Society for Pediatric Anesthesia
We make anesthesia for children safer

Dear Colleagues,

It is with profound sadness that we inform you of the passing of our dear friend and a beloved member of our Pediatric Anesthesiology family, Kelly Ann Machovec, MD, MPH. She passed away on March 30th, at the age of 43. Her untimely death has left a huge hole in our lives where this amazing, impactful and dedicated pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist used to stand.

Kelly will be remembered as an exceptional academician and physician who dedicated her career to improving the lives of children undergoing cardiothoracic or vascular surgery, and for her special impact that was palpable to her colleagues and patients throughout the Duke Children’s Heart Center and larger Congenital Cardiac Anesthesiology Society.

Kelly was originally from Baltimore, Maryland. She received her Master of Public Health degree in 2005 and her Doctor of Medicine degree in 2006, both at the University of North Carolina. She went on to complete a residency in Anesthesiology at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia and a fellowship in Pediatric Anesthesiology here at Duke University School of Medicine. In 2013, we were thrilled when we convinced Kelly to stay on as faculty at Duke Children’s and she joined our Duke Anesthesiology faculty as an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology; she was appointed an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology in 2019.

Dr Kelly Machovec was an accomplished Pediatric Anesthesiologist whose research primarily focused on the hemostasis management of children following open heart surgery performed on cardiopulmonary bypass. Earlier this year she received the Duke Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center Impact Award, recognizing her exceptional impact on the clinical practice around hemostasis, on both local and national levels. She was a fierce advocate for child-centered health care policies and always questioned the status quo. For example, she led the charge to discontinue preoperative blood testing in children to prevent them from having unnecessary painful blood draws in the preoperative clinic. Dr. Machovec’s excellence and research led to her invitation to write the book chapter on “Anesthesia for Pediatric Cardiac Surgery” in Miller’s Anesthesia textbook. In 2015, she co-founded the Hemostasis Interest Group, a committee within the Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Society which she served on for six years as committee chair, member and mentor; she also served as an at-large member on the Board of Directors of the Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Society. Kelly was a passionate educator, serving as chair of the Clinical Competency Committee for Duke’s Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship and as a question writer and committee member for the American Board of Anesthesiology’s Pediatric Maintenance of Certification. Residents and fellows loved working with her as she always brought her passion and sharp sense of humor to every encounter. Kelly was not one to leave her opinion unheard. In addition to being an outstanding clinician and a dedicated educator, she was recognized with the high honor of the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award at the Duke University School of Medicine in March of this year. Recipients of this distinguished award are recognized as exemplars of humanism in the care of their patients, their compassionate delivery of care and respectfulness given to their patients and health care colleagues, as well as for their clinical excellence.

Kelly did not let her illness define her – if anything, it brought a renewed focus and intensity. She became an advocate for basic science cancer research and raised more than $63,000 for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute as part of her anticipated participation on their team in the 126th Boston Marathon this April. All of the money she raised will go to the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research. She said she was “running this race to raise money for the future, for the next generation of people diagnosed with cancer who need good treatments.”

Kelly was also a citizen of the world and had many passions. From 2013-2017, she advocated for pediatric health care on a global scale by taking part in medical missions in India, the Philippines and Haiti for Operation Smile and Gift of Life International.

At a recent grand rounds she gave, I introduced Kelly as having “the determination of Ruth Bader Ginsberg, the curiosity of Marie Curie and the fierceness of Wonder Woman” and these are the qualities that we all loved and admired in her. Kelly was also super funny, strong-willed and energetic, and a dedicated team member. We are going to miss her desperately.

To preserve Kelly’s legacy at Duke, our department has formally established the Kelly Machovec Humanism Award. The recipient of this annual departmental award will exemplify grace and compassion in their delivery of patient-centered care, reverence for patients, their loved ones and colleagues, ethical principles, and a continuous commitment to clinical excellence. Most importantly, her legacy will live on through her family. She was a dedicated and loving wife to her husband, Scott Matthews, and proud mother to her three young daughters, Vivienne, Eva and Caroline. Her loved ones will remember her as an engaged, talented and powerful woman with unwavering passion and optimism, who loved spending time with her family and friends, running, practicing yoga, reading, and baking.

She will be deeply missed by so many; her legacy and work will continue to inspire us all.

In honor and remembrance of Dr Kelly Machovec.

Eddie Jooste and the Pediatric Anesthesia Team at Duke.

Written By: Rita Agarwal MD, Chandra Ramamoorthy MD, and James Fehr MD

It is with a heavy heart that we share the untimely death of our dear friend and colleague Lisa Wise-Faberowski MD, MS. Lisa was a faculty member in the Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Pediatric Anesthesiology at Stanford University School of Medicine. She was a dedicated clinical pediatric cardiac anesthesiologist, scientific researcher, gentle, kind teacher, and mentor.

After a residency in pediatrics, pediatric critical care and anesthesiology, Lisa made pediatric cardiac anesthesia and critical care her calling. Her bench to bedside investigation into the effects of anesthesia on the developing brain won her several prestigious awards and honors.  She was the recipient of more than several awards including the John J. Downes Award and the young investigator award from both the Society of Neuro-Anesthesia-Critical Care and the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia.  In addition to other departmental awards, Lisa had a scientist development award from the American Heart Association. Additionally, Lisa had several grants to support her research on neuronal apoptosis in animals and children with heart disease.

Dr. Wise-Faberowski’s career took her from Duke University to the University of Florida in Gainesville, to the Children’s Hospital in Denver, University of Colorado. I (RA) had the opportunity to get to know Lisa well both professionally and personally and admired her greatly. In 2010, Lisa was recruited to join the pediatric cardiac division at Stanford University where she continued her laboratory studies on neuroapotosis in the developing brain. At Stanford, Lisa went on to obtain a Masters in Health research and outcomes. Lisa could explain findings of her research to the uninitiated in an easily understandable manner and break down really complex issues into clear and easy to follow concepts. She was a patient teacher and allowed her trainees autonomy.

Lisa was involved with several national societies including the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia, the Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Society (CCAS), the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Association of University Anesthesiologists (AUA). She was on the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine (AAP SOA), and was on the Education Planning Committee for the upcoming SPA/AAP Annual Pediatric Anesthesiology Meeting in Tampa, Florida. She was the Chair of the AUA Communication Committee and a member of the Executive Council. Lisa served on the SPA Education and Communications Committee and several ASA Committees. She has spoken nationally and internationally on a variety of topics primarily related to neuroanesthesia, neurotoxicity, and congenital cardiac anesthesia.

While Lisa appeared fragile, as if a strong wind would blow her away, beneath lay a tenacious, stoic, and strong- willed individual. Lisa was soft spoken, unfailingly gentle and kind to her trainees and laboratory assistants and was inclusive of them in her publications, of which she has many. She was a mentor and role model to multiple aspiring physicians, trainees, faculty, and clinician scientists. All who knew her recall her gentle demeanor and unfailing kindness. We have had messages from several of her trainees and colleagues expressing surprise and sadness at her untimely demise.

In reviewing her CV, I (CR) was awestruck on how much Lisa had accomplished both academically and outside of work. I have not met many individuals who could push themselves as much as Lisa did. Despite a busy clinical and research career, Lisa found time to be the team captain of her children’s basketball team, team manager of soccer teams, be a foster parent to animals and, periodically, Lisa would send me (CR) a picture of her latest fluffy friend.

Dr. Lisa Wise-Faberowski was a compassionate and dedicated physician caring for some of the sickest children. She was an amazing woman, a devoted wife, and a mother of four. She was brave in her long fight against breast cancer but never allowed her illness to define her. She will be missed by her family and many friends at Stanford and elsewhere. We mourn her untimely loss.