The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and its journal, Anesthesiology, announce the 23rd annual Journal Symposium to be held at the ASA Annual Meeting on October 14, 2014, in New Orleans, Louisiana. The 2014 Journal Symposium will highlight up-and-coming and noteworthy concepts in anesthesia research and clinical practice. The Journal Symposium will feature the following moderators and speakers:

Moderators:

Jeanine Wiener-Kronish, M.D., Anesthetist-in-Chief, Massachusetts General Hospital, Henry Isaiah Dorr Professor, Harvard Medical School; and, Jean-Francois Pittet, M.D., Professor of Anesthesia, University of Alabama, Birmingham

Speakers:

1. Mechanistic basis for protective intraoperative mechanical ventilation

Marcos F. Vidal Melo, M.D., Ph.D.

Associate Anesthetist, Massachusetts General Hospital, Associate Professor of Anesthesia, Harvard Medical School

2. Intraoperative ventilation practices and quality improvement

Ana Fernandez-Bustamante, M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine

3. Protective ventilation during general anesthesia: the PROVHILO Trial

Paolo Pelosi, M.D.

Professor of Anesthesiology, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy

Description:

There is increasing data documenting improved outcomes in surgical patients without preexisting lung injury, who are ventilated with protective ventilatory strategies. In a recent meta-analysis, patients without the acute respiratory distress syndrome receiving lower tidal volumes had a significantly lower incidence of pulmonary infection, hospital length of stay, lung injury, and mortality.1  Intraoperative positive end-expiratory pressure settings could play a substantial role in preventing those postoperative complications.2  Data are still conflicting on the role of intraoperative Fio2 on surgical site infection.3  Should all patients be ventilated with lower tidal volume, higher PEEP, and lower Fio2? Should intraoperative tidal volume and plateau pressure become quality measures? How should anesthesiologists individualize mechanical ventilation in an increasingly complex patient population?

Three experts will introduce these topics for the first 90 minutes of the symposium, with 20 minute presentations and 10 minute discussions. The speakers will discuss the recent evidence for the effects of protective ventilation on postoperative outcomes in surgical patients, including the data from the PROVHILO international trial, and the issues with the implementation of protective ventilatory strategies into clinical practice.

We invite abstracts on this topic from all related fields: basic science, translational, clinical, and quality research. The top 8 abstracts will be presented orally during the second half of the symposium.

The authors of abstracts selected for the symposium will be offered an opportunity to submit their work to Anesthesiology for inclusion in an issue to be published in the spring of 2015.

2014 Award for Excellence in Research

The annual American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Award for Excellence in Research recognizes an individual for outstanding achievement in research that has or is likely to have an important impact on the practice of anesthesiology.

The individual’s work must represent a body of original, mature, and sustained contribution to the advancement of the science of anesthesiology. The nominee need not be a physician, an anesthesiologist, or a member of the ASA, but must be presently engaged in research related to anesthesiology, academically accomplished with peer-reviewed publications and funded research, and nominated in response to a call for nominations. The completed application must include the nominee’s current curriculum vitae, a letter of nomination, and a seconding letter from two individuals with an understanding of the research contributions of the individual.

The 2013 Award for Excellence in Research was presented to James C. Eisenach, M.D., at the ASA Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California, on Monday, October 14. Dr. Eisenach is a Professor at Wake Forest University, Department of Anesthesiology, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

The deadline for nominations for the 2014 Excellence in Research Award is March 31, 2014. Please submit nominations or any questions regarding this award to George H. Kendall, Managing Editor, Anesthesiology, Department of Anesthesiology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157; e-mail: managing-editor@anesthesiology.org.

2014 Presidential Scholar Award

The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Presidential Scholar Award recognizes colleagues who dedicate their formative careers to research.

The deadline for nominations for the 2014 Presidential Scholar Award is March 31, 2014. Anesthesiologists who are within 10 years of their first appointment to a department of anesthesiology, who are Board-certified in their country of practice, who are ASA members, and who are clinically active in anesthesia, intensive care, or pain medicine are eligible for the award. Nominees must be academically accomplished with peer-reviewed publications and funded research. Candidates should be nominated by their department chair or by the Committee on Research after review of the current year’s grant applicants of the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research. The nominee’s department chair should submit a letter of support and the nominee’s current curriculum vitae as well as one seconding letter from a senior faculty member. Only one nominee per department will be accepted.

The recipient of the 2013 Presidential Scholar Award was Sachin Kheterpal, M.D., M.B.A, Assistant Professor, University of Michigan, Department of Anesthesiology, Ann Arbor, Michigan, who received the award at the ASA Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California, on Monday, October 14, 2013.

Please submit nominations or any questions regarding this award to George H. Kendall, Managing Editor, Anesthesiology, Department of Anesthesiology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157; e-mail: managing-editor@anesthesiology.org.

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