Message from the President

I hope this finds everyone shedding off the winter weather and feeling energized heading into spring! SAMBA is busy doing things both old and new. As we do every spring, we are hosting our Annual Meeting. This year it is May 2-4 in Savannah, Georgia. Registration is already open, and we will have 100 registrants by the time you are reading this. Be prepared to for outstanding lectures, spicy pro/con debates, and workshops. This year, we not only have a regional workshop, but also a POCUS workshop. There are specialty lectures on NORA, OBA, pediatrics, and regional as well as favorites of annual literature review, Cases from the Real World, and ASA Update. We are also having a Frontier Lecture by Guy Weinberg, the father of lipid rescue for local anesthesia toxicity. Please check out our website and consider registering, but only if you want the latest in ambulatory anesthesia presented by legends in our field in a collaborative and practical setting. Savannah is pretty good, too!

The ”new” for SAMBA comes from both our exciting new certificate program and new collaboration with ASA. SAMBA and the Ohio State University Fisher School of Business are collaborating to create Mini-Healthcare Focused Graduate Certificate. This is a 15-hour certificate that can be accomplished in 12 months. Unlike other offerings, it is offered for distance learners at a substantial savings from similar products. The 15 hours can be fully applied toward an MBA program also through Fisher School of Business. The topics cover strategy, finances, leadership, operations, and data analysis. SAMBA’s contribution is to make the topics relevant to surgery center management as part of a consulting role while the business school provides the educational content. The first cohort will begin this Fall. Please reach out with questions and consider joining this fantastic opportunity.

Another “new” collaboration is coming through the ASA. The ASA wants to augment their relationships with the subspecialty societies, and we have already taken advantage of this. One way was by ASA making exhibition space available on the Friday before the ASA Annual Meeting at a discount. We are using this to re-launch our Mid-Year Meeting. On October 17, 2024, we will host our Medical Director Meeting in Philadelphia. Our virtual versions have been very successful, and we are working to continue that with a live meeting. New at the ASA Annual Meeting will be offering curated itineraries for members based on their interests. It will give us access to blast a SAMBA-welcome to those that pick an ambulatory track and highlight the SAMBA-sponsored panels and speakers during the meeting. There is a wildly popular event for trainees on Friday evening that creates a networking and information session residents (and students) interested in fellowships. Again, ASA would like to invite the subspecialty societies to this to promote themselves and their practices to learners. Access to residents has been something our Membership Committee has wanted for a long time. This could help us get some life-long ambulatory learners and help young anesthesiologists early in their careers.
I am very satisfied that SAMBA is defying national trends by growing in members, meeting attendance, and financial stability. This puts us in a strong position to continue to lead and educate in our ambulatory (and NORA and OBA) sphere! I hope you see y’all in Savannah in May!