Welcome to New Orleans!

Dr. FehrOn behalf of the SPA Education Committee and the Board of Directors, welcome to New Orleans and the 28th Annual Meeting of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia. The morning opens with PBLDs, and a few spots remain open, so please sign up to participate in this intimate learning format at the early bird price of $35.

The meeting opens with an exploration into our understanding of consciousness by two eminent anesthesiologist-scientists, Dr. Emery Brown and Dr. George Mashour, who have graciously agreed to skip a portion of the SNACC meeting to be a part of this session moderated by Dr. Genie Heitmiller.

Dr. Lena Sun will moderate the second session with three SPA members:  young, gifted pediatric anesthesiologist-scientists all. Dr. Andreas Loepke from Cincinnati Children’s, Dr. Jason Maynes from Toronto Sick Kids and Dr. Rick Levy from Children’s National will describe the cutting edge research that they are performing and will translate how it potentially impacts our patients and may guide our clinical care.

There will be a continental breakfast prior to the first session and the second session will be preceded by a 30-minute break. Immediately after the second session Q&A, the new slate of SPA officers and directors will be formally installed. This will be followed by a 60-minute lunch. This is New Orleans. One must feed the body as well as the mind.

Following lunch, Dr. Lynne Maxwell will present the inaugural SPA Lifetime Achievement Award to the inimitable Dr. Myron Yaster. This promises to be a moving moment honoring one of the SPA founders and a friend of everyone. Myron will be tasked to moderate the next session, on sleep deprivation. We are honored to have the renowned University of Pennsylvania researcher, Dr. David Dinges, discuss the effects of sleep deprivation on our patients and ourselves.

Dr. Nina Deutsch will moderate the final session. Dr. Martin Drell, the head of child psychiatry at LSU and the former president of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry will discuss “When bad things happen to good kids,” exploring the dynamics experienced by our patients when confronted with hospitalization and chronic illness. Two renowned SPA members will close the final session. Dr. Susan Staudt of the Medical College of Wisconsin will describe how one might maintain composure when experiencing a conflict with a colleague or a patient’s parent. Then outgoing SPA president, Dr. Nancy Glass, will close the day with advice about the anesthesiologist’s role in the care of the dying child.

A reception from 5:30 – 7:30 PM will offer the opportunity to rub elbows and chew the fat with some of the speakers, your colleagues and your friends. The SPA Education Committee welcomes you to NOLA and we hope that you find the meeting enjoyable, educational and thought-provoking.

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