Our 2024 Annual Meeting (March 22-24) of the Association of University Anesthesiologists (AUA) will be a return to form. For the first time in a decade, we will host an independent meeting in a university setting, with the goal of providing a uniquely academic experience. The Department of Anesthesiology at Washington University is graciously co-sponsoring the event, which will take place on campus in the Charles F. Knight Executive Education & Conference Center.

Welcome to this edition of the AUA Update! I’m thrilled to serve as the chair of the Communications and Website Committee, and there’s a wealth of exciting news and initiatives to share with our esteemed membership.

In recent membership surveys, the AUA community requested more offerings related to mentorship. In response to this call, the LAB is developing a mentorship program. (Thank you to those of you who already signed up to be mentors!) To complement the LAB’s mentoring program, the EAB will be offering a Mentorship Workshop preceding the annual meeting in St. Louis on Friday, March 22, 2024.

Updates from the Membership Engagement Board

The MEB has announced a slate of awards to highlight substantial service contributions: Lifetime Achievement Award, Active Member of the Year Award, and Rising Star- Associate Member of the Year Award. Please nominate your colleagues by November 19: https://auahq.org/membership-engagement-advisory-board-member-awards/

“A single conversation with a wise [wo]man is better than ten years mere study of books” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

September is “Women in Medicine” month. Since 2020, we have dedicated the September newsletter of the AUA to women in academic anesthesiology. In this issue, we share the insights of a group of successful women leaders in academic anesthesiology, collected by open-ended survey questions. Each of our contributors is a leader in medicine who has used their position for advocacy and mentorship. Their reflections, their advice, and their insights are presented to recognize their contributions, to learn from their experiences, and to inspire the next generation of leaders in our field. We are grateful for our contributors’ time, candid advice, and thoughtful insights.

On Thursday afternoon, as attendees of the 2023 AUA Annual Conference were mingling or preparing for the President’s Reception, a group of early career faculty and senior AUA mentors were engaged in an exciting inaugural event—a mock study section. The program was spearheaded by Dr. Jamie Privratsky with help from Dr. Michael Andreae.