Research Spotlight
I was exposed to research early in my training as an anesthesiology resident at the University of Maryland in the late 1990s, where I had the fortune of training with Dr. Jane Matjasko, our department chair. As a pioneer in neuroanesthesia, she worked diligently to understand the complexities of anesthetic effects on the brain. She was one of the inaugural members of SNACC (Society of Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care) and among the first graduates of the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania (now Drexel University). She inspired me to become an academic anesthesiologist who was passionate not only about patient care but also about asking questions, being industrious, and finding the answers through research.
Dr. Mary Njoku was another amazing role model who inspired me to pursue critical care and become a woman intensivist. She highlighted the importance of bringing a humanistic aspect to the care of patients and families in the ICU. During my Critical Care fellowship at Columbia University, I had the opportunity to work amongst amazing scholars and clinicians such as Dr. Robert Sladen (the fellowship program director and Vice Chair), Dr. Margaret Wood (Chair), and Dr. Desmond Jordan. Having them as mentors and advocates during a fellowship year in New York when 9/11 devastated the world was very special to me. With their support and encouragement, I published my first peer-reviewed manuscript and have been hooked ever since.
I continued my journey in academic medicine in Asia (following my husband’s jobs) where I worked as an intensivist and anesthesiologist. I completed a Master’s degree in medical ethics from the National University of Singapore. I was touched by the predicament of families of elderly patients in the ICU and wanted to understand the perspectives and dilemmas that these tensions hold. I was also fortunate to receive national grants on multiracial genetic aspects of sepsis in critically ill patients. While living abroad, I continued to be actively involved in various academic societies here in the US, including SOCCA, the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), and the Critical Care Medicine committee of the ASA. I returned to the US just before the start of the pandemic under the leadership of Dr. Daniel Talmor at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). I was especially attracted to BIDMC given its history of research excellence and limitless opportunities. Since then, I have continued to focus on scientific investigations centered on humanities, compassion, cross cultural ethics, racial injustice in end of life care, and women in medicine and critical care.
As an ethicist and anesthesiologist-intensivist, I have incorporated my interest and training in medical ethics in the social and clinical aspects of family and patient care in the ICU. I spearheaded the creation of ethics rounds for our trainees in the ICU and created an interprofessional module for nurses, residents, and students to discuss real life case vignettes with important ethical and moral dilemmas. At BIDMC, I am currently conducting a study in collaboration with representatives from SCCM, SOCCA, the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Care, and ESICM on compassionate care in the ICU. I am also working with SOCCA on a member survey regarding professional fulfillment and burnout amongst intensivists. My work is currently supported by BIDMC Healthcare Delivery Science and John Hedley Whyte grants, and a complete list of my publications may be found online. I currently serve on the Board of Directors of SOCCA and co-chair the SOCCA Women in Critical Care Working Group. I look forward to collaborating with SOCCA members for the advancement of humanities research in critical illness.
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Drip
SOCCA Reception at 2023 SCCM Critical Care Congress in San Francisco
Date: 1/23/2023
Time: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM PT
Location: Hilton Union Square (333 O’Farrell Street)
Room: Franciscan A
When: February 2, 2023 | 6:00 PM ET
Where: Register online
Description: Join us for our first Early Career Intensivist Group Meet and Greet of the year on February 2 at 6pm ET. We will have SOCCA board member Dr. Ashish Khanna joining us for a lively discussion about navigating through life as an Early Career Intensivist. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS) / Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) / Cardio Thoracic ICU (CTICU) Workgroup
Members who have a special interest in MCS are invited to join this workgroup. Our first meeting will be January 19, 2023, at 5PM CST. Please register in advance: SOCCA CTICU/ECMO Meetup Link.
This year, SOCCA is seeking committee volunteers for our communication, education, membership, and research committees—as well as the new clinical practice committee. To view committee descriptions and submit an application, visit https://socca.org/get-involved/.
You may submit an application for a SOCCA Committee between November 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022.
Learn more & review SOCCA’s Volunteer Selection Criteria.
This election cycle, SOCCA will be electing three members for the Board of Directors (3-year term). Further details about the governance structure of SOCCA are described in SOCCA’s Society Bylaws.
SOCCA members interested in serving in an elected positions on the SOCCA Board of Directors should submit a letter of interest, photograph, and curriculum vitae to Vivian Abalama, IOM, CAE ([email protected]) with subject line “2023 SOCCA Board of Directors Election.”
Review criteria by which Board of Directors and volunteer leaders are evaluated: Volunteer Selection Criteria.
You can apply via email only for a Board of Directors position between November 1, 2022 and December 5, 2022.
SOCCA Innovators Award: applications open 9/30/2022 – 12/31/2022.
Gender Equality in Critical Care
Major professional societies & organizations have the obligation to initiate & sustain strategies that support & enhance gender equality in critical care. WICC invites members of SOCCA to participate & discuss ways to advance these goals & values. Understanding & recognizing gender diversity challenges & carrying on the momentum gathered in recent years within SOCCA and outside it, will enable a positive environment for more women to enter & remain within ACCM.
SOCCA has a calendar/list of events. Visit it regularly & save essential dates.
The SOCCA Speakers Bureau has officially launched! As a SOCCA member, you may now:
- Upload your academic profile
- Search for collaborators and potential speakers
Have you made any changes in 2022? It’s time to update your SOCCA demographic profile and / or renew your membership. Keep your SOCCA experience seamless & don’t miss out on any updates & member benefits. Visit: buff.ly/3sPMG6j
SOCCA would like to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of our female intensivists during this month and year-round. Throughout September, four of our members will be sharing their experiences as a woman in critical care.
Read: Burnout: No Easy Answers in a Post-Pandemic World, by Sarah Alber, MD
Read: Belonging to an Organization: Professional Advancement & Personal Gains, by Nazish Hashmi, MD
Read: Mentors and Mentees: A Powerful Connection, by May Hua, MD, MS
Read: Women in Critical Care: Where We Are & Where We Want to Be, by Shahla Siddiqui, MD, MSc, FCCM
Shahla Siddiqui, MD, MSc, FCCM, and Co-Chair of SOCCA’s Women in Critical Care recently edited a special issue of Journal of Critical Care featuring women as first and senior authors. Read Dr. Siddiqui’s introduction in Volume 71 | October 2022 issue.
The SOCCA Early Career Intensivists working group provides new members and members who are early in their careers with the resources needed to ease the transition from trainee to practicing intensivist. Learn more.
ASA Monitor
Have you read “SOCCA, the Pandemic, and the Future” by SOCCA’s Miguel Cobas, MD, FCCM, in this month’s ASA Monitor? Visit: https://socca.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Cobas_SOCCA.pdf
As a SOCCA member, you are eligible to receive a discount on an IARS membership. IARS membership benefits include a subscription to Anesthesia & Analgesia, SOCCA’s official journal, A&A Practice e-journal, free journal CME, access to a member community and discounted registration to the IARS Annual Meeting. Click here to view a list of membership options.
Anesthesiology Critical Care Fellowship Programs
Have you visited SOCCA’s Anesthesiology Critical Care Fellowship Programs page? If you would like your organization’s program added to our site, let us know here: https://socca.org/new-socca-fellowship-listing/.
