Dr. Kendall Smith has been awarded the 2021 International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS) Mentored Research Award to study the “Role of Transcriptomic Circadian Rhythms in Postoperative Delirium.”
Delirium is a disorder characterized by transient fluctuating disturbances in attention, consciousness, and cognition. It is a common complication in older adults following major surgery under general anesthesia and is associated with poor postoperative outcomes with costs upwards of $32 billion annually. Circadian rhythm disruptions are thought to contribute to adverse clinical outcomes including postoperative delirium, but little is known about their perioperative trajectories at the molecular level.
“We don’t know much about the pathophysiology of postoperative delirium or whether molecular circadian dysfunction is a contributing factor,” said Dr. Smith, assistant professor of anesthesiology. “This project will be an important first step in addressing these knowledge gaps and will allow us a first glimpse into molecular circadian rhythms across the perioperative continuum.”
The IARS Mentored Research Awards support investigators who are working to further the understanding of clinical practice in anesthesiology and related science.
Learn more about Dr. Smith’s research and her future endeavors in a recent interview with IARS.