Call for Abstracts – SPA-AAP Pediatric Anesthesiology 2024 Meeting
The SPA-AAP Pediatric Anesthesiology 2024 Meeting Call for Abstracts is now active on the SPA website. Please click here to start the abstract submission process. Before you start the submission process, please review the REVISED Abstract Preparation and Submission Guidelines. And be sure to read all instructions carefully. The abstract submission deadline is Monday, November 30, 2023 at 4:00 PM EST. No abstracts will be accepted […]
FAER Spring 2023 Grant Cycle
FAER (Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research) is accepting applications for its latest grant cycle from December 1, 2022 through Feburary 15, 2023. Learn more & apply at FAER.org/Grants. Overall Grant Cycle Longform Applications to the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research’s (FAER’s) Spring 2023 Grant Cycle are open December 1, 2022, through February […]
Faye Evans, MD Awarded the Nicholas M. Greene Award for Outstanding Humanitarian Contribution
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 […]
Passing the Baton – Reflections from Dr. Nina Deutsch
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Statement on Gun Violence
As a society whose primary focus is on the safety of children, we stand beside you in shock, in anger, and in grief for the innocent victims of the Robb Elementary School shooting. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims and the community of Uvalde, Texas – their lives will be forever changed by […]
In Memoriam: Kelly Ann Machovec, MD
Dear Colleagues, It is with profound sadness that we inform you of the passing of our dear friend and a beloved member of our Pediatric Anesthesiology family, Kelly Ann Machovec, MD, MPH. She passed away on March 30th, at the age of 43. Her untimely death has left a huge hole in our lives where […]
Statement on Transgender Care
Leaders of the Texas state government recently issued a letter to its state health agencies announcing that providing gender-affirming medical treatments to transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) youths “constitutes child abuse” under state law. Governor Greg Abbott then stipulated that teachers and health care providers are now legally required to report parents who aid their child in receiving […]
Support for Ukraine
As we all watch the horrors that are happening in the Ukraine, we cannot help but see the suffering of families, children, and our medical colleagues there. There have been so many stories of the heroic efforts of the Ukrainian people as they face an unprovoked war. Yesterday, we heard of the loss of a Ukrainian […]
In Memoriam: Lisa Wise-Faberowski, MD, MS
Written By: Rita Agarwal MD, Chandra Ramamoorthy MD, and James Fehr MD It is with a heavy heart that we share the untimely death of our dear friend and colleague Lisa Wise-Faberowski MD, MS. Lisa was a faculty member in the Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Pediatric Anesthesiology at Stanford University School of Medicine. She […]
Call for Applications – Mission Driven Mentoring Program
The Society for Pediatric Anesthesia’s Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is pleased to announce the Mission Driven Mentoring Program (MDMP). Informed by member responses to the 2020 SPA diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) survey, the MDMP aims to advance DE&I work in pediatric anesthesiology by supporting the growth and advancement of individuals who participate in these efforts. MDMP provides DE&I […]
In Memoriam: John J. ‘Jack’ Downes, MD
Written by: Charles Dean Kurth, MD, FAAP; Robert Berg, MD; Wynne Morrison, MD; Vinay Nadkarni, MD; Andrew Costarino, MD; Todd Kilbaugh, MD It is with sadness and a multitude of fond memories that we inform you that Dr. John J. “Jack” Downes, died peacefully at the age of 91, on Friday December 17, 2021. Jack […]
New Videos Available Now
The SPA has made available to all members two videos from the SPA 35th Annual Meeting on October 8, 2021: SPA Myron Yaster Lifetime Achivement Award – Please watch the award presentation and interview with the recipient Dr. Genie Heitmiller. In Memoriam – Take a few minutes to recognize and honor the SPA members we […]
In Memoriam: Theodore W. ‘Ted’ Striker, MD
Written By: Myron Yaster MD, Paul Samuels MD, and Juan Gutierrez-Mazorra, MD, FAAP Dr. Theodore W. ‘Ted’ Striker, Professor of Anesthesiology and Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati passed away at home in his sleep this weekend. Ted played a pioneering role in the development of pediatric anesthesiology in the United States. As a model […]
Support for Joint Statement from ABP, ABFM and ABIM
Recently, the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM), the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), and the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) issued a statement saying that providing misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine contradicts physicians’ ethical and professional responsibilities. The Society for Pediatric Anesthesia (SPA) is in strong support of this statement. As the COVID-19 […]
Health & Safety – SPA 35th Annual Meeting
As the SPA 35th Annual Meeting in San Diego approaches, I am thrilled to finally see many of you in person in October. The safety of all our members is the top priority of the SPA Board of Directors and me. We are very aware of the continued impact of COVID-19, and our team is working […]
Joint Statement on COVID-19 Vaccination of Health Care Personnel
The leadership of the American Society of Anesthesiologists and professional societies associated with the specialty offer our support and strong encouragement for COVID-19 vaccination of the nation’s health care workers and all eligible Americans. The health and safety of our members, our colleagues in health care, and the patients we serve is our highest priority. […]
In Memoriam – David Ryan Cook, MD
In Memoriam: Ryan Cook: A Pioneering Giant in Our Specialty Myron Yaster MD Peter J. Davis MD Franklyn P Cladis, Christine L Mai, Myron Yaster, Peter J Davis. The advancement of pediatric anesthesia pharmacology: David Ryan Cook (scions, serendipity, and six degrees of separation). Paediatr Anaesth 2019 Feb;29(2):114-119.PMID: 30414345 We lost a pioneering giant and […]
In Memoriam – Ronald S. Litman DO
The world and the extended pediatric anesthesiology community lost a cherished friend, mentor, and educator when Ron Litman passed away April 21, 2021 after a year-long struggle with AML. Ron was a long-time member of SPA and an inspirational pediatric anesthesiologist with a long and distinguished career first at the University of Rochester and for […]
Updated ASA Physical Status Classification System with Pediatric Examples
The ASA Committee on Economics recently published an updated ASA physical status classification with specific examples of pediatric comorbidities. In a recent study by Ferrari LR et al., the updated pediatric ASA physical status classification moderately improved interrater reliability among pediatric anesthesiologists. https://www.asahq.org/standards-and-guidelines/asa-physical-status-classification-system
DRAFT of Update to the Evidence Based ASA Guideline for Management of the Difficult Airway
A DRAFT of an update to the evidence based American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Guideline for the Management of the Difficult Airway is available for review and comment. The Task Force that developed this update was comprised of anesthesiologists representing thirteen international organizations. Interested members are encouraged to access the DRAFT and provide input. The DRAFT […]