As SEA President, I am grateful for the opportunity to share some of our efforts at SEA with the wider ASA community. This post-lockdown period has been one of tremendous growth for our society, fueled by the passion of our members to facilitate excellence in patient care through education. Our commitment to and leadership in DEI, global outreach, and patient advocacy efforts remains strong, as does our official journal, the Journal of Education in Perioperative Medicine (JEPM), each contributing in their own way to our shared anesthesiology community. While there are exciting developments across all our committees, we will focus here on our newest programs.
“We stand united with ASA in our support and recognition of educators in our profession. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the joint sponsorship of the ASA-SEA Distinguished Educator in Anesthesiology Award.”
The SEA research committee has launched a new research mentoring program, which successfully completed its pilot this summer. This program has had tremendous early success with both initial candidates preparing Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research grant submissions for the August cycle and multiple papers, abstracts, and workshops. The program will expand in the coming year with new mentors and partnerships. Coupled with the Philip Liu Awards for continued funding of the SEAd research starter grants and the launch of SEAd Sprout awards for best trainee abstracts in research and curriculum, our efforts to support educational research are stronger than ever!
Additionally, we are proud to offer a new career mentoring program that begins this summer. The program aims to develop dyads that work together to enhance career opportunities and awareness for participants. Experienced educational leaders have stepped forward to offer their wisdom as part of this program.
Our outreach efforts to other subspecialty societies are finding new vigor in a postpandemic world. This can take the form of providing workshops on topics in education during an existing meeting structure, or offering access to SEA online sessions throughout the year. SEA is committed to enhancing access and understanding of educational research to our partners in other organizations. Aligning our fall meetings to precede and coordinate with the Society of Academic Associations of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine (SAAAPM) and fielding panels with ASA and the International Anesthesia Research Society are examples of this effort in action.
The SEA has always been proud to offer the highest-quality learning opportunities for educators. Two of our current offerings take the form of podcasts and med ed journal clubs. We have fabulous podcast offerings by Drs. Glenn Woodworth, Bryan Mahoney, and David Stahl, with more coming. Please check our site regularly for updates! The medical education journal club led by Drs. Deb Schwengel and Melissa Davidson offers a chance to review a wide range of medical education literature with peers and experts in the field. Several sessions over the past year have featured the authors themselves facilitating discussion of the articles.
I would be remiss if I did not take the opportunity when speaking of educational offerings to laud the work of our Educational Meetings committee, which pivoted gracefully during COVID to virtual offerings and now has returned to the delivery of world-class, in-person opportunities to learn, network, and grow at our fall and spring meetings. Our focus on workshop-driven themed meetings, punctuated for emphasis by thought-leading plenary lecturers and ample time for networking and exchange of ideas, results in an educational forum unlike any other. Please join us at our fall meeting in Chicago (November 2, one day prior to the SAAAPM) on “Building Bridges, Building Teams: Challenges in Academic Medicine,” and our spring meeting in Philadelphia (April 19–21) on “The Science of Learning.” Finally, our universally praised Workshop on Teaching is a destination for educators seeking to enhance their understanding of the science of teaching and learning (January 25–28 in Winter Park, Florida).
We stand united with ASA in our support and recognition of educators in our profession. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the joint sponsorship of the ASA-SEA Distinguished Educator in Anesthesiology Award. Details of that award are covered well in prior publications, but, in brief, it recognizes SEA and ASA members who have contributed substantially to the dissemination of knowledge in our field (ASA Monitor 2022;86:35-6).
Throughout the lows of the pandemic and the highs of our member-driven initiatives, the SEA remained true to our vision of facilitating excellence in patient care through education. We do this through collaboration, innovation, scholarship, and fostering an inclusive community. Please join us as we Support, Enrich, and Advance education and those who teach!
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