As an Attending Anesthesiologist in the Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Division, Dr. Jason Adkins strives to provide the best learning experience possible for Montefiore Einstein’s trainees. He has a unique insight into training at Montefiore because before he became an attending, he completed the Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellowship here at Montefiore Einstein. With this perspective, he aims to provide a support system and provide the most comprehensive training as possible for fellows, so that they, too can have an excellent training experience.

“By the end of my fellowship, I felt confident taking care of anyone because of the high level of acuity I saw throughout fellowship,” Dr. Adkins said. “My goal is to have the fellows have the same experience I had and to graduate feeling prepared for any case.”

Dr. Adkins serves as Assistant Director for the Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology (ACTA) Fellowship Program and was recently appointed Co-Director of Anesthesia Equipment. He is the recipient of the 2024 Anesthesiology Best Teacher Award – nominated and selected by the Anesthesiology residents. This recognition is a testament not only to Dr. Adkins’ skill within the subspecialty of cardiac anesthesia, but also his ability to teach trainees complex topics in a way that will set them up for future success.

“I like to think about what I thought were the hardest topics to learn in residency such as pulmonary hypertension and diastolic dysfunction,” Dr. Adkins explained. “I thought these concepts were very confusing, black box topics during residency, so my goal is to try to explain them to residents early and in a way they’ll understand.”

Dr. Adkins enjoys teaching vascular access techniques in particular, because they not only apply to cardiac cases, but also to general anesthesiology cases, giving residents tools to care for a wide variety of patients in the future. Regardless of whether residents pursue cardiac anesthesiology, it is important for them to know how to effectively care for patients who may have heart complications but who are undergoing general surgery.

CA2 Resident Dr. Phillip Sgobba recently worked with Dr. Adkins on multiple cardiac anesthesia cases and said, “Dr. Adkins consistently showcases an exceptional level of clinical skill and a robust knowledge base. He is always eager to teach residents and sets a stellar example worth emulating.”

CA2 Resident Dr. Danielle Nogoy added that she always appreciates Dr. Adkins’ explanations about interesting transesophageal echocardiogram findings and lessons learned from complex cases.

“Dr. Adkins is so knowledgeable and always puts in the time to teach residents,” Dr. Nogoy said. “He's passionate about his work and shares it with all of us so we can continue to grow - truly an amazing teacher.”

As Assistant Director for the ACTA Fellowship Program, Dr. Adkins regularly works on curriculum development with Fellowship Program Director Dr. Vivek Kumar. One of their priorities is creating a curriculum that prepares fellows to take the new American Board of Anesthesiology Subspecialty Exam in Adult Cardiac Anesthesiology – a one-year old exam, which all the ACTA Attendings completed and passed last December. Dr. Adkins and the other ACTA Attendings concurrently work to prepare the fellows for their Advanced Perioperative Transesophageal Echocardiography exam, ensuring they are teaching the latest advancements and guidelines. In addition to weekly didactics, Dr. Adkins is collaborating with the Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery team to have the ACTA Fellows participate in wet labs with the surgeons so they can have additional hands-on exposure to cardiac surgery techniques.

Dr. Jonathan Leff, Vice Chair of Professional Affairs for the Department of Anesthesiology and Co-Director of the Montefiore Einstein Center for Heart and Vascular Care, said Dr. Adkins is an exceptional teacher and clinician with a gift for problem solving and teaching trainees.

“Dr. Adkins represents the very best of who comes out of our ACTA Fellowship Program,” Dr. Leff said. “He is generous with his time and knowledge, which benefits our trainees and the entire department. I'm proud to have him as a graduate of our fellowship program, and thrilled we recruited him on as a faculty member.”

In his new position as Co-Director of Anesthesia Equipment, Dr. Adkins is working together with Director of Anesthesia Technical Services Andrew Nembhard to manage all equipment used by anesthesia providers. As part of his role, Dr. Adkins will organize and coordinate in-service training sessions for faculty at all sites, ensuring thorough knowledge of equipment usage and safety protocols. As a passionate educator and anesthesiologist with a knack for focusing on the details, Dr. Adkins is certainly prepared for this role.

Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Dr. Adkins graduated from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed residency at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in Madison. He initially came to Montefiore so he and his wife – Dr. Kayla Adkins, who graduated from Montefiore Einstein’s Plastic Surgery Residency Program this past July – could work at the same academic institution. Along the way, he developed a community of close colleagues and friends who were a large part in his decision to continue his career in the Bronx.

"We have a very close-knit division, and everyone supports one another,” Dr. Adkins said. “I was originally supposed to join a different practice after fellowship, but a spot opened up here, and I knew I wanted to stay on because of the team.”