April & May 2026

Dear SOAP Community,

The 2026 SOAP Annual Meeting in Montreal was a defining moment for our society and a powerful reflection of SOAP’s continued growth, relevance, and momentum. Our community came together in Montreal around the theme of moving from Discovery to Delivery: bridging research, clinical care, education, and community in obstetric anesthesia. The meeting captured what SOAP does best: bringing people together around high-quality science, practical clinical knowledge, mentorship, innovation, and a shared commitment to improving care for pregnant and postpartum patients.

The success of the Annual Meeting was evident across every dimension of the program. The plenary sessions, workshops, scientific presentations, case discussions, award celebrations, Special Interest Group activity, and social events all reflected the depth and breadth of our community. Montreal provided a space not only to share new evidence, but also to translate that evidence into clinical practice, build collaborations, support emerging leaders, and strengthen the professional relationships that sustain our society.

Importantly, the success of the meeting was not limited to attendance or programming. It reflected the strength of the SOAP community itself. The energy in Montreal was unmistakable; in the hallways, during the research sessions, at committee events, through mentorship conversations, and at gatherings such as Party with a Purpose. The Research Network Symposium highlighted the growing impact of multicenter collaboration and the importance of building infrastructure for clinically meaningful research. The awards program celebrated excellence across education, research, diversity, mentorship, and service. The strong engagement around Annual Meeting content and Virtual Highlights reinforced that SOAP is increasingly becoming a year-round educational and professional home for obstetric anesthesiologists and perinatal care partners.

The Annual Meeting also demonstrated how SOAP’s strategic priorities are coming to life. Our commitment to experience, community, and infrastructure was visible throughout the meeting: in the quality of the educational content, the intentional focus on member engagement, the celebration of scholarship, and the continued expansion of opportunities for participation. The meeting brought together academic and community physicians, fellows, trainees, researchers, educators, multidisciplinary colleagues, industry partners, and international attendees in a way that reflected both the inclusiveness and ambition of our society.

Thank you to the Annual Meeting and Live Events Committee, Education Committee, Research Committee, Diversity Committee, Member Value Committee, Intersociety Committee, SOAP HQ, faculty, presenters, abstract reviewers, moderators, sponsors, volunteers, and every attendee who contributed to making the meeting such a success. Montreal gave us more than a successful annual meeting, it gave us momentum to carry forward. As we look ahead, SOAP remains committed to advancing excellence in science, excellence in education, excellence in clinical care, and excellence in community.

Ron George, MD, FRCP
President, Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology

BOARD STATS 
  • To date, there are 51 SOAP State Representatives, and we continue to work towards securing a representative from each state.  SOAP State Representatives will provide a key contact in each state to help us reach a broader audience, as SOAP strives to meet its mission to provide safe and equitable care for women and newborns everywhere. If you know someone who is interested in becoming a SOAP State Representative, please contact SOAP HQ.  
  • SOAP Annual Business Meeting was held May 20 at 7:00pm EST
COMMITTEE STATS 

Annual Meeting and Live Events Committee 

  • Thank you to all who came to the 2026 SOAP Annual Meeting that was held April 29 - May 3, 2026 at Le Westin Montreal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
  • Were you unable to attend the 2026 Annual Meeting in person? Register for the deconstructed model, Virtual Highlights! The Annual Meeting Virtual Highlights event will leverage a curated offering of popular recorded content from the in-person event plus new, original content.
    • Registrants of the 2026 Annual Meeting also have access to Virtual Highlights.

Education Committee

  • Teacher of the Year Award (More than 10 Years): Pervez Sultan, MD, FRCA, MbChB - Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
  • Teacher of the Year Award (Less than 10 Years): Sharon Reale, MD - Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
  • Fellows Webinar was held April 8 at 3pm EST. Dr. Emily Naoum presented “Maternal Sepsis”
  • COPUS Webinar was held April 9 at 5pm EST. Dr Naida Cole and Dr. Chad Dean hosted. Dr. Phillip Callihan presented, “A Hole in the Differential: Hypotension Uncovering an Undiagnosed ASD.”
  • Fellows Webinar was held May 13 at 3pm EST. Dr. Emily Naoum & Dr. Jaime Daly hosted. Dr. Michael Furdyna presented, “Maternal Cardiac Arrest.”

Diversity Committee 

Governance Committee 

  • Terms for committees began January 1 and end on December 31.

Intersociety Committee  

  • SOAP/Kybele International Outreach Grant:
    • Cassandra Poirier - University of British Columbia
    • Elana Kreiger-Benson, MD - Brigham & Women's Hospital
  • New COE Designees:
    • Danbury Hospital - Danbury, CT, USA
    • Emory University at Grady Memorial Hospital - Atlanta, GA, USA
    • Emory University Hospital Midtown - Atlanta, GA, USA
    • Lenox Hill Hospital - New York, NY, USA
    • Pavilion for Women Texas Children's Hospital Won's Center North Austin - Cedar Park, TX, USA
    • Saint Mark's Hospital - Millcreek, UT, USA
    • San Giovanni Hospital - EOC Switzerland - Bellinzona, Canton Ticina, Switzerland
    • University of California, Irvine - Orange, CA, USA
    • Wexford Hospital, Allegheny Health Network - Wexford, PA, USA
  • COE Recertifications – designation originally granted in 2021:
    • Baylor College of Medicine – Houston, TX, USA
    • Kitasato University Hospital – Sagamihara City, Kanagawa, Japan
    • Memorial Hermann Hospital – Texas Medical Center – Houston, TX, USA
    • Parkland Hospital Center – UT Southwestern – Dallas, TX, USA
    • Pro Matre Paulista – Groupo Santa Joana – Sao Paulo, Brazil
    • University of Colorado – Aurora, CO, USA

Member Value Committee 

Research Committee  

  • Research Network Symposium was held in conjunction with the 2026 SOAP Annual Meeting in Montreal on Friday, May 1 from 1:00pm – 4:00pm EST at Le Westin Montreal Hotel.
  • Gertie Marx Research Competition
    • First Place: Payton Marshall, MD, PhD – Stanford University
    • Second Place: Lily Y. Bai – Vanderbilt University Medical Center
    • Third Place: Susannah Oster, BS – Vanderbilt University Medical Center
  • Best Research Paper Competition
    • Anuradha Baishnob, HBSc – University of Toronto
  • Best Case Reports Competition
    • Jace R. Battrell, MD, MSMP - Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
    • Daniel F. Berenson, MD, PhD - Mass General Brigham
    • Manuel A. Fierro, MD - Stanford University School of Medicine
    • Spencer Hansen - George Washington University
    • Fatine Karkri, MD - Stanford University School of Medicine
    • Momoko Kobayashi - Saitama Medical Center
    • Eliezer Mendelev, MD - The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
    • Allison Mootz, MD - UT Southwestern Medical Center
    • Makela Stankey, MD - Stanford Health Care
    • Lucas Steele, MD - The Ohio State University
Finance Committee 
  • Combined net assets for SOAP and the SOAP Endowment were $6.7M as of April 31, 2025

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