Women in Critical Care
by Shahla Siddiqui, MD
We had our first ‘kick off’ meeting for Women in Critical Care. We had 59 pre-registrants and 17 participants for the first zoom meeting on February 23. Our objective was to introduce the mission as well as to decide a structure and goals for the year. We discussed a website launch as well as a first, official meeting on March 17 at the 2022 SOCCA Virtual Annual Meeting where we will have an invited guest speaker: Dr. Deborah Cook (a truly inspiring woman intensivist).
After introductions, we discussed the following agenda items:
Need and Feasibility for a Women in Critical Care Group
1) To provide a platform for a diverse group of individuals engaged in various facets of anesthesia critical care practice, and includes academicians involved in research/clinical care/administration, private practitioners, junior, mid-level, and senior faculty.
2) The purpose of the group is to encourage women from various career tracks to engage in CCM activities, and also to address issues that are important to ensure equitable representation of women in the field of critical care.
Data was presented from the registration survey of 59 registrants:
Additional degrees of registrants:
MS (5) MPH (3) PhD (6) MBA (1) FCCM (3)
Title: Instructor (2) Assistant Professor (17) Associate Professor (12) Professor (4) Director (5) Vice Chair (2) PD/Assist PD (2)
Level of training: Fellow (7) Resident (3) Student (1)
Practice setting: Pvt Practice (1)
Years in practice:
27(1), 25(2), 22(1), 20(1), 19(2), 15(2), 14(2), 13(3), 12(2), 11(3), 10(1), 9(3), 8(7), 7(5), 6(1), 4(2), 3(1), 2(1), 1(4).
Preferences for Women in Critical Care
Speakers List/Panel (46)
Advice (44)
Networking (42)
Invite Speakers (41)
Sponsorship (32)
Mental Wellbeing (29)
Developing a Network (3)
Write-ins:
- Social Media Platform (1)
- Private Practice (1)
- Recruit Women (1)
Our content foundation will focus on:
1) Leadership/Mentoring
2) Academic challenges/Career path
3) Work life balance/Mental health
Our brand pillars are:
Quality, Compassion and Benevolence.
In the coming year we will plan:
- Webinar. Some topics considered were “Unique balance of academic and personal/family pressures in CCM and how to deal with them,” “Multi-dimensional aspect of CCM and how women excel in this field,” and “Academic vs Private practice- best fit?"
- Speaker/Panelist list: liaise with SOCCA membership/mentoring committees.
- Newsletter and SOCCA Drip: (articles 4 times per year), update, member interviews (nominations, standard format), webinar content, research findings, content on professional wellbeing, psychological and social support.
- Research report: One report at the end of the year (next meeting)- member survey on professional satisfaction, burnout, or fulfillment?
- Award: when more developed; for next meeting 3/23 (from nominations).
We asked for volunteers for Chair, Vice Chair, and a Working group (membership committee members) for writing, networking for research, sponsorship, and wellbeing.
We will plan a write up for the “Women in Medicine Month” piece as well, in September.
Hopefully, we will plan an in-person meeting at ASA and the next SOCCA meeting. With the support of the SOCCA BOD and members we hope to make Women in Critical Care a success and to improve membership representation amongst women in CCM. A lot of work needs to be done and we hope we can improve the national and global efforts towards this goal.
Author
Shahla Siddiqui, MD
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Boston, Massachusetts
Drip
March 2023

February 2023



January 2023

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!

December 2022


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.

November 2022

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.


October 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:


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
September 2022


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.
August 2022


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.
July 2022
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/.