On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Society for Pediatric Sedation management company, Ruggles Service Corporation, I would like to extend our personal wishes that all of our members, your families and your colleagues are safe and healthy. I cannot imagine that any member of our Society has not been personally touched by this global pandemic. United in our commitment to service and the display of professionalism and dedication we bring from our respective disciplines, we have all focused on caring for our patients.
The mission of the Society, “Striving to be the international multidisciplinary leader in the advancement of pediatric sedation by promoting safe, high quality care, innovative research and quality professional education” remains unchanged. However, nothing in health care remains the same and as a professional society, we must acknowledge the challenges and stressors facing us all. Despite our social distancing, our BOD and committee chairs are diligently moving forward with our new strategic plan, which has been revised to reflect changes needed during this time. The Education, Membership, Research, Quality and Nursing and Allied Health committees have been charged with implementing the strategic plan and all interested members are welcome to participate. As a Society, we are committed to innovation in order to meet our individual and institutional member needs. Please reach out to us at [email protected] with questions and concerns or to volunteer to serve. The list of committees is available in the Members Section.
We were unable to meet in Baltimore for our annual sedation conference, the first year without an SPS meeting since before the inception of the society. Like many of you, I have always enjoyed the informative presentations, the networking opportunities, the research collaborations that were initiated and the social gatherings of friends and colleagues at this annual meeting. Education and networking are now being offered by many societies on virtual platforms and the Society for Pediatric Sedation will be offering a virtual conference with many of the speakers who were originally slated to present this past May. We look forward to seeing you at the 2021 Annual Conference, scheduled for May 17-29 at the Grand Hyatt, Seattle, Washington.
I would like to close with thanking each and every one of you for all of your efforts on behalf of the Society for Pediatric Sedation. Our diverse and engaged membership unites and strengthens us. Membership continues to increase on an institutional level, the newly re-designed PSRC database has been released, COE designations remain popular, and the only pediatric-focused online sedation curriculum celebrates its first anniversary! In the next two years, I look forward to aligning the Society’s mission with the dedication and compassion that you have all demonstrated.
Anne Stormorken, MD
President, Society for Pediatric Sedation®
UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital
Case Western Reserve School of Medicine
Cleveland, OH