Dr. Smiley and Ms. Thornton Endow Lecture in Anesthesiology and Obstetrics

Dr. Ansgar Brambrink is pleased to announce a new endowed lecture series, the Richard Smiley, MD, PhD and Barbara Thornton Lecture in Anesthesiology and Obstetrics in the Department of Anesthesiology. The goal of the lecture is to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes by enhancing the partnership between the anesthesiology and obstetrical teams.

The endowment is the gift of Dr. Richard Smiley and his spouse, Barbara Thornton, the administrator of the Department of Surgery IT group. In a letter establishing their intent to VP&S administration, they write, “We hope this Fund will help to educate and inform members of the Departments, encourage social interaction and communication…and honor a leading anesthesiologist or obstetrician, physician and/or scientist, and showcase their work.”

“We are honored that Dr. Smiley and Ms. Thornton have entrusted us to fulfill their philanthropic vision,” says Dr. Brambrink, who is organizing a lecture planning committee with Dr. Mary D’Alton, chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The first lecture will take place in the spring of 2023.

The couple met in an 8th grade social studies class and went together to high school in White Plains, and then to college at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Ms. Thornton, a chemical engineer (BS, MIT 1977, and MS 1978, Princeton), worked as an oil trader for more than a decade before joining CUIMC about 15 years ago. Dr. Smiley has been with the Department of Anesthesiology since he began residency in 1984.  

They married in 1983 and have three adult sons.  

“I thank Dr. Smiley and Ms. Thornton for their incredible generosity and commitment to the missions of VP&S and the medical center,” says Dr. Brambrink.