Welcome to another episode of Vital Times the CSA Podcast. I am your host, Rita Agarwal. For this episode we went back to the basics and talked about something that all anesthesiologists care deeply about – managing the challenging airway. Joining me is a former colleague and friend who is an attending anesthesiologist at one of the busiest trauma centers in the country - Denver Health Medical Center.

Dr. Alma Juels is an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and the Director of Quality, Safety and Improvement, and the Director of OB Anesthesia at Denver Health Medical Center. She is also an Expert Consultant for the Colorado State Medical Board and has lectured extensively, presented workshops and cared for many patients with difficult airways. In this podcast, she will share some of her scarier and/or more interesting experiences.

Dr. Ludwig Lin has a blast discussing LGBTQ and its impact on various anesthesiologist leaders within academia and politics; drop in and listen to them discuss how this one element of their lives adds meaning and purpose to all of their pursuits. This episode features Travis Reece-Nguyen, MD, Arthur Chyan, DO, and Maricela Sanchez, MD.

There has been much noise about famous scientists reckoning with past publications with data integrity issues. The pressures of “publish or perish”, and the need for oversight of a busy lab, are tricky. Dr. Lin talks with Harriet Hopf, MD, FASA, and Elizabeth Whitlock, MD - two lauded NIH-funded anesthesiologists-scientists to get the scoop.

Mentorship has long been recognized as a crucial component of training physicians. Benefits of mentorship in medicine include increased productivity, improved career satisfaction, expansion of professional networks, reduction in stress, and better work-life balance. Mentorship has also been shown to aid recruitment and retention of a diverse physician workforce. The establishment of mentorship programs has been proposed as a mechanism for promoting inclusivity and diversity within academic medicine, but setting up successful programs can be challenging.

Today’s podcast features 3 accomplished anesthesiologists at different stages of their careers who will discuss the benefits of good mentorship programs and how to start successful programs in both academic and private practice.

Scott Markowitz, MD, MSOL, is Professor of Anesthesiology and Vice-Chair for Professional Development and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr Markowitz focuses on leadership development, promoting a diverse and inclusive leadership and workplace, and promoting meaningful engagement among department members. He serves on the ASA’s ad hoc Committee on Harassment, Incivility, and Disrespect, and also works closely with other leaders on the national initiative, Raising Anesthesiology Diversity and Anti-Racism (RADAR).

Ioana Pasca, MD, is an Associate Professor, Associate Program Director and Director of Neuroanesthesia at Riverside University Health System. She is also a faculty member at the LLUMC Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Neurocritical Care UCR School of Medicine Adjunct Associate Professor and Anesthesia Interest Group Advisor.

Paul Yost, MD, FASA, is the ASA Assistant Secretary, past CSA President, and past ASA Director. He trained in pediatrics at Jackson Memorial in Miami and Anesthesiology at UCLA. He has worked at Children’s Hospital Orange County and St Joseph’s in private practice for 32 years. Served as Chair of pediatric anesthesia at CHOC , Chief of Staff ad hoc, and co-director of Pediatric and Adult Cardiac Anesthesia. Additionally, he served 10 years in city government including 8 years on city council and a couple of terms as mayor of Seal Beach.

CSA Vital Times tracked down some of the chairs running some elite Anesthesiology Departments - they just happen to be in California! They have survived and thrived the seismic changes occurring across all academic medical institutions, ie the increase in clinical need, with huge growths in anesthetic opportunities (and locations - see #NORA), the competition with community hospitals, and resulting impact on their staff. Dr. Michael Gropper (UCSF), Dr. Ron Pearl (recently retired Stanford chair), and Dr. Richard Applegate (UC Davis and now Loma Linda) get together with Dr. Ludwig Lin for an eye-opening and thought-provoking chat.

Dr. Rita Agarwal continues the conversation about sexual and gender harassment with fellow Drs. Christine Doyle, Sydney Thomson, and Alyssa Burgart.

Gender and sexual harassment can be harmful in many ways and not just to the person/people being harassed. It can occur to all genders and is often associated with increased costs to the institution, intention to leave and job/career dissatisfaction. I discuss the problems and possible solutions with leaders from the California Society of Anesthesiologists and the American Society of Anesthesiologist, focusing on what is being done and what still needs to be done.

To amplify the message of Black History Month, CSA Vital Times Podcast series revisits the talented Ashley Oliver, MD. We spoke with her in February 2022 when she was a cardiothoracic anesthesia fellow at UCLA, after having been a resident and Chief Resident at UCSF. Dr. Oliver is now a first-year faculty at UCLA’s cardiothoracic section, and we have a no-holds barred discussion about being a starting faculty, being a minority, building allies, representation, and the importance of building engagement via societies like CSA and ASA!

A recent study from the Association of Academic Medical Colleges reported tht sexual harassment is common in the medical profession and that anesthesiologist (both men and women) reported the highest incidence of harassment. Harassment led to decreased morale, decreased engagement and a higher intention to leave. Join me for a fascinating and engaging conversation with Diana Lautenberger the author of the AAMC article for suggestion on how to prevent harassment.