SCA: Education at the Heart of Our Mission

he Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists (SCA) continues to offer a rich array of activities for its 7,264 members. SCA membership includes 2,935 residents and fellows and approximately 1,200 international members. Our mission is to facilitate education, research and clinical excellence in cardiovascular and thoracic anesthesiology.

Education is arguably the most active area of our mission, and the past year has been no exception. Our three annual educational activities are the Annual Meeting and Workshops, the Comprehensive Review and Transesophageal Echocardiography Update and the Update on Cardiopulmonary Bypass. These activities enjoyed their usual successes in 2004, except that attendance at our Annual Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii, on April 24-28, was disappointing despite content that was highly acclaimed by those who attended. We have attributed the sparse attendance (about 500 registrants) mainly to the travel distance and to competition with the World Congress of Anaesthesiologists in Paris, France, on April 18-23. For 2005 we look forward to the continued success of the transesophageal echocardiography course in San Diego, California, February 14-19, to the cardiopulmonary bypass Meeting in Snowmass, Colorado, March 13-18, and to a restoration of our usual attendance of 800-1,000 registrants at our Annual Meeting this coming year in Baltimore, Maryland, on May 14-18.

Our educational mission’s effectiveness was recognized by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through a successful review resulting in four-year accreditation and with exemplary compliance in two of the seven required elements. SCA continues to pursue the accreditation of cardiothoracic anesthesiology fellowships through the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and is optimistic that its third application will be accepted, perhaps with some modifications. The result of this application should be known sometime before the end of 2004.

Many SCA members attended the recent 9th International Congress of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia, which was held September 9-12 in Tokyo, Japan. The Japanese Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists served as the primary sponsor of this meeting, but SCA shared organizational responsibilities and provided numerous speakers for the meeting. This meeting was attended by more than 600 anesthesiologists from around the world. Steven N. Konstadt, M.D., served as Vice-Chair of the Scientific Program Committee, and Bel Russell, M.D., served as the Vice-Chair of the International Organizing Committee.

SCA’s Research mission continues to be supported by ongoing grants and by new grants that SCA awards each year. Two of our three annual educational meetings present original research. SCA’s current grants include starter and mid-career awards, and one award each year involves collaboration between SCA and the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER). In order to protect some funds earmarked for research and education, SCA recently established a Research and Education Fund, the principal of which now exceeds $700,000. SCA would like to support more research by cardiovascular anesthesiologists and has engaged the services of a professional consulting firm to determine the best approaches to increasing the size of this fund over time, primarily (we hope) through philanthropy. Nancy A. Nussmeier, M.D., chairs this initiative.

SCA’s various missions are enhanced by collaborations with other professional organizations, and ASA figures prominently among those collaborations. SCA appreciates the access to ASA leadership and policies afforded by the annual President’s Forum and by representation in the ASA House of Delegates. SCA will collaborate with ASA on a cardiovascular track at the ASA 2005 Annual Meeting. Former SCA Director and Scientific Program Chair Solomon Aronson, M.D., will chair this joint effort. SCA has increased its participation in the activities of the American Heart Association (AHA) as evidenced by participation in several AHA councils and by co-sponsorship of a panel discussion at the AHA Annual Scientific Sessions on November 7-10 in New Orleans, Louisiana. SCA also enjoys ongoing relationships with the American Society of Echocardiography, the National Board of Echocardiography, the International Anesthesia Research Society, the American Board of Cardiovascular Perfusion, the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education and with several international societies of cardiovascular anesthesiologists.

Finally, I appreciate the assistance of SCA Secretary-Treasurer Christina Mora-Mangano, M.D., and Society Chief Staff Executive Heather Spiess in preparing this report.

Glenn P. Gravlee, M.D., is Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health, Columbus, Ohio.