Former President’s Message
As President, I would like to welcome you to the Society for the Advancement of Transplant Anesthesia (SATA.) The Society was founded in 2011 as small group of Anesthesiologists (our founding members), devoted to improving the quality of perioperative care of abdominal and thoracic transplant recipients, and of the organ donor. In 2016, the Society was formally established as an independent clinician-based, professional organization to advance recognition of the field of Transplant Anesthesiology and to support the specialized expertise and educational needs of Anesthesiologists involved in perioperative transplant care.
The Society is committed to identifying innovative approaches to clinical practice, improving education and fellowship training, and to foster original research by creating a network of leading academic transplant anesthesia programs to promote scientific discovery through the conduct of multi-center, clinical trials. In order to achieve these overarching goals, we have established an organizational structure designed to facilitate individual and institutional collaboration – a Leadership Council working collaboratively with committees. Committees have been formed to address specific areas of expertise, and divided into work groups and task forces, as needed, to manage SATA activities and oversee the creation of new initiatives. Members are encouraged to lend their expertise to committee work and to play an active role in the growth and professional standing of the organization and advancement of the field.
In the coming year, I plan to lead the Society as we continue to increase our membership base, expand the capacity for collaboration, mentoring, and shared scholarship. Create greater opportunities for our members to network via our webpage and social media; support the career development of members and transplant anesthesia programs; and increase the number of publications of position papers, guidelines, and original research in our home journal, Seminars in Cardiovascular and Vascular Anesthesia (SCVA); and establish partnerships with like- minded organizations in other countries and regions. Among these priorities will be the development and dissemination of practice management guidelines, model curricula for fellowship training, and new opportunities for acquiring continuing medical education (CME) credit by organizing national and regional conferences.
Finally, I warmly invite Anesthesiologists actively engaged in every type of organ transplantation or donation, and those interested in additional education, to take a moment to review the content of the Society’s webpage. Join today the ranks of SATA’s membership, a thriving organization that is already playing a critical role in the evolution of the challenging and rewarding field of Transplant Anesthesia. Together we can provide a voice and direction to our organization.
Ernesto A. Pretto, Jr., M.D., M.P.H.
Past SATA President