On September 26, 2008, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center (formerly known at Baltimore City Hospitals) hosted an historic meeting “Celebrating 50 Years: The Gold Standard in Multidisciplinary Intensive Care.”  The celebration honored the late Peter Safar, MD, former Chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, who opened the first ICU at Baltimore City Hospitals on July 14, 1958.  The program included lectures by Drs. Max Harry Weil, Mitchell M. Levy, Myron Weisfeldt, among others including Dr. Patrick Kochanek, Director of the Safar Center for Resuscitation Research who spoke on Resuscitation Research.  The keynote lecture was given by Dr. Joseph Parrillo who spoke on Septic Shock:  New Insights, New Therapies.  Following the conference, there was a “Safar Papers Dedication” in the Bayview Library which featured a number of speakers and the installment of Dr. Safar’s collection of works in the library collection.