September 2026

Let's build what matters!

This month, I am struck by how many different ways SOAP is extending its impact, both within our specialty and well beyond it. When a time-sensitive change in guidance regarding blood components for Jehovah’s Witness patients emerged, SOAP moved quickly to provide members with a practical clinical update to support individualized, informed care. We have expanded our Digital Media Subcommittee to strengthen how we communicate and connect, and SOAP membership continues at an all-time high, now exceeding 2,500 members.
At the same time, our Presidential Task Force on Obstetric Anesthesia Quality & Safety is moving rapidly from ideas to action. Under Dr. Klaus Kjaer’s leadership, our teams are advancing work in obstetric hemorrhage, warning signs and monitoring, implementation, and quality measurement -- all while building alignment with partners including ACOG, ASA, and the Anesthesia Quality Institute, with the longer-term goal of bringing meaningful obstetric anesthesia quality measures into the electronic health record and clinical workflow. Our members are also extending SOAP’s influence through major leadership appointments, including opportunities at the international level, while our research and education programs continue to advance the science and practice of obstetric anesthesia.
These are different activities, but they reflect one direction: SOAP is growing not simply in size, but in reach, relevance, and impact. Thank you to the extraordinary members, volunteers, leaders, and partners making it happen. Let’s keep building what matters!

Grace Lim, MD, MSc, MBA
President, Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology 

Board Stats  

  • Practice Update: Blood Component Decisions for Jehovah’s Witness Patients

  • Anesthesiology Organizations Express Concern for Patients Harmed, Reaffirm Safety of Spinal Anesthesia

  • Philanthropy highlight: Overview of Foundation Successes

    • SOAP/FAER Mentored Research Training Grant recipients since 2023 – 2
    • Diversity & Inclusivity Mentored Grants Mentor/Mentee pairs since 2023 – 5
    • Gertie Marx Research Competition Awards since 2010 – 45
    • SOAP/Kybele International Outreach Grant recipients since 2011 - 16
    • Donate to the Endowment Fund
  • SOAP Membership is at an all-time high! SOAP has surpassed 2,500 members! This reflects the strength and momentum of our community, and the value of bringing together clinicians, investigators, educators, and partners committed to advancing obstetric anesthesia and improving maternal care.
  • Presidential Task Force on Obstetric Anesthesia Quality & Safety: The Task Force, led by Dr. Klaus Kjaer, has made strong early progress in bringing together teams around its initial quality and safety initiatives. SOAP is also engaging with ASA and the Anesthesia Quality Institute (AQI) to explore next steps in developing meaningful obstetric anesthesia quality measures, with a future goal of enabling integration into electronic health record platforms such as EPIC.
  • Advancing high-impact maternal health research: SOAP is supporting two proposals being submitted for competitive funding this cycle, both focused on important questions related to maternal morbidity and care on labor and delivery units. These efforts reflect SOAP's commitment to supporting rigorous, collaborative research capable of informing and improving clinical practice.

Committee Stats   

Annual Meeting and Live Events Committee 

Education Committee

  • Fellowship Curriculum is now available on C8.

Diversity Committee 

Governance Committee 

  • Call for Committees opened September 1. Deadline to submit application: October 5
  • Terms for committees began January 1 and end on December 31.
  • Nominations for the 2028 Ostheimer Lecturer closed September 14

Intersociety Committee  

Member Value Committee 

  • Registration is open for SOAP Fundamentals on January 23 & January 30, 2027!
  • Join one of the fifteen Special Interest Groups. To see a full list of the Special Interest Groups visit the SOAP website. 

Research Committee  

  • The Fall Research Network Symposium will be held in conjunction with the ASA Annual Meeting in San Diego on Sunday, October 18 from 12:30pm – 3:30pm PST at Hyatt Manchester Hotel.
  • Journal Club Classic was held September 9 hosted by Dr. Adam Wendling, presented by Brittany Shepphard ft Dr. Ashraf Habib, “Mode of Anesthesia for Patients with Placenta Accreta Spectrum Undergoing Cesarean Hysterectomy: A Report from the Multicenter Perioperative Outcomes Group Database”
Finance Committee 
  • Combined net assets for SOAP and the SOAP Endowment were $6.7M as of April 31, 2025

SOAP Headquarters 

  • Download the SOAP Educational App!
  • Log into the SOAP Community! We’re happy to invite you to join the official SOAP online community platform at TradeWing! The platform has many of the features members requested.  
    • Add [email protected] to your safe sender's list so you can receive announcements from SOAP Community. 
    • View the full list of features and frequently asked questions.