What committees and task forces are there?
CSA committees cover advocacy, practice management, education programs, history of anesthesia, and more. Find out about all our committees by exploring their web pages here.
Expectations of committee members:
Committee appointments are for the CSA 2026-27 year (beginning June 3rd). Committee members are expected to:
- Attend at least 50 percent of meetings, in person or electronically
- Participate in committee meetings (e.g. sharing ideas)
- Volunteer to help produce committee work-products, as needed
- Stay up to date with CSA emails
- Practice good citizenship, which can include helping run a meeting and supporting CSA and ASA efforts on messaging, political advocacy, and PAC participation
Each year, CSA opens committee applications to all active members in the spring. Keep an eye out for emails and updates in late March for that year’s application process.
To advance its mission, CSA maintains divisions, committees, and task forces that research, review and make recommendations on actions and policy positions affecting anesthesiologists. See the Bylaws for the composition and duties of the divisions and standing committees.
Each year, the incoming president appoints members to these divisions, committees, and task forces. The president also appoints special committees for specific purposes during the term of office and may extend a committee’s term, provided those committees are not given assignments that conflict with or duplicate the work of any standing committee.
Questions about joining a committee? Email csa@csahq.org for more information about how to get involved!
Educational Programs Division
Separate Division
The Educational Programs Division of the California Society of Anesthesiologists shall act solely in the area of providing continuing instruction and training of the anesthesiologist and allied personnel for the purpose of improving and developing their capabilities and for the instruction of the public on subjects related to anesthesiology beneficial to the public.
Composition
The Educational Programs Division of the California Society of Anesthesiologists shall be composed of a chair and such members as the President may appoint, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors.
General Purpose and Duties
The chair of the Educational Programs Division of the California Society of Anesthesiologists in conjunction with the Chief Executive Officer of the Society shall direct and facilitate educational programs, presentations and publicity designed to accomplish the purposes of the Educational Programs Division.
Chair
Richard Applegate, MD, FASA | Contact
Co Vice-Chairs
Shalini Shah, MD
Ioana Pasca, MD
Members
Rita Agarwal, MD
Brannon Altenhofen, MD
Dalia Banks, MD
Jeffrey Cashin, MD
Lee-lynn Chen, MD
Jason Cheng, MD
Pamela Chia, MD
Christine Doyle, MD
Miguel Gonzalez, MD
Vanessa Henke, MD
Eric Hsu, MD
Uday Jain, MD
Litty John, MD
David Leon, MD
May Let Wah, MD
Ludwig Lin, MD
Edward Mariano, MD
Danny Newhide, MD
Vinh Nguyen, MD
Manuel Pardo, MD
Gabriel Pollock, MD
Todsaporn Rodbumrung, MD
Usha Saldanha, MD
Marwa Sidani, MD
Trevor Whitwell, MD
Communications Division
Composition
A chair appointed by the President, the Editorial Board Chair, the Chair of Electronic Media, a CSA staff liaison, and at least eight other members, three of whom shall be members of the CSA Board of Directors. The President shall attempt to achieve some geographic balance within the membership of this committee.
Duties
- To develop and maintain effective communication with the membership, with other medical specialties, the media (print, radio, television and electronic), with patients, and with the public to promote the medical specialty of anesthesiology and to educate the public on issues of importance to the CSA.
- To establish and maintain effective electronic communications including the CSA electronic mailing list and the CSA website and appropriate linkages as well as other electronic media.
- To provide media spokesperson training opportunities to officers, to elected and appointed CSA representatives, and to members, including the maintenance and updating of a media spokesperson list.
- To facilitate the communications objectives of the CSA/ASA.
Chair
Emily Methangkool, MD | Contact
Section Chiefs
Vanessa Henke, MD, FASA
Ellen Wang, MD, FASA
Rita Agarwal, MD, FASA
Members
Anita Gupta, MD
Vanessa Henke, MD
Calvin Johnson, MD
Edward Mariano, MD
Naveen Mehra, MD
Ioana Pasca, MD
Michelle Petrie, MD
Jay Rajan, MD
Vida Zhang, MD
Legislative & Practice Affairs Division
Separate Division
The Legislative and Practice Affairs Division shall be a separate division of the California Society of Anesthesiologists.
Purpose
The Legislative and Practice Affairs Division shall act in the performance of the following functions:
- Establish communication with governmental bodies, both legislative and regulatory concerning regulation of the medical profession, and specifically of anesthesiology;
- Establish communication with other bodies, health delivery systems and third parties that have or will have a substantial impact upon the professional, medical and/or economic day to day practice of anesthesiology, as allowed by federal and state laws concerning such contacts and communications;
- Through dialogue with the above mentioned parties, establish a voice in the formulation of new laws and the development of regulations enforcing both new and existing laws;
- Establish information exchanges and guidance as to the impact of such actions taken by governmental agencies and/or third parties upon the economic and day-to-day practice of the members of the Society;
- Disseminate information to the members of the Society and other anesthesiologists when appropriate concerning the above activities through various publications, educational seminars and meetings, newsletters, bulletins and other forms of communication.
Composition
The Legislative and Practice Affairs Division shall be comprised of a division chair and two standing committees: the Committee on Legislative Affairs, and the Committee on Practice Management. Each committee shall have a chair and members appointed by the President, subject to approval of the Board of Directors.
LPAD Division Chair
Patrick Farmer, MD, MBA, CPE, FASA | Contact
LPAD Division Chair
Christian Bohringer, MD
Committee on Audit
Chair
Phillip Richardson, MD, MBA, FACHE, FASA | Contact
Members
Jeremy Juang, MD, PhD
Donna Lien, MD
Stephanie Lim, MD
Joyce Lo, MD
Committee on Bylaws
Composition
Three voting members of this Society appointed by the President, at least one of whom was a Bylaws Committee member during the previous year, the Vice Speaker of the House of Delegates who shall chair the committee, and the Speaker of the House of Delegates who shall be an ex-officio member.
Duties
- To recommend amendments to the Bylaws to ensure consistency with the actions of the policymaking bodies of this Society; and
- To prepare amendments which it considers advisable to facilitate the work and best interests of this Society.
Speaker of the House of Delegates
Robin Seaberg, MD, FASA | Contact
Vice Speaker of the House of Delegates
Sydney Thomson, MD, FASA
Members
Christine Doyle, MD, MBI, FASA
Uday Jain, MD
Michele Raney, MD
Forouzan Sabzevar, MD
Robin Seaberg, MD, FASA
Sydney Thomson, MD, FASA
Committee on Distinguished Service Award
Composition
The five past presidents immediately preceding the immediate past president, insofar as is possible. The junior member of the committee shall be chair.
Duties
- To receive recommendations for the Distinguished Service Award of the California Society of Anesthesiologists.
- Letters of recommendation are to be submitted directly to the chair of this committee by the district or forum directors of the CSA at least ninety (90) days prior to the Annual Meeting of this Society. If no recommendation(s) by district directors are received by 90 days prior to the next Annual Meeting, the committee members may then, and only then, submit nomination(s) for consideration by the committee.
- The Committee shall review the recommendations submitted, paying particular attention to members who have demonstrated outstanding and meritorious service to Anesthesiology and the CSA.
- Selection of a candidate shall require a 4/5 vote of the full committee. The Committee need not make a selection each year. The Committee shall be limited to one nomination at each Annual Meeting. It shall make its nomination for the Distinguished Service Award directly to the House of Delegates at the Annual Meeting.
- Two-thirds secret ballot of the seated members in the House of Delegates shall be required for approval of the Committee nomination.
- In the event of the death or resignation of a member of this Committee, the president shall appoint a replacement to fill the unexpired term. If possible, a past president shall be appointed.
Chair
Phillip Levin, MD | Contact
Members
Antonio Hernandez Conte, MD, MBI, FASA
Edward Mariano, MD
Ronald Pearl, MD, PhD, FASA
Jeffrey Poage, MD
Committee on Finance and Administration
Composition
The Assistant Treasurer shall serve as the Chair. Members will include the Immediate Past President, Treasurer, Speaker and/or Vice Speaker of the House, Bulletin Editor, and six additional active members of the society appointed by the President who are knowledgeable about finance and administrative affairs.
The President may appoint additional members for a one-year term.
Duties
- Review the annual budget submitted by the CSA Treasurer; forward the annual budget to the Board of Directors with a recommendation regarding approval.
- Review quarterly financial statements and year-end audit results.
- Review all contracts of the CSA that are longer than one year and/or obligate the organization to an expense greater than $5,000 per year.
- Develop and revise the investment strategy for the CSA consistent with the goals and responsibilities of the society, recommend the strategy to the Board of Directors and oversee the investment activities of the CSA.
- Review personnel policies, administrative procedures and any changes to employee benefits; develop and refine employee compensation strategies and benefit packages.
- Report to the Executive Committee regarding all financial and administrative matters on a regular basis and whenever any irregularities are identified.
Chair
Michael Jung, MD, MBA | Contact
Immediate Past President
Christina Menor, MD, MS, FASA
Speaker
Robin Seaberg, MD
Vice Speaker
Sydney Thomson, MD, FASA
Treasurer
Jeffrey Kwok, DO
Members
Jeffrey Cashin, MD
Richard Chou, MD, MBA, FACHE
Alimorad Djalali, MD
Mark Gjolaj, MD, MBA
Michael Jung, MD, MBA, FASA
Jeffrey Kwok, DO
Ludwig Lin, MD
Edward Mariano, MD, FASA
Christina Menor, MD, MS, FASA
Jim Moore, MD
Kabungo Mulumba, MD
Robin Seaberg, MD, FASA
Emily Stockert, MD
Sydney Thomson, MD, FASA
Committee on History of Anesthesia
Chair
Jane Moon, MD | Contact
Members
Jane Ahn, MD
Brannon Altenhofen, MD
Alyssa Burgart, MD
Seetal Preet Cheema, MD
Lee-lynn Chen, MD
Gerard Dang, MD, FASA
Ryan Field, MD
Raina Khan, MD
Betty Lee-Hoang, MD
Todsaporn Rodbumrung, MD
Elliot Schwartz, MD
Mark Singleton, MD
Stephen Skahen, MD
Trevor Whitwell, MD
Hussna Yasini, MD
Committee on Leadership Development and Nominations
Composition
The Committee will be composed of seven members. The CSA Immediate Past President shall serve as Chair. The remaining six members will be appointed to staggered terms. Each year two new members will be appointed to terms of three years, one will be a member of the Board of Directors and the other will be a CSA member of five years who is not serving on the Board. A committee member may only serve two consecutive full or partial terms.
Duties
- To identify and develop future CSA leaders through individualized, annual education and mentoring.
- To meet at least three times per year in order to identify, interview and guide potential and current society leaders.
- To produce a document listing potential candidates for elected leadership positions that looks forward at least five years.
- To consider the maximum period of time that any incumbent should serve in an elected position as part of its mission to optimize the leadership of the Society.
- To contact prospective nominees and obtain their consent to serve if elected.
- To prepare a list of candidates for all offices becoming vacant at the close of the Annual Meeting, for delegate and alternate delegate positions to the ASA House of Delegates and for delegate and alternate delegate positions to the California Medical Association if the term of those positions will expire prior to the next Annual Meeting. This list will be submitted to the Board of Directors at its last meeting prior to the Annual Meeting for approval and then will be distributed to all members of the House of Delegates prior to the Annual Meeting.
Chair
Philip Levin, MD | Contact
Members
Gerard Dang, MD, FASA
Genevieve D’Souza, MD
Philip Levin, MD, FACHE, FASA
Michael Raney, MD
Jeffery Rusheen, MD, FASA
Robin Seaberg, MD, FASA
Mark Zakowski, MD, FASA
Committee on Legislative Affairs
Composition
A chair appointed by the President, a CSA staff liaison, and at least seven other members, two of whom shall be members of the CSA Board of Directors. The President shall attempt to achieve some geographic balance within the membership of this committee.
Duties
- To develop and maintain effective contact with legislators at the state and district levels to work toward the defined advocacy goals of the Society.
- To educate and update CSA members on events related to legislation that affect, or may affect in the future, the practice of anesthesiology within the state.
- To maintain contact with advocacy efforts within ASA, and coordinate state and national advocacy work as appropriate.
- To foster grassroots advocacy on the district level within this Society.
- To advocate for CSA with other professional societies.
- To work with the CPPC to communicate CSA’s advocacy positions to the public.
LPAD Division Chair | Contact
Todd Primack, DO, FASA
Chair | Contact
Patrick Farmer, MD, MBA, MS, FASA
Vice-Chair
Christian Bohringer, MD
Members
Lauren Alderette, MD
Michael Bigelow, MD
Justin Calvert, MD
Jerry Chen, MD
Richard Chou, MD
Lynn Cintron, MD
Dustin Coyle, MD
Christine Doyle, MD
Carol Girgiss, MD
Miguel Gonzalez, MD
Anita Gupta, MD
Vanessa Henke, MD
Calvin Huang, MD
Benjamin Kuo, MD
Michael Langevin, MD
Joyce Lo, MD
Jim Moore, MD
Danny Newhide, MD
John Patton, MD
Johnathan Pregler, MD
Michele Raney, MD
Jeffrey Rusheen, MD
Dane Saksa, MD
Mariam Sarwary, MD
Forrest Kip Sawyer, MD
Una Srejc, MD
Christopher Viale, MD
Matthew Vo, MD
Ellen Wang, MD
Nicholas Wasson, MD
Jonathan Zucker, MD
Committee on Membership
Composition
All district directors and the Assistant Secretary who shall chair the committee.
Duties
- To conduct investigations of all applicants for active membership in this Society when the need requires and submit recommendations on such applicants to the Board of Directors;
- To encourage qualified persons to apply for membership in this Society and to develop membership recruitment activities.
Chair
Rana Movahedi, MD | Contact
Members
Chair, Membership
Rana Movahedi, MD, FASA
Director, Academic Practice Forum
Manuel Pardo, MD, FASA
Director, Early Career Practice Forum
Mariam Sarwary, MD
Director, Geographic District 01
Christian Bohringer, MD
Director, Geographic District 02
Vanessa Henke, MD, FASA
Director, Geographic District 03
Sheela Pai Cole, MD, FASE, FASA
Director, Geographic District 04
Justin Calvert, MD, FASA
Director, Geographic District 05
Jeffrey Rusheen, MD, FASA
Director, Geographic District 06
Jason Cheng, DO
Director, Geographic District 07
Lynnus Peng, MD, FASA
Director, Geographic District 08
Minh Tran, MBBS, FANZCA
Director, In-Training Practice Forum
Director, Large Practice Forum
Director, Medium Practice Forum
Michael Bigelow, MD, PhD
Director, Small & Solo Practice Forum
Jennifer Bartlotti Telesz, MD, MBA, FASA
Committee on Pain Medicine
Chair
Rakhi Dayal, MD | Contact
Members
Valeria Carcamo-Cavazos, MD
Seetal Preet Cheema, MD
Pamela Chia, MD
Lynn Cintron, MD
Varina Clark Onwunyi, MD
Zhonghui Guan, MD
Anita Gupta, MD
Eric Hsu, MD
Michael Jung, MD
Raina Khan, MD
Jeffrey Lin, MD
Hayley Osen, MD
Gabriel Pollock, MD
Andrea Poon, MD
Ethan Pritikin, MD
Jay Rajan, MD
Sandra Sacks, MD
Elliot Schwartz, MD
Ann Shah, MD
Shikha Sharma, MD
Naileshni Singh, MD
Committee on Practice Management
Composition
A chair appointed by the President, a CSA staff liaison, and at least seven other members, two of whom shall be members of the CSA Board of Directors. The President shall attempt to achieve some geographic balance within the membership of this committee.
Duties
- To develop and maintain Practice Management information for the CSA website, and to assist members who have issues and questions related to practice management.
- To work with the Educational Program Division to develop educational resources, program content, and other information concerning Practice Management as appropriate.
- To communicate with CSA members regarding any developments at the state and national level that may affect practice management and policy.
- To develop and maintain effective contact with regulators on the state and federal level, and with other professional societies (including the ASA) in order to stay current with regulatory activity that affects the practice of anesthesiology in the state of California.
Chair
Puja Trivedi, MD | Contact
Vice Chair
Bradley Cohn, MD
Vice Chair
Alvaro Macias, MD, MHA, FASA
Members
Michael Bigelow, MD
Justin Calvert, MD
Jerry Chen, MD
Pamela Chia, MD
Richard Chou, MD
Jacqueline Drummond Lewis, MD
Patrick Farmer, MD
Casper Hu, MD
Sakura Kinjo, MD
Benjamin Kuo, MD
Donna Lien, MD
Stephanie Lim, MD
Joyce Lo, MD
Jesus Medina, MD
Johnathan Pregler, MD
Jay Rajan, MD
Mishan Rambukwella, MD
Michele Raney, MD
Forouzan Sabzevar, MD
Dane Saksa, MD
Forrest Kip Sawyer, MD
Thomas Schares, MD
Elliot Schwartz, MD
Marwa Sidani, MD
Christopher Viale, MD
Matthew Vo, MD
Nicholas Wasson, MD
Committee on Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
The California Society of Anesthesiologists does hereby declare racism as a public health crisis and denounces racism, both individual racist actions and systemic racism.
The California Society of Anesthesiologists created an ad hoc task force to begin the development of a new Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Commission
The CSA directs the committee on Bylaws to develop language to define the composition of the new committee which shall consist of a chair appointed by the President, a CSA staff liaison, and a minimum of six additional members appointed by the President, one of whom shall be a member of the CSA Board of Directors;
Duties
- The duties of the committee are to evaluate, educate, and address to the CSA President issues of racism and bias within the organization.
- The duties of the committee are to identify, create, and pro-vide resources to the CSA membership on issues such as, but not limited to: racism, unconscious bias, micro-aggression, discrimination, stereotype threat, imposter syndrome, marginalization, and mistreatment; and
- The duties of the Committee on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion are to provide resources to the CSA membership on issues such as, but not limited to: how to foster equitable work environments, and how to recruit, retain, promote, and hire diversity within our physician workforce.
Chair
Naileshni Singh, MD | Contact
Vice Chair
Mary Morales, MD
Members
Valeria Carcamo-Cavazos, MD
Varina Clark Onwunyi, MD
Pooja Kumar, MD
Kyle Lakatos, MD
Jesus Medina, MD
Somya Mishra, MD
John Patton, MD
Ethan Pritikin, MD
Committee on Global Health
Composition
A chair appointed by the President and other members of this Society as determined by the President. The President shall attempt to achieve balance within the membership of this committee in terms of practice type, geography, diversity, and inclusion.
Duties
- To explore opportunities for positive impact, inform CSA members, and coordinate efforts with other organizations regarding issues related to global health and access to safe anesthesia care;
- To facilitate CSA members’ participation in global health programs;
- To highlight CSA members’ volunteerism and philanthropy; and
- To serve as a resource for CSA members who seek opportunities to promote the goals of equity in global health and safe anesthesia care.
Chair
Genevieve D’Souza, MD, FASA | Contact
Members
Amy Chen, MD
Jerry Chen, MD
Dustin Coyle, MD
Sunny Jha, MD
Litty John, MD
Jeremy Juang, MD
Pooja Kumar, MD
Ryan Lauer, MD
Somya Mishra, MD
Kabungo Mulumba, MD
Gabriel Pollock, MD
Echo Rowe, MD
Mark Singleton, MD
Aska Sturdevan, MD
Steven Tham, MD
Joseph Thomas, MD
Thang Tran, MD
Committee on Women Anesthesiologists
Chair
Melissa Berhow, MD | Contact
Members
Hala Baaj, MD
Dalia Banks, MD
Jennifer Basarab-Tung, MD
Alyssa Burgart, MD, MA
Brianne Caoynan, MD
Valeria Carcamo-Cavazos, MD
Amy Chen, MD
Varina Clark Onwunyi, MD
Jacqueline Drummond Lewis, MD
Genevieve D’Souza, MD, FASA
Litty John, MD
Calvin Johnson, MD
Pooja Kumar, MD
Betty Lee-Hoang, MD
May Let Wah, MD
Kimberly Lu, MD
Mary Morales, MD
Aruna Nathan, MD
Mehana O. Muranaka
Hayley Osen, MD
Ioana Pasca, MD, FASA
Andrea Poon, MD
Seetal Preet Cheema, MD
Forouzan Sabzevar, MD
Sandra Sacks, MD, MEd, FASA
Usha Saldanha, MD
Shikha Sharma, MD, PhD
Lynne Sterni, MD, FASA
Emily Stockert, MD
Sara Strowd, MD
Lauren Vajda, MD
Hussna Yasini, MD
Well-being, Work Culture Improvement, and Structural Enhancement – WWISE Committee
Mission Statement
Committed to educate, support, and empower CSA members to improve, protect, and maintain their well-being through development of individual and organizational initiatives to help members thrive clinically, personally, and professionally.
Chair
Jennifer Noerenberg, MD | Contact
Members
Jennifer Basarab-Tung, MD
Jason Cheng, DO
Lynn Cintron, MD, FASA
Alimorad Djalali, MD
Miguel Gonzalez, MD
Jeremy Juang, MD, PhD
Betty Lee-Hoang, MD
May Let Wah, MD
Kimberly Lu, MD
Vinh Nguyen, MD
Alexandra Ruan, MD
Usha Saldanha, MD
Ann Shah, MD
Marwa Sidani, MD
Lynne Sterni, MD
Aska Sturdevan, MD
Matthew Vo, MD
Sustainability in Healthcare Committee
Commission
The CSA Sustainability in Healthcare Committee is charged with leading CSA’s initiatives related to environmental sustainability in healthcare, including but not limited to the development of best practices, education of members and other healthcare professionals, advocacy for policies that support sustainable healthcare, and fostering collaborations that further the goal of reducing the healthcare industry’s environmental impact.
Chair
Carole Lin, MD | Contact
Members
Jennifer Basarab-Tung, MD
Brianne Caoynan, MD
Lee-lynn Chen, MD, FASA
Ryan Field, MD
Calvin Huang, MD
Kyle Lakatos, MD
David Leon, MD
Jeffrey Lin, MD
Bijan Navidi, MD, FASA
Vinh Nguyen, MD
Naileshni Singh, MD
Aska Sturdevan, MD
Thang Tran, MD
Trevor Whitwell, MD
Hussna Yasini, MD
Task Force on Public Health Epidemics
Chair
Jay Rajan, MD | Contact
Members
Christian Bohringer, MD
Sean Coeckelenbergh, MD
William Feaster, MD
Rebecca Huang
Calvin Johnson, MD
Raina Khan, MD
Justin Libaw, MD, MPH
Jay Rajan, MD
Task Force on Dental Anesthesia
Chair
Dustin Coyle, MD | Contact
Members
Kazuo Ando, MD
Mari Baldwin, MD
Jeffrey Cashin, MD
Jacqueline Drummond Lewis, MD
Donna Lien, MD
Naveen Mehra, MD
Todsaporn Rodbumrung, MD
Leadership & Staff
The California Society of Anesthesiology is lead by it’s Board of Directors, House of Delegates, and Committees.
Staff assists the leadership in the management of the organization.
Meet your leadership and staff here.