President’s Message Volume 35 Issue 3

August was Charlie Parker Month, the month of the great musician’s birth. I am, of course, a jazz fan, but Mr. Parker is also on my mind for his outstanding talent. He was among the foremost innovators in the most improvisational of music genres. This capability made him flexible, inspiring, and able to direct groups in productive and creative ways. Capabilities are the necessary support for achievement. Today, SOCCA is a nimble organization that is enhancing its capabilities.

Speaking of directing groups in productive and creative ways, we welcomed Jennifer Rzepka on board as our Executive Director around the turn of the year. She has been working behind the scenes to help us build our repertoire. We are performing our regular review of the bylaws, have a job fair coming up on October 2, and look forward to seeing many of you at the ASA meeting, where we will have a Critical Care Review moderated by former SOCCA president Avery Tung. A lot of us are involved in the Critical Care track at the ASA conference, and it is a great example of how we add value to the ensemble.

Great things are ahead for our collaborations. A generous gift will allow us to present a joint Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation/SOCCA lecture on patient safety, and we will again offer the SOCCA Innovator’s award in 2025. Our Perioperative Resuscitation and Life Support (PeRLS) collaboration with the ASA has been a great educational effort that has given perioperative providers a way to improve and validate their abilities, with more to come. 

As a society, we keep a beat, harmonize with our constituents and other like-minded groups, keep up with chord changes, and, above all, look for ways to create something new and enduring. August is often a time to recharge before the crush of fall, but for SOCCA, it is just another great opportunity to play our tune our way.