Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It is my pleasure to update you once again on this year’s AVAA proceedings.  First, I would like to note that our thoughts go out to all those affected by the recent hurricane tragedies.  The AVAA is proud to have donated $1500 to the Red Cross and $1500 to the VA Employee Relief Fund to help victims recuperate from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Due to the damage New Orleans suffered from Hurricane Katrina, ASA was unable to hold its annual conference in New Orleans and moved the meeting to Atlanta. This last-minute change forced many of the ASA’s component societies to cancel their annual meetings. AVAA was no exception and voted to cancel the formal meeting through an email poll. However, there was enough interest from AVAA members attending the ASA meeting for an informal meeting.

We had our informal dinner/meeting on Sunday October 23 at HSU’s restaurant in downtown Atlanta. The Director of National Anesthesia Service, Dr Bishop updated us on some issues for the National Anesthesia Service. I updated everyone on the latest news on the physician pay bill.  I do not recall there were any critical issues discussed.  With only nineteen attendees, the informal setting allowed members to get to know each other better and candidly share best practices from their local institutions.  The food and wine were delicious and everyone had a very enjoyable evening.

I look forward to leading the next meeting in Chicago during the ASA Annual meeting.  AVAA annual meetings provide a rare opportunity for all VA anesthesiologists to hear the message from Dr Bishop and to get updated on the latest news on any VA anesthesia issues.  And of course, it is always nice to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. Please make every effort to attend.

Best wishes,

John Sum-Ping