This year in San Francisco, California, Annual Meeting attendees will notice several changes that have been implemented in response to requests for more small-group learning opportunities, a heightened interest in pain medicine and research, and a desire to have dedicated time to spend with colleagues and to view the many technical exhibits.

A series of activities will highlight current research being performed by anesthesiologists. ASA President James E. Cottrell, M.D., has introduced the Presidential Scholar Award to recognize the achievements of an individual who is in the first seven years of his or her academic career. The award will be presented on Monday morning, October 13, during the plenary session featuring the Emery A. Rovenstine Memorial Lecture, “Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction: The Next Challenge in Geriatric Anesthesia,” by Terri G. Monk, M.D. (see page 6 for details). The Rovenstine Lecture will be followed by the first “Celebration of Research,” at which the recipient of the Award for Excellence in Research, the Presidential Scholar Award and the first-place winner of the Residents’ Research Essay Contest will make short presentations summarizing their research activities. Lunch will be provided for attendees of the Celebration of Research through support from the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER).

Following these presentations, FAER will hold its Honorary Research Lecture and Panel. Jeanine P. Wiener-Kronish, M.D., who was elected as a member of the prestigious Institute of Medicine, will present the third annual FAER Honorary Research Lecture, “Critical Infections — From Genes to the Bedside” (see page 9 for details). The FAER Panel “Transforming the Medical Specialty of Anesthesiology: The Challenge of the 21st Century” will focus on the critical issue of training anesthesiologists to advance the science of medicine.

On Tuesday morning, the Journal Symposium will feature presentations on “Preconditioning Against Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury.” Myocardial ischemic and anesthetic preconditioning are evolving as important research and clinical topics.
Finally, in an effort to highlight the scientific abstracts and to make them more accessible for attendees, scientific posters will be displayed in Hall D rather than in the Technical Exhibit Hall. By changing their location, posters will now be available for viewing throughout the entire day of their presentation.

To parallel the growth of interest in pain medicine, the Annual Meeting will offer more sessions devoted to the management of chronic pain patients. Six new refresher courses are planned in addition to new panels and workshops. A series of workshops will be held on Saturday and Sunday that will use cadavers and fluoroscopy to permit attendees to have hands-on experience with several modalities for treatment of chronic pain, including injection techniques and implantable devices. Attendance at the cadaver workshops will be limited. Tickets may be purchased via the meeting registration forms and online at <www2.ASAhq.org>.

As educators have touted the benefits of smaller, hands-on teaching sessions, more of these opportunities are being provided at the Annual Meeting. The Problem-Based Learning Discussions (PBLDs) have grown in popularity, and this year, the number of PBLD sessions will be doubled. The number of workshops also has increased. Popular workshops from previous years will be repeated, and new ones include sessions in which simulators are used to teach crisis management, advanced cardiac life support and preparedness for caring for patients who have suffered injuries from bioterrorism or weapons of mass destruction.

With their busy schedules, many attendees sometimes find it difficult to visit the technical exhibits to learn about new products offered by industry. This year, ASA and the technical exhibitors are sponsoring a wine-and-cheese reception from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday evening in the Exhibit Hall. This will be a great opportunity to view the exhibits and socialize with colleagues after the conclusion of Sunday’s educational sessions.

Attendees should be aware that there will be a new procedure for claiming continuing medical education (CME) credit. To comply with the policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education and the American Medical Association, it will be necessary for meeting registrants to document the exact number of hours that they participated in educational activities. CME certificates will be issued after the meeting and only for those hours of CME for which individuals attest to attending.

I would like to thank the members of the Section on Annual Meeting who have worked to organize the many excellent educational activities that will be presented in San Francisco. I hope that these changes will enhance attendees’ educational experience and enjoyment of the meeting.

Arnold J. Berry, M.D., is Professor of Anesthesiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.