The Duke Developing Research Excellence in Anesthesia Management Campaign was officially launched at a kickoff gala Saturday night.
The Dream Campaign plans to raise $2 million to support research by the Department of Anesthesiology at Duke University Medical Center.
Donations to the campaign will provide bridge funding during federal funding gaps, said Dr. Joseph Mathew, chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology.
Five years ago, the success rate for federal funding was 20 to 25 percent, but currently there is less than a 10 percent likelihood of getting funding from the government, Mathew said.
"We want to preserve our infrastructure and not lose talent when government funding declines," he added.
Anthony & Co., a local real estate development company that built the Lofts at Lakeview and Pavilion East, is the founding sponsor of the Dream Campaign.
"Our motto is transforming communities," said Catherine Miller, president of Anthony & Co. "Being part of the Dream Campaign helps us be part of the community at Duke and contribute not only our financial ability but also our time and our property."
The anesthesiology discipline touches many departments and fields, said Elizabeth Perez, director of development of the Dream Campaign.
"Someone driving past the [Dream Campaign] billboard on Erwin Road looked it up online and called to ask how they can help," she said. "We are blessed to get that kind of response."
Money raised in the campaign will go toward funding various research projects at Duke's Department of Anesthesiology, Perez said. The department aims to provide high-quality care as well as help bring about the improvement of life after surgery, said Dr. Mark Newman, chair of the department.
Most people come out of surgery with no problems while a few others have strokes or organ damage, he said.
"Recently, we have been trying to understand the genetic mechanism of why [complications] happen, so we can better develop personalized perioperative care for patients," Newman said. He added that researchers are also trying to investigate how perioperative care conditions relate to long term outcomes like Alzheimer's.
Another focus of anesthesiology research at Duke is on organ protection during cardiac surgery and trying to limit any potential damage to the brain, kidneys and heart, Mathew said.
Newman said that through research, the department has been able to shape the understanding of complications during surgery.
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