President’s Corner
Dear WIA Supporters,
There is so much exciting news to announce, I don’t know where to begin! Just last month, we were able to sponsor our first in-person get-together since the start of the pandemic. We enjoyed a lovely, informal WIA social event at Anesthesiology 2021 in San Diego (thanks to the extraordinary planning of Dr. Kristin Ligda). It was refreshing and fun to see friends, old and new! We were even blessed with a visit by ASA leadership: Dr. Beverly Philip, Dr. Mary Dale Peterson, and CEO Paul Pomeranz. We are grateful for their attendance, conversations of support, and interest in our organization’s mission. Much of WIA’s advocacy works alongside ASA (and our shared members’ commitment to projects involving both organizations), but the separate structures allows us to approach and complete work in different, yet coordinated, manners. We look forward to the opportunity to continue to partner with ASA, and other anesthesiology societies, in the future. I fully believe that collaborating in a committed fashion can only strengthen our commitment to women anesthesiologists.
Our virtual Annual Meeting, chaired by Dr. Jenny Pennycuff, was one of the most inspiring conferences I’ve had the chance to attend in years! Dr. Gunisha Kaur gave a powerful and impactful talk on Global Health and Human Rights in Anesthesiology. Many attendees noted that the lecture truly challenged their perspective. Two excellent workshops were presented at the Annual Meeting: Digital Scholarship by Dr. Ed Mariano, and Public Speaking by Eda Roth. Each talk was full of high quality tips for success. If you didn’t get a chance to attend the meeting virtually, you can still get CME by watching the recordings online. Please visit our website for more details.
I am excited to announce WIA’s upcoming plans! First, our Speaker Series is returning in January 2022: “WIA Beyond.” Dr. Kristin Ligda has planned a fantastic lineup of speakers that you won’t want to miss. Next, we will be hosting a 2-day CME event in March 2023! This is a first for our organization and we will need your help in putting it together. Last, we have a whole host of amazing new volunteers and new leadership to announce: Dr. Kristin Ligda as President-Elect, Dr. Leena Mathew and Dr. Annery GarciaMarcinkiewicz as Board Members At-Large, Dr. Lisa Weiss as Assistant Treasurer, Dr. Yelena Spitzer as Chapter Liaison, and Claudia Mort as Junior Chapter Liaison. WIA is in the process of recruiting an Annual Meeting Chair. We are also always looking for new volunteers for our committees: event planning, social media, awards, bylaws, fundraising, newsletter, and website. Submit an interest form at https://www.womeninanesthesiology.org/wia-forms/ or email info@womeninanesthesiology.org if you interested!
Thank you always for your support,
Elizabeth B Malinzak, MD, FASA
President, Women in Anesthesiology, LLC