the Stanford Historical Society, the School of Medicine, and the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine.
Jay B. Brodsky is a retired anesthesiologist who worked at the Stanford University School of Medicine from 1977 to 2021. During his Stanford career, he served as Chief of Multi-Specialty Division (OR Anesthesia), Medical Director of Post-Anesthesia Care Units, Medical Director of the Operating Rooms, and Associate Medical Director of Perioperative Services.
Brodsky received his bachelor’s degree from City College of New York in 1967 and his medical degree from State University of New York in 1971. He completed his residency at the Beth Israel Hospital, Harvard Medical School, from 1972 to 1975. Before joining the Stanford Department of Anesthesiology, he served in the military from 1975 to 1977.
He is the author of several medical textbooks on thoracic anesthesia and anesthesia for morbid obesity, as well as non-clinical books that are humorous looks at serious problems. His latest books, The Early History of Anesthesia at Stanford (1909-1972), Anesthesia at Stanford - The Larson Years (1972-1982), and Anesthesia at Stanford (1983-1992) describe the people and accomplishments of the anesthesia department at Stanford.
Register to attend in person
Register to attend online
Banner photo courtesy of Lane Library, Stanford Medical History Center.