“The mission of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia is to advance the health and well-being of children through perioperative care, education, research, advocacy, and collaboration among members, patients, families, and professional organizations worldwide.”

To meet our mission and better serve our patients and their families through advocacy, the SPA Board of Directors has approved a restructuring and renaming of the Committee on Public and Professional Affairs to become the Committee on Professionalism and Public Advocacy (COPPA).

COPPA will support efforts and organizations that affect our patients, their families, and our society’s members. Funds will be available to allow proactive charitable advocacy and advocacy efforts in response to public events or disasters. Importantly, SPA is a non-profit organization that cannot participate in direct lobbying, which is not the goal of COPPA. Rather, it will allow for a thoughtful organized approach to advocacy.

COPPA will have the following members:

• Chair – SPA Immediate Past-President (2-year term)
• 2 members of the BOD (One in the first 2 years of service, and one in the last 2 years)
• Chair of ASA/COPA
• Chair of AAP-SOA
• Chair (or designee) of the SPA DEI Committee
• Chair (or designee) of the SPA Communications Committee
• 2 general at-large members (2-year terms)

COPPA will be meeting virtually every quarter as well as ad hoc meetings when needed. Members are expected to participate during meetings where ideas and opinions will be welcomed and encouraged.

If you are interested in applying for one of the general at-large member positions on COPPA, please submit a letter of interest to Kim Battle at [email protected] no later than Monday, January 22, 2024.

We are excited to take SPA’s advocacy efforts to the next level, and I hope you will consider applying to be a part of this important committee.