Past Meetings
The FSA Annual Meeting has grown to over 700 attendees at the world-class resort - The Breakers Palm Beach.
Thanks to the volunteers, members and prior Annual Meeting attendees for your involvement.
June 12-14, 2026 | The Breakers, Palm Beach, FL
June 6-8, 2025 | The Breakers, Palm Beach, FL
June 7-9, 2024 | The Breakers, Palm Beach, FL
Thank you to everyone who joined us at the 2024 FSA Annual Meeting. Registration set a record, topping 440 anesthesiologists from Florida and beyond, and demand was high enough that FSA secured two additional room blocks at nearby hotels for the first time. Dr. Alecia Stein served as Program Chair, the first woman to chair the FSA Annual Meeting.
Keynote
Dr. Leif Dahleen, a retired anesthesiologist and the physician-finance writer behind Physician on FIRE, delivered the keynote: Financial Independence, What It Is, Why It Matters, and How To Get It. He completed his residency at the University of Florida and reached financial independence at 39 before retiring from medicine at 43.
Program Highlights
- Beachside Chat on AI in anesthesiology
- Introduction to and applications of cryoablation as an acute pain treatment modality
- Pediatric Anesthesia Committee panel: a pro and con debate on IV versus mask induction
- Perioperative anxiolysis in the young and old
- Frailty and perioperative outcomes in geriatric, cardiothoracic, and liver transplant populations
- Women of Impact in Anesthesiology
- Surgeon and anesthesiologist collaboration in complex gastrointestinal cancer surgery
- Topics in cardiac anesthesia
- Success in rural perioperative medicine
- State of the ASA address from ASA President Dr. Ronald L. Harter
- Perioperative considerations for patients on GLP-1 agonists
- Critical Care Committee panel on hot topics in anesthesia critical care
- Professional Diversity Committee lecture on the history and evolution of DEI
- Physician unionization, a pro and con debate
- Clinical Grab Bag Snap Talks on sepsis management, advances in obesity treatment, EEG monitoring, and outpatient joint replacement
New This Year
The meeting debuted a hands-on workshop, Getting to NO PAIN: Ultrasound Guided Cryoneurolysis Techniques for Perioperative Analgesia. Faculty came from across Florida and from as far as California, Vermont, and Michigan.
Awards
Distinguished Service Award: Dr. Jonathan Slonin. Dr. Slonin has given more than twenty years of service to the FSA, served as FSA President in 2015-2016, and serves on the ASA Board of Directors as the ASA Director from Florida. He is Chief Medical Officer of Pacira Biosciences and practices clinically at Cleveland Clinic Martin North Hospital.
Presidential Engagement Award: Dr. Rosalie Tassone. Dr. Tassone chairs the FSA Pediatric Anesthesia Committee and is Chief of Anesthesia and Chief of Pediatric Anesthesia at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital. Her committee built the FSA's library of enduring pediatric education material and the Hot Topics in Pediatric Anesthesia webinar series.
Abstracts and Posters
The meeting accepted its highest number of abstracts to date: 118 across six sessions, including 14 podium presentations and 104 posters. The abstract sessions gave Florida's trainees and students a venue to present research and challenging cases. Every abstract, including author lists and affiliations, is posted on the 2024 FSA Podium and Poster Abstracts page.
Resident Jeopardy
Five top anesthesia residency programs competed in the Florida Anesthesia Resident Jeopardy Competition, and the University of Miami residency program reclaimed the winning title.
Highlighted Sponsored Sessions
Friday breakfast: High Flow Nasal Oxygen in Anesthesia
Sponsored by Fisher & Paykel
Saturday breakfast: Procedural Sedation With Byfavo (remimazolam), a Focus on Medically Compromised Patients
Sponsored by Eagle Pharmaceuticals
Workshop: Getting to NO PAIN, Ultrasound Guided Cryoneurolysis Techniques for Perioperative Analgesia
Sponsored by Fisher & Paykel
Welcome Reception in the Exhibit Hall
Sponsored by Nova Southeastern University
Networking Happy Hour
Sponsored by Envision
We are grateful to every attendee, speaker, exhibitor, and sponsor who made this meeting a success, and we look forward to seeing you next year.
June 9-11, 2023 | The Breakers, Palm Beach, FL
Thank you to everyone who joined us at the 2023 FSA Annual Meeting. The theme was Eclectic Diversity, and the program lived up to it. Dr. Brence Sell served as FSA President, with Dr. Luis I. Rodriguez and Dr. Steven Porter as Program Chairs and Dr. Alecia Stein as Co-Chair. Speakers came from across Florida and from institutions in other states, and the program covered every type of anesthesia practice: private and academic, large groups and small, and locums.
Program Highlights
- Intraoperative LMA utilization: spontaneous versus mechanical ventilation
- Controversies in obstetric anesthesiology
- A primer in geriatric anesthesiology
- Pediatric congenital cardiac anesthesia panel
- Pain management for oncologic surgery
- Updates in lung transplant
- Blink! Recognizing when our intuitive judgements misguide us
- Perioperative care of the long COVID patient
- Environmental impact of anesthesia
- Alpha Women of Anesthesiology
- Calm in the Chaos: strategies for weathering turbulent times in healthcare
- Living La Vida Locum
- Updates in neuromuscular blocking drugs
- How current market forces have impacted the perioperative environment
- ASA Update from ASA President Dr. Michael Champeau, moderated by FSA President Dr. Brence Sell
- POCUS Basics: a primer for perioperative ultrasound
New This Year
The meeting added a parallel Resident's Track built for junior faculty, residents, medical students, and anesthesiologist assistants. Part 1 covered employment considerations and anesthesia billing and payment. Part 2 covered working in the anesthesia care team, academic versus private practice, and how to get involved in the FSA, followed by open Q&A.
Awards
Distinguished Service Award: Jon Johnson. Mr. Johnson formed Johnson and Associates in 1995, which became Johnson & Blanton ten years later. His lobbying and political consulting work spans healthcare, managed care, workers' compensation, professional regulation, insurance, telecommunications, utilities, and criminal justice. He previously served in the administration of Governor Bob Martinez, overseeing external and political affairs for the Department of Professional Regulation, and directed government relations for the Florida Medical Association.
Presidential Engagement Awards: Dr. Mo Azam and Dr. Paul Anderson. Both were recognized for their work advancing the Society's priorities over the past year.
Abstracts and Posters
Members presented 86 abstracts across six sessions: 10 podium presentations and 76 posters, covering research and challenging cases from institutions across the state. Every abstract, including author lists and affiliations, is posted on the 2023 FSA Podium and Poster Abstracts page.
Resident Jeopardy
The scientific program closed with Anesthesia Jeopardy, led by Dr. Albert J. Varon and moderated by Dr. Christina Moore. Congratulations to HCA Florida Westside Hospital for winning the competition between Florida anesthesia residency programs.
CME
The meeting offered up to 13.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits, of which 2.25 counted toward the Patient Safety CME component of MOCA 2.0. The activity was jointly provided by the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the Florida Society of Anesthesiologists.
Exhibitors and Sponsors
Thirty-five companies and organizations exhibited in Ponce de Leon 4-6 across both days. The Florida Society of Anesthesiologists thanks its meeting sponsors: Envision Physician Services, HCA Healthcare, Nova Southeastern University Anesthesiologist Assistant Programs, and US Anesthesia Partners.
We are grateful to every attendee, speaker, exhibitor, and sponsor who made this meeting a success, and we look forward to seeing you next year.
June 10-12, 2022 | The Breakers, Palm Beach, FL
Thank you to everyone who joined us at the 2022 FSA Annual Meeting. The theme was Together Again, and the program was built around improving patient safety through physician-led anesthesia care teams. Dr. Leopoldo Rodriguez served as FSA President, with Dr. Luis I. Rodriguez and Dr. Steven Porter as Program Chairs.
Program Highlights
- Analysis of surgical growth in Florida using the statewide AHCA databases and what it means for OR management
- New technologies in anesthesia, including brain and hemodynamic monitoring
- FSA Legislative Update from Dr. Moeed Azam
- Updates in the management of malignant hyperthermia
- Hip Blocks for Hip Doctors: what's new in peripheral nerve blocks for hip surgery
- Postdural puncture headache management
- Let Food Be Thy Medicine: incorporating nutrition in personal wellness
- Cultivating Compassion: an academic review and practical approach
- From Small to Smaller: the current state of invasive cardiac procedures
- Demystifying ECMO
- Awake Spine Surgery Experience panel on regional anesthesia and same-day discharge
- ASA Converse Lecture and ASA Update from ASA President Dr. Randall M. Clark
- Washington Update for Anesthesiologists from Congressman Andy Harris, MD
- Physician Mental Fitness: building the core mental muscles for professional development and peace of mind
- Common pediatric problems for the general anesthesiologist
Hands-On Workshop
The Ultrasound-Guided Regional Block Techniques for Accelerating Same-Day Discharge workshop combined didactic lectures with hands-on scanning of live models and technique practice on high-fidelity gel phantoms. Faculty covered erector spinae plane, rectus sheath, and chest wall blocks, along with PENG, genicular, and iPACK techniques for same-day knee and hip replacement.
Awards
Distinguished Service Award: Dr. Jeffrey S. Jacobs, recognized for outstanding vision, dedication, and commitment to the organization. Dr. Jacobs is a past FSA President and was elected Vice Speaker of the ASA House of Delegates in 2021.
Presidential Engagement Awards: Dr. Roger L. Duncan III and Dr. Sarah G. Bodin, in recognition of their selfless acts of time and dedication to the Society.
Poster of Distinction Awards
- First place: Lindsey J. Laux, MD, Jackson Memorial Hospital, for Iatrogenic Bronchopulmonary Fistula Recognition and Management During Pediatric Lung Malformation Repair
- Second place: Zachary Fleissner, DO, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, for Kounis Syndrome, an Unrecognized Presentation of Anaphylaxis
- Third place: Grant M. Finlayson, MD, Jackson Memorial Hospital, for Inadequate Lung Isolation: An Interesting Case of EZ-Blocker Failure
Abstracts and Posters
Members presented 67 abstracts across six sessions: seven podium presentations and 60 posters. Abstract sessions were led by Dr. Thomas Fuhrman and Dr. Sherman Turnage. Every abstract, including author lists and affiliations, is posted on the 2022 FSA Podium and Poster Abstracts page.
Resident Jeopardy
The scientific program closed with the Anesthesiology Jeopardy competition between Florida residency programs, led by Dr. Albert Varon.
CME
The meeting offered up to 16.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits, with up to 2.5 MOCA credits available through designated Patient Safety sessions. The activity was jointly provided by the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the Florida Society of Anesthesiologists.
Exhibitors and Sponsors
Thirty-four companies and organizations exhibited in Ponce de Leon 4-6 across both days. The Florida Society of Anesthesiologists thanks its meeting sponsors: Acacia Pharma, Envision Physician Services, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, HCA Healthcare, Nova Southeastern University, and US Anesthesia Partners.
We are grateful to every attendee, speaker, exhibitor, and sponsor who made this meeting a success, and we look forward to seeing you next year.
June 14-16, 2019 | The Breakers, Palm Beach, FL
Thank you to everyone who joined us at the 2019 FSA Annual Meeting. The theme was Improving Patient Safety through Physician-led Anesthesia Care Teams. Dr. Knox Kerr served as FSA President, with Dr. Chris Giordano as Program Chair and Dr. Luis I. Rodriguez as Co-Chair. The meeting set three Society records: more than 320 registrations, the largest number of posters accepted to date, and 20 CME credits offered.
Program Highlights
- Anesthesia considerations for interventional pulmonology procedures
- Oral and maxillofacial surgery and the airway
- Subtherapeutic intraoperative drug levels: evidence, incidence, and prevention
- Addiction in Anesthesia, from former ASA Secretary Dr. John Dombrowski
- Cannabis Conundrums
- OB Can Be Fun? Establishing a successful community practice
- Panel on neuromuscular blocking drugs and quantitative monitoring
- The expanding role of informatics in anesthesia practice
- MACRA and MIPS update for anesthesia practices
- ERAS pros and cons debate
- Panel on burnout in anesthesia
- Updates in pediatric anesthesia, including fetal surgery
- Blood management and blood substitutes
- Updates in OB anesthesia, including the high-risk cardiac parturient
- ASA Converse Lecture from ASA President-Elect Dr. Mary Dale Peterson
- Washington Update from Congressman Andy Harris, MD
- Lessons learned from regional blocks
- Acute pain and regional anesthesia panel, and chronic pain and interventional pain panel
Hands-On Workshop
The Interactive Ultrasound-Guided Fascial Plane Block Workshop covered quadratus lumborum, pectoralis, serratus, erector spinae plane, and fascia iliaca blocks, along with ultrasound-guided techniques for knee and shoulder surgery. Small instructor-to-participant ratios, live demonstrations, 3D virtual cadaver imaging, and hands-on live model scanning made this one of the most in-demand sessions of the meeting.
Awards
Distinguished Service Award: Dr. David Varlotta. Dr. Varlotta is Chief of Staff at AdventHealth in Tampa. He served as FSA President in 2011-2012 and, at the time of the award, had served eight years as the ASA Director from Florida. The FSA Board recognized him for his tireless commitment to the Society and the profession.
Lawmakers of the Year: Florida State Senator Bill Galvano and Florida State Senator Gayle Harrell. Senate President Galvano and Health Policy Committee Chair Harrell were instrumental during the 2019 session in halting legislation promoting independent practice and in securing a long-overdue Medicaid OB anesthesia rate increase.
Poster of Distinction Awards
- First place: Paul Potnuru, MD, Jackson Memorial Hospital, for Impact of Florida's New Law on Opioid Prescriptions for Acute Pain After Surgery at a Large Academic Center
- Second place: Christina Brooks, MD, Rutgers RWJUH, for A Successful Application of High Frequency Spinal Column Stimulator Trial for Treatment of Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
- Third place, tie: Nicolas Mendez, MD, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, for Predictive Value of Non-Invasive Cardiac Testing for Preoperative Coronary Revascularization and Adverse Cardiac Events 30 Days Post Kidney Transplant
- Third place, tie: Jonathan Wakim, University of Florida, for A Low Cost Task Trainer for Open Chest Cardiac Massage Training
Abstracts and Posters
Members presented 73 abstracts across four poster sessions and two Poster of Distinction sessions, with 10 selected as Posters of Distinction. Every abstract, including author lists and affiliations, is posted on the 2019 FSA Posters page.
Resident Jeopardy
The Anesthesia Resident Jeopardy Competition featured resident teams from Florida training programs, led by Dr. Albert Varon and Dr. Miguel Abalo, with commercial support from TeamHealth.
CME
The meeting offered up to 20 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits, with one MOCA credit available through designated Patient Safety sessions. The activity was jointly provided by the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the Florida Society of Anesthesiologists.
Exhibitors and Sponsors
Thirty-two companies and organizations exhibited in Ponce de Leon 4-6 across both days. The Florida Society of Anesthesiologists thanks its meeting sponsors: Envision Physician Services, Nova Southeastern University, and TeamHealth.
We are grateful to every attendee, speaker, exhibitor, and sponsor who made this meeting a success, and we look forward to seeing you next year.
June 8-10, 2018 | The Breakers, Palm Beach, FL
Thank you to everyone who joined us at the 2018 FSA Annual Meeting. The theme was Enhanced Recovery and Patient Safety in Anesthesia. Dr. D. Kurt Jones served as FSA President, with Dr. Chris Giordano as Program Chair and Dr. Luis Ignacio Rodriguez and Dr. Leopoldo Rodriguez as Co-Chairs. 2018 marked the sixteenth year the Society held its Annual Meeting at The Breakers.
Program Highlights
- What Everyone Needs to Know About National Anesthesia Practices: the good, the bad, and the ugly
- Case of disaster and second victim programs, including FDA device recalls and best practices after an undesired outcome
- ICU panel on point-of-care ultrasound, handoff communication, and the role of sugammadex in postoperative respiratory failure
- Got Kid Problems? Enhanced safety for pediatric conditions common to the perioperative setting, covering acute respiratory symptoms, obstructive sleep apnea, and opioid-sparing techniques
- Hospital risk management and quality improvement panel
- Surgical site infections and sustainability, including whether anesthesia providers are a vector for postoperative infection
- ASA Converse Lecture from ASA President Dr. James D. Grant
- How to Make Government Work For You, from former Senator and Governor Bob Graham
- Washington Update from Congressman Andy Harris, MD, the first anesthesiologist in Congress
- Resident-focused panels on planning your post-residency profession and the subspecialty fellowship interview
Hands-On Workshop
The Interactive Interscalene Brachial Plexus and Fascial Plane Workshop covered TAP, rectus sheath, quadratus lumborum, pectoralis, serratus, and erector spinae plane blocks, plus ultrasound-guided infiltration for knee surgery. Directed by Dr. Jeff Gadsden of Duke University School of Medicine, the session used small instructor-to-participant ratios, live demonstrations, 3D virtual cadaver imaging, and hands-on live model scanning. It was supported in part by an education grant from Pacira Pharmaceuticals.
Awards
Distinguished Service Award: Dr. Sonya Pease. Dr. Pease is a past FSA President, having served from 2008 to 2009, and an ASA delegate for Florida. She has been a lifelong advocate for patient safety and for the specialty, helping pioneer the Perioperative Surgical Home model of care and serving more than ten years on the ASA Committee on Economics. She is Chief Clinical Officer of TeamHealth Anesthesiology and practices in West Palm Beach.
Abstracts and Posters
Members presented 63 abstracts across four poster sessions and two Poster of Distinction sessions. Every abstract, including author lists and affiliations, is posted on the 2018 FSA Posters page.
Resident Jeopardy and Networking
The Anesthesia Resident Jeopardy Competition featured resident teams from Florida training programs, led by Dr. Albert Varon, with commercial support from TeamHealth. The weekend also included the Welcome Reception in the exhibit hall, the networking happy hour, and the FSA Family Reception on the Ocean Lawn.
CME
The meeting offered up to 16 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits, with up to 4 MOCA credits available through designated Patient Safety sessions. The activity was jointly provided by the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the Florida Society of Anesthesiologists.
Exhibitors and Sponsors
Thirty-three companies and organizations exhibited in Ponce de Leon 4-6 across both days. The Florida Society of Anesthesiologists thanks its meeting sponsors: Envision Physician Services, Nova Southeastern University Anesthesiologist Assistant Programs, PharMEDium Services, and TeamHealth.
We are grateful to every attendee, speaker, exhibitor, and sponsor who made this meeting a success, and we look forward to seeing you next year.