Dear Colleagues,
More than 13,000 anesthesiologists gathered in San Diego this past week for ANESTHESIOLOGY 2026, the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. It was a pleasure to welcome our peers from all over the globe to California, and I was proud of how well our members were represented.
In addition to our colleagues in practice, I want to recognize the medical students, residents, and fellows who joined us to network, present, and engage with ASA. It was impressive to meet so many talented individuals, and it makes me excited for the future of our specialty.
On Saturday evening, CSA hosted our member reception. It was wonderful to see so many of you in one room. We were also honored to welcome Assemblymember Darshana Patel of the 76th District and Assemblymember Kate Sanchez of the 71st District, and we appreciate them taking the time to join us.
Californians were present throughout the meeting and the House of Delegates. Our members served on ASA committees and reference committees, authored resolutions, stood as candidates for office, and spoke across the educational sessions. This level of involvement keeps California’s voice strong in the decisions that shape our specialty.
At the House of Delegates, Dr. Christine Menor authored two resolutions that will shape ASA’s work in the year ahead, each moving forward in its own way. Both advance patient safety in office-based dental and oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) anesthesia. The first calls for a national registry and data collection for adverse events in office-based sedation and general anesthesia. The second opposes the single operator model, in which one clinician performs the procedure and manages the anesthesia, and affirms personnel standards for office-based deep sedation and general anesthesia in both pediatric and adult patients.
I am especially pleased to share two honors received by CSA leaders. First, Dr. Ed Mariano, a CSA Past President, was elected ASA Assistant Treasurer. Second, Dr. Neal Cohen was voted to receive the ASA Distinguished Service Award. Please join me in congratulating them both, and you can find more about each of them below.
Thank you to everyone who attended and represented CSA so well in San Diego.
Sincerely,
Todd Primack, DO
President, California Society of Anesthesiologists