 Titilopemi Aina-Jones, MD, MPH, FASA |
K. Karisa Walker, MD, MEd |
SEA 2023 Fall Meeting Re-Cap
The 2023 Society for Education in Anesthesia (SEA) Fall Meeting, held on Thursday, November 2nd, 2023, at the Swissotel Chicago, was an outstanding meeting. There were more than 200 attendees! The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with comments about the high-quality educational sessions and valuable networking opportunities.
The meeting theme was "Building Bridges, Building Teams: Challenges in Academic Medicine." As is standard, the meeting opened with Breakfast and Committee Round Tables. Each table was brimming with engaging discussions. The first educational session was the McLeskey Lectureship (an honor bestowed upon individuals who have demonstrated substantial contributions to medical education and leadership) by Dr. Jeffrey B. Cooper. Dr. Cooper is a well-known pioneer in patient safety and Professor Emeritus of Anaesthesia at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. His presentation titled "Are You Fostering Effective Interprofessional Collaboration in Your Training Program was excellent, focusing on the importance of interprofessional collaboration. He introduced the Basic Assumption for interprofessional relationships – that everyone is intelligent and capable, cares about doing their best, and wants to improve. He also discussed pearls for successful relationships: avoiding stereotypes, being curious, leveraging simulation, being collaborative, and having open communication. Dr. Cooper also presented useful tips on how to enhance collaborations: 1) Focus on the patient; 2) Know your colleagues both professionally and personally; 3) Provide a rationale for decision-making; 4) Respect; and 5) Apology.
The next session was a Panel Discussion on Generational Differences in the Workplace by Jue T. Wang, MD, Cathie Jones, MD, and Mike Hernandez, MD. The panel was eye-opening and engendered vibrant discussion. The presenters outlined the ranges for the different generations (Figure 1) and discussed how bias goes both ways; for example, younger staff may be unfairly labeled as lazy or entitled, while older staff may be labeled as unable to use technology, too stuck in their ways, and lazy.
 Figure 1 |
Further developing on the meeting theme of Building Bridges and Building Teams, the workshops presented at the SEA 2023 Fall meeting were:
- Bridging Challenges in Academic Medicine: Fostering Growth and Residence Through an Early Career Mentorship Program
- Coaching Skills to Enhance Your Effectiveness as a Team Leader or Facilitator
- Enhancing Interpersonal Communication and Team Facilitation Skills–An Innovative Immersive Workshop Using Improvisational Theater and Design-Thinking Concepts
- Implicit Bias: Recognizing Our Blind Spots to Build Better Team
- Let’s Get Ready to [Story] RUMBLE: Strategies to Resolve Conflict Among Teams]
- Everything I Wanted to Know About Career Development and Leadership but Was Afraid to Ask
- Leading from the Middle
- Beyond “Keep Calm and Carry On” – Teaching Resiliency Skills in Simulation for OR Teams
- Faculty Success: Career Development Tools That Work
- Overcoming Workplace Silos to Improve Well-Being
- Partnering with Trainees: Simple Strategies for a Complex World
- The Digital Bridge in Anesthesiology Education: Introducing ChatGPT to Your Team
- Using Applied Improvisation for Conflict Resolution
Following the Business Lunch, the SEA/Duke Award for Excellence and Innovation in Anesthesia Education was presented to Dr. Micheal Lewis. This award recognizes individuals who have dedicated their careers to teaching and have contributed positively to the advancement of teaching anesthesia to medical students, residents, and faculty. Dr. Lewis is the Joseph L. Ponka Chair of Anesthesiology at Henry Ford Health. He is a native of England and lived in Israel before immigrating to the USA. He has held many leadership roles and received multiple honors/awards. Dr. Lewis is active in organized medicine, serving on the boards of the Society for Education in Anesthesia (SEA), the Society for the Advancement of Geriatric Anesthesia (SAGA: President), the Israel Medical Society-USA, the Society of Academic Associations of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine (SAAAPM; President), to name a few. The final podium presentation of the meeting was by Samsun Lampotang, PhD, on Simulation in Anesthesia Education. Dr. Lampotang shared his vast experience and left the audience inspired.
To wrap up the day, we held a Social/Networking hour. Attendees gathered together to share knowledge, reminisce, and forge new relationships. This final event was well-received and had glowing reviews.
We are humbled and honored to have had this opportunity to serve the SEA as meeting program co-chairs. Thank you to our speakers, session moderators, workshop faculty, and all attendees for joining us for the SEA Fall 2023 Meeting! Special thanks to Dr. Kristin Ondecko-Ligda, MD, Dr. Barbara Orlando, MD, PhD, Andrew Bronson, and Megan Sage for their guidance and support.
Dr. Aina-Jones is an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at Baylor College of Medicine and Dr. Walker is an Associate Professor Of Anesthesiology at the University of Florida.
