August 2023

Dear SOAP Members, 

“Labor Day” has a double meaning for those of us who care for pregnant women. As the summer wraps up, we hope all have had a chance for some rest and restoration. Meanwhile, August was a busy month for SOAP, featuring the opening of applications for the Center of Excellence and the launch of the new SOAP Community in Tradewing. 

As we continue to move toward Fall, do not forget these opportunities:

• Submit content for the Fall Newsletter! Deadline: September 1^st
• Register for the Fall Forum on September 29^th & 30^th.
• Submit your application to be a SOAP Center of Excellence.
• Submit your proposal for the Research Symposium to be held in conjunction with the ASA Annual Meeting on October 15^th.
• Log into the New SOAP Community!

 And for additional updates, please see below! 

May Pian-Smith, MD
President, Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology

Board of Directors STATS

• To date, there are 44 SOAP State Representatives, and we continue to work towards securing a representative from each state.  SOAP State Representatives will provide a key contact in each state to help us reach a broader audience, as SOAP strives to meet its mission to provide safe and equitable care for women and newborns everywhere.

Committee STATS

Annual Meeting and Live Events 

• Register for the 2023 Virtual Fall Forum on September 29^th and 30^th. More details are to be released soon.
• Future Meetings:
  • The 2024 Annual Meeting will be held May 2-5, 2024, in Denver, Colorado.
  • The 2025 Annual Meeting will be held April 30 – May 4, 2025, in Portland, Oregon.

 Education Committee

• August simulation module, Case of Bradycardia after Neuraxial Anesthesia in a Parturient, was posted to the website and promoted via social media.
• August Fellows Webinar, Massive Transfusion in Obstetric Hemorrhage, featuring Dr. Eli Zarkhin, was held live on August 9^th. View the recording on OpenAnesthesia.

 Diversity Committee

• The Diversity & Inclusivity committee met for their inaugural meeting. 

Governance Committee

• Dr. Barbara Scavone has been selected to present the Fred Hehre lecturer at the 2024 SOAP Annual Meeting- Congratulations to Dr. Scavone!
• Ostheimer nominations closed on August 18 and the nominees for speaker are currently under review.

Intersociety Committee

• Applications are open for the Centers of Excellence (COE).
• Submit your intent to apply form and review the materials on the website for information regarding the application. Application Deadline: October 11^th
• Register for the informational webinar with the COE subcommittee is on September 12^th from 5 PM – 6 PM Eastern. The webinar will be recorded.
• 2019 SOAP COE designees are up for renewal this cycle.
• SOAP recognizes the presence of excellence in obstetric anesthesia care amongst many types of facilities with different delivery volumes.
• We welcome applications from a wide range of institutions, low to high-volume centers, community centers, academic centers, and tertiary-referral centers, from the United States and worldwide.
• Thank you to all those who applied for SOAP Speaks! Speaker applications are currently under review.

Member Value Committee

• Submit content for the Fall Newsletter. Deadline: September 1^st
• Join one of the twelve Special Interest Groups.  To see a full list of the Special Interest Groups visit the SOAP website.

Research Committee 

• To date, 54 institutions have confirmed their participation in the SOAP General Anesthesia for Cesarean Delivery Registry. Dr. Lisa Leffert, primary investigator, and Research Network support team members explained the project, its goals, requirements, logistics, and opportunities in a recorded webinar.
• The  SOAP Research Network Symposium will be held in conjunction with the ASA Annual Meeting on October 15^th from 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM Pacific at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square. Submit a Proposal before the upcoming deadline of September 15^th.  

Finance Committee

• Combined net assets for SOAP and the SOAP Endowment were $5.1M as of June 30, 2023.

SOAP Headquarters

• Log into the New SOAP Community! We’re happy to invite you to join the NEW official SOAP online community platform at TradeWing! The new 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.

 Sincerely, 

May Pian-Smith, MD
President, Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology