Dr. Michael Pilla is Associate Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology and Assistant Director, Residency Program in Anesthesiology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He earned his MD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and completed his anesthesiology residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. He received advanced training in acupuncture from the UCLA/Helms Medical Institute and is a certified acupuncturist. Following residency, Dr. Pilla practiced anesthesiology in the private sector before joining Vanderbilt in 2004 as an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology. His clinical interests include liver transplantation and vascular anesthesia, while his academic interests include resident and student education, controlled substance diversion protection, and provider and patient safety. He is Director of Advanced Clinical Training, and co-directs one of the four Vanderbilt Medical School Advisory Colleges, and as such is directly responsible for the career counseling and wellness programs for one fourth of the students in the School of Medicine. In his spare time, he is an avid photographer, novice cinematographer, accomplished snowboarder, and recreational road cyclist. Previously a professional musician before medicine, Dr. Pilla is still a voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.