Federation Working Group
Chair: Akila Rajakumar, MD (Gleneagles Global Health City, Chennai, India)
Executive Liaisons and SATA representatives: M. Susan Mandell, MD, PhD (University of Colorado); Tetsuro Sakai, MD, PhD, MHA (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center)
In 2017 SATA worked with representatives from India, Europe, South Korea and the Middle East to launch the first global Federation of transplant anesthesia societies. The intent was to create closer working and collegial relationships among transplant anesthesiologists from across the globe. The Federation is home to an international joint society that aims to increase interaction among members from all global geographic areas. SATA’s, role in the Federation is to facilitate international participation by providing a temporary shell structure that the Federation can grow into. The Federation will have independent governance when the international assembly of representatives deems it has adequate resources.
What we have done so far:
- SATA invited potential Federation participants to discuss forming a joint and cooperative society. A special session entitled “International Forum for Organ Transplantation” was held during the 2018 annual meeting during the annual International Anesthesia Research Society meeting (May 1, 2018, Hyatt Regency Hotel Chicago, Chicago, IL). The following panelists were invited and presented a synopsis of transplant activity in each country: Susan Mandell (US & LICAGE representative); Akila Rajakumar (Gleneagles Global Health City, Chennai, India); Amer Majeed (King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia); Justin Sangwook Ko (Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea) & Sang-Hyun Kim (Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, Gyeonggi, Korea).
The next steps forward:
- The Federation Working Group will broker a Memorandum of Understanding 1 between SATA and the Korean Society of Transplant Anesthesia (KSTA). The MoU will be signed during the Koreanesthesia meeting in Seoul November 2018:
General Scope of MoU. SATA and KSTA will begin work on shared programs or activities including but not limited to: (a) joint research projects in fields of mutual interests; (b) exchange of academic publications and reports; (c) sharing of experiences in innovative teaching methods and course design; (d) organization of joint symposia, workshops, and conferences; (e) opportunities for faculty development and exchange; (f) opportunities for resident and fellow exchanges; and (g) opportunities for exchange of visiting research scholars.
2. The Federation Working Group is discussing the details of a MoU between SATA, India, LICAGE and Middle Eastern societies.
3. The Federation Working Group is helping transplant anesthesiologists in Japan to start their first transplant anesthesiology society
1 – A memorandum of understanding (MoU) is an agreement between two (bilateral) or more (multilateral) parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties that underlies an intended common line of action. It is often used either in cases where parties do not imply a legal commitment or in situations where the parties cannot create a legally enforceable agreement. It is a more formal alternative to a gentlemen’s agreement.