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New SPA Leadership Announcement

Following the SPA Board of Directors election, we are honored to provide the list of incoming Officers and Directors, recognize the continuing Officers, Directors, and Section Presidents, and thank the outgoing Officers and Directors.

The official change in leadership will occur at the SPA Annual Meeting on Friday, October 21, 2022, in New Orleans.

And congratulations to our three member voters whose names were drawn to receive free SPA-AAP Pediatric Anesthesiology meeting registration (or the cash equivalent): Wenyu Bai, MD (University of Michigan), Brandon Kibby, DO, MBA, FASA (Dayton Children’s Hospital), and Michelle Rovner, MD (Medical University of South Carolina).

Incoming Officers
Congratulations to our incoming President!
Jim Fehr, MD

Congratulations to our incoming Secretary-Treasurer!
John Fiadjoe, MD

New Directors-At-Large

Aditee Ambardekar, MD

Jamie McElrath Schwartz, MD

Jina Sinskey, MD

Emmett E. Whitaker, MD

Thank you for your service as SPA President!

Nina Deutsch, MD

Outgoing Directors-At-Large
Thank you for your service.

Tarun Bhalla, MD, MBA

Faye Evans, MD

Toyin Olutoye, MD, M.SC

Lawrence I. Schwartz, MD

The following will continue on the SPA Board of Directors:

Peggy P. McNaull, MD
Vice President/President-Elect

Sean Barnes, MD
Director

Melissa L. Brooks Peterson, MD
Director

Christina D. Diaz, MD, FASA, FAAP
Director

Vidya T. Raman, MD
Director

Mark D. Twite, MD, BCh
CCAS President

Robert T. Wilder, MD, PhD
SPPM President

Thomas J. Long, MD, FAAP
PALC President

Concetta Lupa, MD
PAPDA President

Ex-Officio Members

Mary F. Landrigan-Ossar, MD, PhD
Chair, AAP Section on Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine

Sulpicio G. Soriano III, MD
Chair, ASA Committee on Pediatric Anesthesia (COPA)

Travis L. Reece-Nguyen, MD
Chair, SPA Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

David W. Buck, MD
President, Wake Up Safe

Lynn A. Correll, MD, PhD, FASA, FAAP, ABOIM
Representative, Women’s Empowerment and Leadership Initiative (WELI)

In Memoriam: Dr. Frederic “Fritz” Aroyce Berry

Dr. Frederic “Fritz” Aroyce Berry, age 87, died on September 7, 2022. Born on April 29, 1935. He was the second child of Admiral Frederic Aroyce Berry and Suzanne Ward Berry.

Fritz grew up in Annapolis, Md. with his three siblings, Suzanne, Tom and India. He came to UVA as an undergraduate in 1952 and graduated from UVA Medical School in 1959. During his time at UVA, he was a dual Athlete as a member of UVA’s Varsity Lacrosse and Swim Team. He lived on The Lawn, was a member of the Raven Society and a founding member of the Virginia Gentlemen A Cappella Group.

After he completed his residency in Pediatrics, he served as a Lieutenant at the Navy Hospital in Taiwan as a pediatrician from 1962-1964. This is where he and his wife Suzanne, first found their passion for world travel and the Orient.

He then returned to UVA Hospital, completed his 2^nd residency in Anesthesia and became one of the earliest leaders in the field of Pediatric Anesthesiology. As one of his colleagues wrote, “Frederic A Berry was a giant from our UVA Department in the field of Pediatric Anesthesiology. He is considered to be one of the field’s earliest leaders and was a principal force shaping the specialty. He wrote two renowned textbooks on pediatric anesthesiology and shared his profound experience and knowledge by lecturing around the globe. He was beloved by his colleagues at the University of Virginia where he practiced for over 40 years and taught over 500 resident physicians. He is remembered by his contemporaries as a remarkable speaker and a gifted teacher who could get to the heart of the matter instantaneously. Fritz is remembered by all as a kindhearted and extraordinary clinician who was a fierce advocate for children.”

He loved traveling the world with his wife, Suzanne and together covered every continent for work as a teacher/lecturer, and for pleasure. When not traveling he enjoyed spending time taking in the view from one of their 3 favorite places: their Mountain top home in Charlottesville, “the Hill”, their place in Deltaville,Va. “Bay Berry”, or at St. John, USVI. He loved all things water and passed that passion on to his sons, teaching them to Fish, swim, boat, sail and ski. He was a proud grandfather and was frequently sighted cheering loudly on the sidelines of their games or enthusiastically enjoying one of their school performances.

He is survived by his wife, Suzanne, their sons, Fritz Berry and wife Lori and their three children, Fritz, Sheridan and Morgan, Son Hayden and his wife Cathy, and Son Alex. He is also survived by his three siblings: Suzanne Hamilton, Tom Berry and India Walsh, and his beloved nieces, nephews and extended family.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in memory of Dr. Berry to the Frederick A. Berry, MD Professorship in Pediatric Anesthesiology to:

University of Virginia
P.O. Box 37963
Boone, IA 50037

Memo: Berry Professorship #14764

Or on-line via the following link https://www.givecampus.com/q3kyx3 . Search by “Berry” in the designation line.

In Memoriam: Estela Melman, MD

Written by Myron Yaster, MD

We lost a giant this week, Dr. Estela Melman (1939-2022),¹ who passed away after a tragic traumatic injury. If there was such a thing as an international Mount Olympus of Pediatric Anesthesia, Estela would be a prominent figure carved into that stone. Often thought of as the “mother of pediatric anesthesia in Mexico”, Dr. Melman overcame enormous sexist and anti-semitic obstacles to pioneer the modern practice of anesthesia in Mexico. She inspired generations of anesthesiologists, pediatricians, and surgeons in Mexico and internationally. Despite her enormous contributions to anesthesia and critical care medicine, she remained a remarkably humble and gracious mentor, colleague, and friend. I had several opportunities of meeting Estela and her beloved husband, Dr. Guillermo Bierzwinsky, at SPA annual meetings and as an invited visiting professor. Their kindness and love for each other, medicine, and Mexico were an inspiration to me and I will truly miss her.

Perhaps her most internationally important contribution to pediatric anesthesia was her pioneering work with regional anesthesia in children. It may be hard for many of you to believe but until the 1980s regional anesthesia was rarely used in pediatric anesthesia practice. Working initially in a cadaver laboratory to determine the doses of local anesthetic needed to achieve satisfactory dermatomal spread, and then with children in IRB‐approved research trials, Dr. Melman was among the first to demonstrate the effectiveness of neural blockade, particularly the caudal approach to the epidural space, in pediatric anesthesia.² Indeed, her original study was met with substantial skepticism and was rejected by one of the editors at Anesthesia and Analgesia. According to Melman, the editor wrote that “regional anesthesia in pediatrics would never be accepted in the United States nor any of the developed countries and would be of interest only in underdeveloped countries like Mexico.” Fortunately, others on the editorial board disagreed and the published manuscript² revolutionized care, making pediatric regional anesthesia and caudal blockade ubiquitous throughout the world.

Aside from her leadership roles in the Mexican College of Anesthesiologists and the National Board of Certification in Anesthesia, she was a member of the Mexican National Academy of Medicine (Academia Nacional de Medicina), the Mexican Academy of Pediatrics (Academia Mexicana de Pediatría), the Federation of Mexican Colleges of Anesthesiologists (part of the WFSA), and the Mexican Society for Pediatric Anesthesiologists. Finally, she was a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, and was a founding member of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia.

I haven’t given justice in recounting her amazing journey and her contributions in this PAAD. I would urge all of you to read her story, which was published in the Journal of Pediatric Anesthesia as part of an ongoing history project.¹

Melman E, Arenas JA, Tandazo WE. Caudal anesthesia for pediatric surgery. An easy and safe method for calculating dose requirements. Anesthesiology. 1985;63:3A, 463.
Melman E, Arenas JA, Tandazo WE. Caudal anesthesia for pediatric surgery. An easy and safe method for calculating dose requirements. Anesthesiology. 1985;63:3A, 463.

SPA Response to Recent Supreme Court Decision on Abortion

The recent decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, the rescinding of Roe vs Wade and overturning the constitutional right to abortion, directly impedes the sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship and will harm our patients and colleagues. The mission of the SPA is to care for children, their families, and our pediatric anesthesia community based on the science and best evidence available to us. Therefore, as patient safety experts, we stand firm in our support for access to safe abortion care for all who seek it and the reproductive rights of all. We offer our support to our members as we all navigate the new waters raised by this decision.

SPA Board of Directors

Call for Workshop and PBLD Submissions

Do you have an idea for a Workshop or Problem-Based Learning Discussion (PBLD) that would benefit the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia membership? If so, please see the requirements and submission information below for the SPA-AAP Pediatric Anesthesiology 2023 meeting, March 31-April 2, 2023 in Austin, TX.

WORKSHOPS – Submission deadline is July 15, 2022

We are looking for workshops topics that will be of interest to those who provide anesthesia, sedation, pain management, and critical care services to infants and children.

Requirements:

If your workshop will require equipment provided in-kind by vendors/commercial supporters – please confirm with vendors that they are willing to provide/ship the equipment prior to submitting your proposal.
Please list all proposed faculty on your submission; confirm that they are willing to participate prior to submitting your proposal.
Only SPA members may participate as workshop faculty – SPA will not provide any compensation or reimbursement to non-member faculty for workshops.

Please click here for the workshop proposal form. We will also accept proposals for workshops that have been presented at past meetings or submitted previously (and not selected for presentation). If there are any specific barriers to address or resources we can help with please include those in your application. Submissions will be closely reviewed by the meeting planning committee.Please complete and submit the form to [email protected] no later than July 15, 2022.

PBLD SUBMISSIONS – Submission deadline is July 15, 2022

PBLD Submissions may be a case or problem that is real or fictitious, and could describe issues related to clinical anesthesia, resident education, medical ethics, or professionalism. Reviewers will score submissions for interest, scientific accuracy, and clarity of thought and expression.

Two moderators must be named for each submission, and if accepted, both must agree to participate as moderators for the group discussion at the meeting. One moderator should be an experienced educator, and the other a junior faculty member or a fellow in-training. Senior moderators may not be included on more than TWO PBLD submissions. Institutions/hospitals may submit multiple PBLDs, however, no more than TWO PBLD submissions from an institution/hospital will be accepted for presentation at the meeting.

Please remember that the goal of the PBLD is for the LEARNER to participate in discussing the management options, not for the MODERATOR to tell participants how he/she actually did the case.

An effective PBLD:

is relevant to the practice of many pediatric anesthesiologists (i.e. not an extremely rare case)
has controversy and/or decision making that should be discussed/debated
has some surprises, “twists or turns”
has well-written objectives that are covered by the discussion
has well selected references

Many unusual cases are better suited to a Medically Challenging Case or Case Report/Scientific Abstract instead of a PBLD. Therefore, it is important for the author to demonstrate to the reviewers that the PBLD contains areas for discussion, such as different ways of managing clinical issues, among others.

It is crucial that submissions are carefully proofed for grammatical errors and typos, as carelessly written PBLDs are often automatically rejected. It is also recommended that authors disguise the identity of any real patients by changing demographic details and circumstances of the clinical scenario to avoid potential HIPAA violations.

For more information on how to create a great PBLD:
How to Design and Lead an Effective PBLD – SPA One-Pager
https://www.mededportal.org/publication/9371

The final deadline for receipt of submissions will be 3:00pm Eastern Time on Friday, July 15, 2022. No late submissions will be entertained. If accepted, you will be notified by email in late August.

SPA has developed an online submission form for PBLDs. Please have your PBLD materials ready to submit. The new online form will not allow you to save your work to submit at a later date.

PBLD SUBMISSION SITE: https://www2.pedsanesthesia.org/meetings/2023winter/pbldsubmit.iphtml

We look forward to receiving your submissions! Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions by emailing Kim Battle at [email protected].

Thank you.

Titilopemi Aina, MD, FAAP, FASA
Program Chair

Justin B. Long, MD, MHI, FAAP
Program Co-Chair – Workshops

Jina Sinskey, MD
Program Co-Chair – PBLDs & Round Tables

Member Menu

New SPA Leadership Announcement

In Memoriam: Dr. Frederic “Fritz” Aroyce Berry

In Memoriam: Estela Melman, MD

SPA Response to Recent Supreme Court Decision on Abortion

Call for Workshop and PBLD Submissions

Upcoming Meeting Information