urricane Katrina may well turn out to be the worst natural disaster in U.S. history — but the devastation unleashed by the storm also brought out the best in millions of people around the country and the world. Just as many talked of rebuilding damaged cities of the Gulf Coast soon after the storm had passed in late August, ASA quickly began planning both for relief efforts for victims and a new location for its meeting, which had been planned for New Orleans. Within a matter of days, the Anesthesia Foundation-ASA Disaster Relief Fund was established and, thanks to the generous and cooperative people and businesses of Atlanta, a new home for the meeting was found.
The Herculean task of moving an educational meeting meant for 16,000 people from one city to another in seven weeks was completed relatively seamlessly. The entire educational program was moved virtually intact to Atlanta. The collective effort of the numerous ASA officers, members, staff, suppliers, attendees and exhibitors to make the move from New Orleans to Atlanta is a testament to the anesthesiology community’s resilience and dedication to advancing the specialty, even under the most trying of circumstances.

Moving the meeting also meant changing some registration procedures. The new registration company was very flexible in meeting the additional challenges. One of the resulting changes was the opportunity for preregistrants to print their own tickets and badges in the registration area. This was well received and will be continued next year.

Although the final registration total of 14,305 is lower than that of previous years, this number was awe-inspiring to many. Those members who attended were witnesses to the very real fact that the ASA Annual Meeting increases in value each year. Once again, the expanded tracks (neuroanesthesia and cardiac anesthesia, plus critical care and obstetric anesthesia) were very well received, and more tracks will be added for 2006.

Below are more highlights from this year’s Annual Meeting.

Installation of ASA President
Orin F. Guidry, M.D., was installed as ASA President for 2006. Dr. Guidry is currently a staff anesthesiologist for Ochsner Clinic Foundation, New Orleans, Louisiana. He was formerly chair of Ochsner’s Department of Anesthesiology. He has served ASA as President-Elect (2004); First-Vice President (2003); Treasurer (1998-2003), Assistant Treasurer (1996-1998); member of the Board of Directors (1992-1996) and chair of numerous committees and task forces.

He has served as a director and treasurer of both the American Board of Anesthesiology and the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research.

Dr. Guidry is a graduate of Louisiana State University School of Medicine, and he trained at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He and his wife, Nancy, live in Metairie, Louisiana.

Other ASA Officers

President-Elect
Mark J. Lema, M.D., Ph.D.

Immediate Past President
Eugene P. Sinclair, M.D.

First Vice-President
Jeffrey L. Apfelbaum, M.D.

Vice-President for Professional Affairs
Alexander A. Hannenberg, M.D.

Vice-President for Scientific Affairs 
Charles W. Otto, M.D.

Secretary
Gregory K. Unruh, M.D.

Treasurer
Roger A. Moore, M.D.

Assistant Secretary
Arthur M. Boudreaux, M.D.

Assistant Treasurer
John M. Zerwas, M.D.

Speaker, House of Delegates
Candace E. Keller, M.D.

Vice-Speaker, House of Delegates
John P. Abenstein, M.D.

Newly elected First Vice-President Jeffrey L. Apfelbaum, M.D., is a first-time officer.

Dr. Apfelbaum has served as Chair of the committees on Ambulatory Surgical Care (1992-95), Quality Management and Departmental Administration (2001-05), Refresher Courses (2001-02) and is the current Chair of the Task Force on Intraoperative Awareness and Brain Function Monitoring. He also served as a member of the committees on Ambulatory Surgical Care, Information Management, Practice Management, Representation to AMA, Local Arrangements and the Ad Hoc Committee on Propofol Credentialing. He served as First Vice-President (1998-99), President-Elect (1999-00) and President (2000-01) of the Illinois Society of Anesthesiologists. He is currently Secretary/Treasurer for the Society of Academic Anesthesiology Chairs (SAAC) and the Association of Anesthesiology Program Directors (AAPD) and is a member of the SAAC/AAPD Council (2003-06). He also has served as First Vice-President (1991-92), President-Elect (1992-93) and President (1993-94) of the Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia. Dr. Apfelbaum is currently Professor and Chair of the Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care at the University of Chicago and a member of the Executive Committees of the Pritzker School of Medicine and Medical Staff of the University of Chicago Hospitals.

Assistant Secretary Arthur M. Boudreaux, M.D., also is a first-time officer. Dr. Boudreaux was ASA Director for Alabama (2003-05) and former Chair of the Section on Society Subspecialties. He has served as Chair of the Committee on Anesthesia Care Team (2003-05) and has been a member of several committees, ad hoc committees and task forces. Dr. Boudreaux also has served as Chair of the ASA Caucus Leadership Group (2002-04) and Chair of the ASA Southern Caucus (2001-04) of the House of Delegates. He has served as liaison to the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses and the American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants and was a member of the Executive Board of the ASA Political Action Committee (2001-04). In the Alabama State Society of Anesthesiologists, Dr. Boudreaux has served as Secretary/Treasurer (1990-91), President-Elect (1993-95) and President (1995-97). He is currently Vice-Chair for Clinical Affairs and Assistant Chief of Staff at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital.

Awards and Honors
The ASA Distinguished Service Award was presented to William D. Owens, M.D., Professor Emeritus at Washington University, St. Louis, and ASA Past President (1998). The 2005 Award for Excellence in Research was given to David S. Warner, M.D., Duke University, one of the world’s leading researchers on cerebral ischemia and protection. The Emery A. Rovenstine Memorial Lecture was delivered by Mark A. Warner, M.D. It was titled “Who Better Than Anesthesiologists” and was very well received by a full house. The Celebration of Research, at which research award winners were invited to summarize their work, immediately followed. Douglas R. Bacon, M.D., M.A., presented the Lewis H. Wright Memorial Lecture on “From the Crow’s Nest — Reflections of 100 Years of ASA History.” This year’s speaker at the plenary session for translational science was Gerald M. Edelman, M.D., Ph.D., whose topic was “From Brain Dynamics to Consciousness: How Matter Becomes Imagination.” The Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research Honorary Research Lecture was given by Alex S. Evers, M.D., and was titled “Anesthetic Steroids: Sites and Mechanisms of Action.” The 2005 ASA Presidential Scholar Award was given to Zhiyi Zuo, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Virginia.

Media Awards
This year’s winners include Thomas Hayden of U.S. News & World Report, and producers Susan Kroll, Jane Derenowski and Tammy Filler of NBC’s Today.

Mr. Hayden receives his award for an America’s Best Hospitals feature published July 12, 2004, in U.S. News & World Report. The article, which was part of a series that highlighted “hidden” specialties, followed a day in the life of University of Chicago anesthesiologists Jeffrey L. Apfelbaum, M.D., Catherine R. Bachman, M.D., and Thomas W. Cutter, M.D.

Today show producers educated their audience on the new realities regarding epidural anesthesia. Ms. Kroll, Ms. Derenowski and Ms. Filler put together a live and taped piece that featured research by Cynthia Wong, M.D., which showed that women can receive an epidural early in labor without increasing the chances of a cesarean delivery. William R. Camann, M.D., participated in an on-air interview with “Today” show host Katie Couric to further explain the new findings and the procedure.

For information on Scientific and Educational Exhibit Award winners, click here.

ASA 2006 Officers The 2006 ASA officers are (front row from left): Eugene P. Sinclair, M.D.; ASA President Orin F. Guidry, M.D.; Mark J. Lema, M.D., Ph.D.; Jeffrey L. Apfelbaum, M.D.; (middle row) Gregory K. Unruh, M.D.; John M. Zerwas, M.D.; Roger A. Moore, M.D.; Alexander A. Hannenberg, M.D.; (back row) Charles W. Otto, M.D.; Candace E. Keller, M.D.; John P. Abenstein, M.D.; and Arthur M. Boudreaux, M.D.

Friends of the WLM One of the many highlights of this year’s Annual Meeting took place during the annual Friends of the Wood Library-Museum meeting on Monday, October 24, 2005, following the Emery A. Rovenstine Memorial Lecture. Pictured are 2005 ASA President Eugene P. Sinclair, M.D., with Mark E. Schroeder, M.D. Authors autographed copies of the ASA Centennial book, A Century of Challenges and Progress, at this meeting.