Vital Times 2021 - 7

Our advocacy and practice management activities
this year are focused on several major initiatives. One
set involves scope of practice and truth-in-advertising
concerns related to nurse anesthetists. CSA is actively
pursuing these issues through legislative advocacy
and through education of our members on our practice
management website, including best practices and
discussion forums on major issues.
A second set of initiatives involves expanding the scope
of anesthesiology in our institutions, again through
education and an expanded practice management
website led by Chris Tirce, MD, FASA. In addition,
Alison MacLeod has created a publicity campaign via
social media platforms that has achieved success in
emphasizing the value of physician anesthesiologists
to health care executives and to the public.
Last year, COVID resulted in cancellation of our normal
three Hawaii educational meetings. Our Educational
Programs Division (EPD) committee understands that
there is great enthusiasm for these Hawaii meetings,
and we are already back on track. In July of 2021,
we had a successful inaugural Oahu meeting at Four
Seasons Ko Olina. The excitement among the attendees
returning to an in-person meeting was palpable. The fall
Hawaii meeting on Kauai was equally successful. The
room block was completely sold out and the meeting
resulted in a significant profit. The hotel block for the
winter Hawaii meeting on Maui was sold out three
months before the meeting, and early registration was
significantly above prior years. I want to congratulate
EPD Chair Richard Applegate, MD, FASA, and EPD
Vice Chair Shalini Shah, MD, FASA, for leading EPD
through these challenging times, as well as recognize
the contributions of Rachel Hickerson, our Meeting and
Education Manager.
The CSA is committed to developing future leaders in
anesthesiology. Therefore, CSA created a Certificate in
Healthcare Leadership program in collaboration with
the UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business. I want to
recognize Philip Richardson, MD, MBA, FASA, who has
led the creation of this program with lightning speed and
the multiple CSA leaders who will serve as mentors for
the attendees. I view mentorship as a key factor in the
success of CSA. We are fortunate to have multiple CSA
committees actively engaged in mentorship, including
CoLDaN, JEDI, Task Force on Women in Anesthesia,
Resident Representation, and the Early Career Forum.
Expanding membership and member engagement is an
important goal for this year. As a volunteer organization,
we are fortunate to have great member engagement.
Our 22 committees and taskforces have a combined
386 members, and our eight geographical districts
and six practice forums have active leadership and
member participation. Our multiple CSA committees
allow members to participate in areas of their interest,
including global health, environmental sustainability,
wellness, and the history of anesthesia. This year we
are continuing the focus on diversity, equity, and
inclusion as critical for the future of our society. CSA
should be an organization where every member is
comfortable and welcomed.
In addition to providing value to our members, CSA
is focused on increasing communication with the
members. The Committee on Professional and Public
Communication, chaired by Rita Agarwal, MD, FAAP,
FASA, and the Committee on Membership, chaired
by Eugenia Ayrian, MD, FASA, have been active in
developing innovative ways to provide meaningful
content to our membership. The weekly CSA Online
First has provided content that is both interesting
and important.
Please read through the entire edition of Vital Times
to learn about all the above activities in greater detail.
In summary, despite the challenges of COVID, this year
CSA has not only survived but also thrived. I want to
thank our Executive Director, David Butler, our Deputy
Executive Director, Megan MacNee, the AMG staff,
all the CSA leaders, and, most importantly, our CSA
members for their multiple contributions to this
success. I look forward to the privilege of serving as
your president for the remainder of my term.
Annual Publication 2021 | 7
Vital Times 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vital Times 2021
