College of Medicine appoints anesthesiology chairwoman

Kayser Enneking, M.D., a professor of anesthesiology and orthopaedics and rehabilitation, has been named chairwoman of the department of anesthesiology, effective May 1. Enneking will replace Nikolaus Gravenstein, M.D., who has served as the department’s chairman since 1997.

“Dr. Enneking’s selection came after considerable consultation with departmental faculty, College of Medicine and Shands HealthCare leaders, national experts in the field, and my personal experience working with her as my assistant dean for clinical affairs,” said Bruce Kone, M.D., dean of the College of Medicine at UF. “She is an exceptional physician, mentor and leader.”

An alumna of the college, Enneking joined the UF faculty in 1991. She has been named one of the Best Doctors in America and has received several teaching awards for her work with students and residents.

“It’s been an incredibly supportive work environment and I have enjoyed a lot of success here,” Enneking said.

Originally from Gainesville, Enneking attended college at Vanderbilt University and returned to UF for medical school. She later completed anesthesia training at the University of Texas and a fellowship at Harvard Medical School.

Enneking says she is looking forward to her new post and hopes to build on the success that the department enjoyed under Gravenstein’s leadership.

“I feel a little bit like Ron Zook, that I’m following a very successful and much-beloved leader,” Enneking said. “If I could accomplish half the things he has, I would consider (my term) a success.”

Enneking’s goals include placing a greater emphasis on analgesia and increasing awareness about the role the anesthesiologist plays before, during and after surgery.

“The role of the anesthesiologist in medicine has developed tremendously over the last five or six years,” Enneking said. “We used to be centered only in the operating room. Now the need for anesthesia services is enterprisewide, and trying to come up with innovative ways to meet those manpower needs is a big challenge for us and something that I look forward to helping with.”