Dr. Lakshmikumar Venkat Raghavan receives ACTU Knowledge Synthesis in Anesthesia & Perioperative Medicine Award to standardize Neuroanesthesia care

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Lakshmikumar Venkat Raghavan has received the inaugural ACTU Knowledge Synthesis in Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine Award (2026).

Dr. Venkat Raghavan’s funded project, Standardizing Neuro-Anesthesia Care Across the University of Toronto: A Multi-Site Knowledge Synthesis and Consensus-Guideline Initiative, builds on his role as inaugural Neuro-Anesthesia Clinical Lead within the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine. One of the core objectives of this role is to reduce unwarranted practice variation and advance standardized, evidence-based neuro-anesthesia care across U of T-affiliated hospitals.

The project brings together a multidisciplinary, cross-site leadership team, including Co-Principal Investigators Dr. Michael Dinsmore (Methods Chair), Dr. Kan Ma, Dr. Rodrigo Nakatani, Dr. Tara Der, and Dr. Maria Salman, representing multiple academic hospitals. Together, the team will address variation in two high-impact clinical areas identified by the Neuro-Anesthesia Clinical Leads Committee: post-craniotomy pain management and Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) for spine surgery. Both areas represent high-impact opportunities where evidence-based standardization can meaningfully improve patient outcomes across sites.

Despite strong local expertise, neuro-anesthesia practices across sites vary due to historical patterns, resource availability and the absence of unified guidelines. These differences can lead to inconsistent pain control, variable recovery trajectories and inequities in patient care. “To address these gaps, we are undertaking a multi-site knowledge synthesis and consensus-guideline initiative to harmonize neuro-anesthesia practice across all academic hospitals,” said Dr. Venkat Raghavan.

The ACTU Knowledge Synthesis Award provides $15,000 in operating funds and protected non-clinical time to support team-based projects that advance evidence-based practice and reduce unwarranted variability across anesthesia and perioperative medicine.

"It is exciting to support this excellent project that has the potential to markedly improve clinical care," shared Dr. Keyvan Karkouti, Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs, during his announcement to colleagues across the department.

We congratulate Dr. Venkat Raghavan and his co-investigators on this well-deserved recognition and look forward to the impact this collaborative work will have on advancing neuro-anesthesia care across the University.