2025 SOAP Fundamentals Speakers

Beth Clayton, DNP
Beth Clayton, DNP, CRNA, FAANA, FAAN

Beth Ann Clayton is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, a Level I Trauma Center and a Level IV Maternity Hospital. She is also a Professor and Director of the Nurse Anesthesia Program at the university. She is a primary author of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) Practice Guidelines: Analgesia and Anesthesia for the Obstetric Patient. Beth leads the faculty for the AANA Spinal Epidural and Obstetric Essentials Workshop and serves as a speaker for the Society of Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology Fundamentals Workshop. She serves on the AANA Foundation Malpractice Closed Claims Research Committee, focusing on obstetric anesthesia claims. She is a Fellow of both the American Academy of Nursing and the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology. Beth has been appointed to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee (MEDCAC). Additionally, she has served on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Council on Patient Safety in Women’s Health Care, the Joint Commission Perinatal Safety Standards Review Panel, and the National Quality Forum Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Committee. 
Carlos Delgado, MD
 Carlos Delgado, MD 		 Carlos Delgado, MD

Associate Professor
Associate Director, Obstetric Anesthesia
Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine - University of Washington
Clinical and research interests: labor pain relief, management of high-risk pregnancies, and clinical outcomes and modes of delivery of labor analgesia.


James Damron, MD 

  James Damron earned his B.S. degree in Music from Murray State University prior to attending the University of Louisville for medical school, the University of Alabama at Birmingham for anesthesiology residency, and then Vanderbilt University Medical Center for obstetric anesthesiology fellowship. He currently serves as the Division Director of Obstetric Anesthesiology at the University of Kentucky where he focuses on high-risk obstetric anesthesia. His special interests include medical education, LGBTQ+ health, and community outreach. He is an active member of The Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP), where he serves on committees focused on outreach and education.

Kelly Fedoruk, MD

Dr. Fedoruk, raised in rural Canada, completed her medical training at the University of Saskatchewan, followed by an Obstetrical Anesthesiology fellowship at Stanford. After working at the University of Toronto (2017-2020), she joined Stanford as a Clinical Assistant Professor in 2020 and became Quality Improvement Lead for Obstetric Anesthesiology in 2021. In addition to her work in QI, she is passionate about POCUS and simulation in obstetric anesthesiology.

She enjoys treating trainees to take-out on call and, when not at work, spending time outdoors with her husband and two young daughters and going home to Canada to ski.

Ron George, MD

Dr. Ronald George is Professor & Director of Obstetric Anesthesia at Mount Sinai Hospital in the University of Toronto. He is originally from Nova Scotia and after his fellowship at Duke University spent more than 15 years at Dalhousie University. He more recently spent a few years at UCSF in San Francisco before returning to Canada. He was a Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society Career Scientist Award recipient aimed at enhancing analgesia and anesthesia for women and high-risk pregnancies. His research areas are cesarean recovery and patient centred labour analgesia. He plays an active role in the #OBAnes global community serving the CAS as their representative and Co-Chairing the WFSA Obstetric Anesthesia Committee. Finally, Dr. George is the current President of the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology.

Antonio Gonzalez-Fiol, MD 		 Dr. Antonio Gonzalez-Fiol is an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and the Director of the Obstetrics Anesthesia Fellowship at Yale New Haven Hospital. His research interests include point-of-care viscoelastic testing and POCUS, mainly ultrasound-guided neuraxial procedures. 


Sangeeta Kumaraswami, MD

Dr. Sangeeta Kumaraswami is an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Obstetrics & Gynecology and Chief of Obstetric Anesthesia at Westchester Medical Center/New York Medical College at Valhalla, NY.

She has presented on topics related to obstetric anesthesia both locally and nationally. This includes the  NY State Society of Anesthesiology ( NYSSA)  Post Graduate Assembly ( PGA) meeting held annually in New York City as well as at the ASA meetings. She is also a member of the ASA committee on Obstetric Anesthesia as well as the ASA Abstract Review Subcommittee on Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology.

She is passionate about teaching and is the Obstetric Anesthesia Resident rotation director at her institution. She was voted by anesthesia residents as the best sub-specialty teacher of the year and has received this award in 2021, 2022 and 2025. In 2024, she was recognized by the Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and received the Chair’s Award for Excellence in Education and Service to Patients. She has been part of the faculty that teaches Point of care ultrasound at the workshop in the SOAP conference and specifically teaches gastric ultrasound.

She has also been involved in mentoring medical students and starting in 2025, has organized an Obstetric Anesthesia summer course approved by the medical school for M1 students who are transitioning to M2 year. This was the inaugural year that had 4 medical students. The course was well received and is an excellent way to introduce medical students early to the specialty of obstetric anesthesiology.

John Kowalczyk, MD 		 Dr. John J. Kowalczyk is an attending anesthesiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and an Instructor of Anaesthesia at Harvard Medical School, specializing in obstetric anesthesiology. He serves as the Director of Fellowship Research in the hospital’s Obstetric Anesthesiology Division. Dr. Kowalczyk received his medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in 2012, completed his anesthesiology residency at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, and pursued fellowship training in obstetric anesthesiology at Stanford University. Prior to joining Brigham and Women’s in 2023, he was on faculty at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where he cultivated a robust focus on clinical research, quality improvement, and interdisciplinary collaboration. His research focuses on the management of postpartum hemorrhage, including the diagnosis and treatment of acquired coagulopathy using viscoelastic testing, and innovations in the peripartum care experience. These efforts have been supported by both institutional and external funding, including a Young Investigator Grant from the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology. In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Kowalczyk is committed to trainee mentorship and leads collaborative research initiatives aimed at advancing maternal outcomes through innovation in obstetric anesthesia.

Christine McKenzie, MD

Dr. Christine McKenzie is a Clinical Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. She completed her anesthesiology residency at UNC and an obstetric anesthesiology fellowship at Stanford.

In addition to her clinical work, Dr. McKenzie focuses on patient-centered research and quality improvement. Her interests include post-cesarean analgesia, postpartum sterilization procedures, postpartum hemorrhage, and maternal safety. She serves as the obstetric division’s PSQI lead, where she oversees tracking and monitoring of quality metrics and outcomes to enhance patient safety and quality of care throughout the peripartum period.


Emily McQuaid-Hanson, MD 

 Emily McQuaid-Hanson, MD is an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of New Mexico, where she serves as Division Chief of Obstetric Anesthesia. Dr. McQuaid-Hanson completed her anesthesiology residency at the University of Colorado and a fellowship in obstetric anesthesia at Massachusetts General Hospital. Her professional practice and non-clinical work focuses on care of high-risk obstetric patients, quality improvement, and maternal health equity.


Greg Palleschi, MD

Dr. Palleschi is the Director of Obstetric Anesthesia for Northwell Health’s Central Region.  He is passionate about maternal healthcare and firmly believes in the importance of the healthcare team in improving maternal outcomes.  His efforts in mobilizing and energizing the team have been recognized.  Both North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center are recognized as Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP) Centers of Excellence.  Dr. Palleschi currently serves on the SOAP Board of Directors—and he has served SOAP in varying capacities throughout the years.  Dr. Palleschi is the Associate Program Director for the Northwell Health Anesthesiology Residency Program and Chairman of the Clinical Competency Committee.


Cheryl Parker, MD 

Cheryl Parker is the Director of the Nurse Anesthesia Program at the University of Louisville and is a practicing obstetric anesthetist with NorthStar Anesthesia at Norton Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. With over 30 years of nursing experience, she brings a wealth of clinical expertise and a strong commitment to advancing maternal health.

She is a Fellow of both the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (FAANA) and the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (FAWHONN); and an active member of the Kentucky Perinatal Quality Collaborative (KyPQC). Her work centers on improving patient outcomes through education, advocacy, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Her advocacy efforts include helping to pass KY-HR73, which established January 23rd as Women’s Health Awareness Day in Kentucky. Her publications, ranging from clinical guidelines and case studies to national practice briefs, underscore her ongoing commitment to enhancing obstetric care.


Emily Sharpe, MD  

Emily E. Sharpe, M.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. She completed medical school at the University of Minnesota, anesthesiology residency at Mayo Clinic, and an obstetric anesthesiology fellowship at Wake Forest School of Medicine. She is the program director for the Mayo Clinic Obstetric Anesthesiology Fellowship.

Her research interests include optimizing pain control and enhanced recovery after cesarean delivery and improving outcomes in the obstetric patient. She is actively involved in the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology and is the Social Media Editor for Anesthesia & Analgesia.

 



Josh Younger, MD

Dr. Younger is a board-certified anesthesiologist and OB/GYN specializing in obstetric anesthesiology.  He serves as Director of OB Anesthesia at Long Island Jewish Medical Center and Director of OB Anesthesia Quality for Northwell Health's Central and Eastern Region.  Passionate about advancing the field, Dr. Younger leads national initiatives in OB anesthesia education and guideline development for the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP) and the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). He contributes to improving maternal safety through his service on the New York State Department of Health Maternal Mortality Review Board and formerly the Michigan Morbidity and Mortality Surveillance Committee.  Committed to resident education and mentorship, Dr. Younger actively teaches anesthesia and obstetrics residents, fostering their involvement in national presentations and publications.  His collaborative research focuses on bringing evidence-based anesthetic practices to the labor and delivery suite, prioritizing a safe and positive experience for mothers and babies.