Welcome

Jennifer Hernandez, MD
Program Chair

On behalf of the program planning team and Education Committee, it is an immense pleasure to welcome you to the 36th Annual Meeting of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia (SPA). The meeting will be held at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, located in Downtown New Orleans, Louisiana. New Orleans is one of America’s most unique, culturally rich, and resilient cities. No region in the country has overcome the environmental, sociological, and cultural challenges that this robust location has endured. To recognize and pay tribute to this great city, our theme for this meeting is ‘Building and Securing Resilience.’

Building on the success of prior meetings, we have put forth an excellent program with a variety of topics and presentation formats that will suit all learning styles. The day will start with a morning problem-based learning discussion (PBLD) session. We have selected twelve PBLDs that are designed to engage interest, motivate discussion, and facilitate participant-led learning. The meeting’s theme will be woven throughout the program, beginning with our first session on Anesthesia and the Immune System, which will cover innovative basic, translational, and clinical science. Dr. Warwick Ames will discuss immune sensitization in solid organ transplant and the role of the thymus. Our next speaker, Dr. Koichi Yuki will review the impact of anesthetics on immune functions and outcomes. Dr. Connie Lin will follow with a review on vaccines and will explore the potential role of perioperative vaccination programs. The session will conclude with Dr. Cyrus Mintz, who will discuss the impact of perioperative medicine on the gut microbiome.

Our keynote address will follow our morning break with exhibitors. We are delighted to welcome Kathryn Olivarius, Assistant Professor of American History at Stanford University, who is a historian of Antebellum South, the Greater Caribbean, and disease. She will present some of her research on yellow fever epidemics in early New Orleans and will lead us on an exploration of the significance of perceived immunity on social, racial, and public health inequities. Following the keynote session, the SPA Myron Yaster Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Dr. Adrian Bosenberg for his outstanding contributions to the field of pediatric anesthesiology.

Following lunch, we will return for an enlightening session on Rescue, Teamwork, and Performance. Dr. Christian Mpody will discuss failure to rescue in pediatric perioperative care and will explore future research developments in this domain. Next, Dr. Hedwig Schroeck will review unique features of interprofessional teams and will identify key factors influencing interprofessional team performance. Dr. Butch Uejima will close out the session by providing us with a high-level perspective on performance gaps in pediatric anesthesiology.

Based on feedback from our registrants and input from the SPA Education Committee, our fifth session will consist of eight PEDx talks aimed to encourage pediatric anesthesiologists to reexamine their approach to daily practice with the goal of improving care. The talks will cover a comprehensive list of topics including pediatric hypotension, neurotoxicity, cardiovascular insufficiency in preterm infants, precision dosing in obese pediatric patients, operating room noise, intra-hospital transport, incident reporting systems, and the 21st Century Cures Act.

We will conclude the educational program with an intercontinental exploration of the latest NPO practicies. With Dr. Mark Thomas joining us from the UK, it represents our first collaboration with the Association of Paediatric Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland (APAGBI). We are excited to have Dr. Alexander Schmidt and Dr. Sulpicio ‘Sol’ Soriano join Dr. Thomas for a panel discussion comparing current clear fluid fasting guidelines in the US, EU, and UK. In true New Orleans fashion, an entertaining reception will follow with appetizing refreshments and jazz music.  This will provide a fantastic opportunity to exchange ideas, forge new collaborations, and to have fun with colleagues and old friends.

It has been a sincere honor and pleasure to serve as program chair for this meeting. Presenting this amazing program to you was truly a team effort. I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Dr. Joseph Sisk (Program Co-Chair), Dr. Aditee Ambardekar (Program Shadow), Dr. James Fehr (SPA Education Committee Chair/President-Elect), Dr. Nina Deutsch (SPA President), and the amazing Kim Battle (Association Executive) for all their teamwork, support, and dedication.

We look forward to seeing you in NOLA and really hope you enjoy the meeting!

Warmest Regards,

Jennifer Hernandez, MD, MA, MAS
Program Chair