Society for Pediatric Anesthesia
We make anesthesia for children safer

Faye Evans, MD
Boston Children’s Hospital

Article by Myron Yaster MD (from the October 26, 2022 PAAD)

Many of you know Dr. Faye Evans of the Boston Children’s Hospital…and if you don’t, well, I’d urge you to introduce yourself to her at the next SPA meeting!  You won’t regret it! Dr. Evans recently completed her 4 year term on the Board of Directors at the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia and has been a leader in SPA’s Global committee which advocates for increased availability, improved quality and enhanced safety of anesthesia for children worldwide with a specific focus on low- and middle-income countries. The work of this Committee includes developing a pediatric anesthesia lecture series, supporting pediatric anesthesia fellowship training in Kenya and Thailand, sponsoring short courses in pediatric anesthesia for low-resource settings, linking members with volunteer organizations, and partnering with similar organizations to advance these causes.

While sitting at the Rovenstine lecture at the ASA’s annual meeting on Monday, I was simply blown away when they announced that Faye was the recipient of the Nicholas M. Greene award, the highest honor in our profession for global humanitarian outreach. What a wonderful honor that she so richly deserves!  I would urge all of you to congratulate her when you see her and perhaps follow my example of donating to Lifebox in her honor.  As I hope you know, Lifebox’s mission is to provide pulse oximeters and improve the safety and quality of anesthesia and surgery throughout the world. Myron Yaster MD

https://donate.lifebox.org/give/423146/#!/donation/checkout

CLICK HERE for the rest of the article.

As I prepare to hand over the SPA Presidency to Dr. Jim Fehr, I have been reflecting on what an incredible, and in many ways unique, two years this has been as I served in this role. When I took over in October of 2020, we were really feeling the significant impact of the pandemic both at home and at work. SPA had just moved our meeting to a virtual platform, and I took the reins via Zoom. Fast forward two years, and I cannot believe how far we have come.

With COVID-19 affecting all our lives, we have had to make major adjustments. I commend our members for their resilience, dedication, and flexibility. As a Society, we exhibited these same traits. We mastered the planning and execution of our meetings virtually, and in the process, we realized that virtual options at our biannual meetings should be a component of these education opportunities going forward. Now, our members that cannot travel to meetings have the chance to be a part of them too through our hybrid programs. I was thrilled to come back together and meet in person this Spring in Tampa as we celebrated 35 years of SPA. To me, it felt like a family reunion as I reconnected with so many friends and colleagues from around the country.

When I took on my new role, I wanted to continue the work begun by my predecessors to bring more members into active roles within SPA. I saw the Society as a place where energetic and motivated individuals could showcase their strengths and build connections with other members, whether at our biannual meetings or through our committees and special interest groups. I think that the last two SPA-AAP Pediatric Anesthesiology meetings demonstrated this well. In Spring 2021, we celebrated the incredible role that women have played in pediatric anesthesiology, and over 80% of the presenters were women. In April 2022, we had an incredible number of first-time speakers on the stage, and the meeting was stronger for it. The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and Women’s Empowerment and Leadership Initiative (WELI) have continued to grow in their outreach, and I could not be prouder of what they have accomplished. Finally, SPA continues to support young outstanding investigators through our Patient Safety, Education and Research Fund.

During the last two years, we have also prepared our Society to face the challenges of the future. Since 2020, the GME taskforce members undertook a huge endeavor to evaluate the state of our specialty and determine ways that SPA can better work for its members to prepare them for the future. They have made evidence-based recommendations regarding the workforce, education, and pediatric subspecialties that will help to guide our members going forward. We also are in the early stages of developing a more formal advocacy arm of SPA that will allow us to continue to meet our mission of advancing the safety and quality of care for our pediatric patients.

It has been a true honor to serve as President of SPA. I have had the privilege of working with an outstanding Board of Directors and Executive Committee that are innovative and forward thinking. I know I am leaving SPA in good hands for years to come. I especially want to thank Kim Battle and the Ruggles staff for their hard work and dedication to our members. And most importantly, I want to thank SPA’s members for their support and enthusiasm. It is because of EVERY member that SPA is a thriving and successful Society.

Nina Deutsch, MD
Professor, Anesthesiology and Pediatrics
Children’s National Hospital

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.