Several hundred members of the WashU community gathered in October on the Medical Campus to celebrate Michael Avidan, MBBCh, and his wife Tracey — with loved ones, friends and colleagues across the globe joining online. The occasion: the university’s establishment of the inaugural Michael S. and Tracey L. Avidan Distinguished Professorship, honoring the couple who have given so much of themselves to the WashU and St. Louis communities. Their work and service reflect WashU Medicine’s core values of collaboration, compassion, excellence, integrity and scientific rigor. A recipient will be named at a later date.
The turnout at the Eric P. Newman Education Center reflected the profound impact of Michael Avidan, an internationally acclaimed physician-scientist, beloved educator and mentor, and former chair of the Department of Anesthesiology. His visionary leadership, scientific contributions and deep compassion have shaped the field of anesthesiology and the lives of those who know him.
His wife, Tracey Avidan, a leader in business, technology and digital transformation at Bayer Crop Science, supports the WashU community by sharing her expertise with faculty and providing career guidance to computer science students.
Michael’s presence at the celebration was especially meaningful. Four years ago, he was diagnosed with advanced leiomyosarcoma, a rare cancer of smooth muscle cells. At the time, doctors cautioned that he likely had six months to live.
“Michael and Tracey Avidan are stalwart pillars of the WashU and St. Louis communities, which have become the center of their professional and family lives for 25 years,” said Bruce D. Levy, MD, executive vice chancellor for medical affairs, the Joseph Erlanger Distinguished Professor and the George and Carol Bauer Dean of WashU Medicine. “Michael’s commitment to others — his empathy and ability to uplift those around him — has permeated our culture and serves as an enduring contribution to WashU Medicine.”
The Avidans’ spirit of gratitude and generosity is reflected in their children, Naomi and Alon, who have created posters to encourage healthcare teams on the Medical Campus working on Christmas Day. For the professorship celebration, they created posters highlighting WashU Medicine’s new values and offering a heartfelt thank-you to the institution for curing illness, enhancing quality of life and transforming human health.
Avidan credits the expertise of WashU Medicine physicians, Siteman Cancer Center and Barnes-Jewish Hospital — with care backed by the latest research — as the reason he is alive today.
“Michael used his illness and his treatment to speak out about the role medical research has played in extending his life,” Levy said. “He’s done this at a time when public distrust in science is high and federal funding of research is uncertain, and it speaks to his unyielding dedication to WashU Medicine and our academic mission.”
Avidan led WashU Medicine’s Department of Anesthesiology for the past seven years, before stepping down in August. For the past two years, the department has ranked No. 1 among anesthesiology departments nationwide in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and is widely regarded as a leader in diverse fields beyond perioperative medicine, including pain management, critical care, perioperative mental health and sleep disorders.
During his illness, Avidan continued seeing patients, leading clinical trials, and mentoring and celebrating current and former students, residents, early-career clinicians and scientists, and faculty at all career stages.
A member of the National Academy of Medicine, Avidan remains on the WashU Medicine faculty and pursues his research into understanding and reducing the effects of anesthesia and surgery on patients’ cognitive and mental health. Together with Sachin Kheterpal, MD, at the University of Michigan, he is leading a 13,000-patient clinical trial, comparing intravenous with inhaled anesthesia. Past high-profile studies he has led have explored various perioperative adverse events, including patients becoming aware during general anesthesia, postoperative confusion, chronic pain, perioperative anxiety and depression, and the effects of surgery and anesthesia on patients’ cognitive health.
“His landmark clinical trials have challenged conventional wisdom, changed clinical practice, and improved patient care around the world, but Michael’s legacy extends well beyond his scientific achievements,” said Padma Gulur, MD, who succeeded Avidan as chair of anesthesiology and serves as the inaugural Alex S. Evers, MD Distinguished Professor. “Michael has always understood that the true measure of academic leadership is not simply what we accomplish ourselves, but what we make possible for others.”
Avidan was born in South Africa. He earned his MBBCh, the equivalent of an MD, in 1991 from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. He completed his training in South Africa and England before joining the WashU Medicine faculty in 2001. He rose to the rank of full professor in 2011 and became chair of the department in 2019.
During the professorship celebration, Michael Avidan stood onstage, voice full of emotion, holding hands with his wife, acknowledging his children in the front row — his true “bundles of joy” — his mother watching the livestream from the United Kingdom, his friends who are honorary brothers and his hundreds of colleagues and mentees. He shared his gratitude for the extra years that exceptional care and medical research have granted him.
“I truly believe that, were I anywhere else in the world, I could not still be here today,” he said, “in good health, vigorous, and with great enthusiasm.”
A video message about science, gratitude and hope from Michael Avidan.