Department Sustainability Efforts Advance
Over the past two years, department leaders and faculty have advocated for a broad effort to embed environmental stewardship into everyday clinical practice. The goal was to create a framework through which faculty, residents, CRNAs, and anesthesia technicians could identify opportunities to improve the sustainability of perioperative care.
That vision became Project PReCISE, the department's umbrella sustainability program. Under the leadership of Director of Sustainability Dr. John Mercer and faculty champions including Drs. Jonathan Paul and Anjan Saha, Project PReCISE has evolved into a multidisciplinary initiative focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, minimizing operating room waste, evaluating disposable equipment use, and promoting environmentally responsible perioperative care practices. Together, these initiatives reflect our commitment to rethinking traditional practices through the lens of environmental responsibility.
Project PReCISE emphasizes culture change; it encourages continuous evaluation of clinical and operational practices, creating opportunities for improvement throughout the perioperative environment.
At our hospitals, the program recently reached the remarkable milestone of near-zero nitrous oxide (N₂O) utilization following the decommissioning of centralized N₂O pipelines. The initiative demonstrated how systems-level changes can produce meaningful environmental impact while supporting high-quality patient care.
The program also has garnered external support. Sustainability projects within the Project PReCISE portfolio have received funding from the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) and the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER) to help advance innovation and evaluate the impact of departmental initiatives. Project PReCISE emphasizes culture change; it encourages continuous evaluation of clinical and operational practices, creating opportunities for improvement throughout the perioperative environment.
As Project PReCISE continues to grow, department members are focused on identifying more opportunities to improve environmental stewardship while maintaining the highest standards of patient care.
The Department of Anesthesiology is proud of its commitment to making sustainability an ongoing strategic priority and a critical part of our clinical excellence mission.
Read more about our sustainability program here.