President's Message of Dr. Joshua Atkins

Dear Head and Neck Anesthesia Experts, Enthusiasts, and SHANA Members:

Welcome to The Society for Head and Neck Anesthesia (SHANA)! SHANA is an international society of physicians and other experts dedicated to improving the perioperative care of patients undergoing head and neck surgery. Since SHANA’s inception in 2011, it has spanned across all continents and over 30 countries. Our society encapsulates the subspecialty of head and neck anesthesia, emphasizing collaboration between anesthesiologists, surgeons, and healthcare team members managing complex head and neck pathology perioperatively. Interest in head and neck anesthesia has never been stronger. We focus on the entire perioperative period from diagnosis to recovery. The growing global prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea, the popularity of drug-induced sleep apnea, the advent of new procedures like transoral robotic surgery (TORS) and hypoglossal nerve implantation, and the arrival of artificial intelligence are all contributors. Of course, airway management is also an important consideration in head and neck procedures ranging from apneic oxygenation and awake tracheostomy to the delicate fiberoptic intubation.

SHANA’s website and forum are a great resource for the latest techniques and approaches in head and neck anesthesia. The Journal of Head and Neck Anesthesia (JoHNA), included in membership, will give you the opportunity to publish your work. JoHNA accepts all types of submissions including basic science and clinical studies, case reports, review articles, and communications to the healthcare community. Please consider submitting!

Our society eagerly embraces surgeons and emphasizes the importance of engaging teams who manage head and neck surgical patients to optimize clinical pathways, innovate new approaches, and disseminate knowledge and experience. SHANA actively collaborates with the ABA to propose head and neck related MOCA questions and SHANA was highly involved in protocols to optimize patient and healthcare worker safety amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Members developed an expert consensus statement on the perioperative management of adult patients undergoing head and neck surgery and free tissue reconstruction in both JoHNA and A & A. We also cosponsored the 2022 American Society of Anesthesiologists Practice Guidelines for Management of the Difficult Airway. Many of our members were among the select group of experts who participated in the expert consultants’ survey. SHANA experts also develop and present an ENT panel at the ASA Annual Meeting.

We seek enthusiastic, innovators who have brilliant new ideas for the future and creative ideas to bring the care of head and neck surgery patients to even higher levels. Our leaders work collaboratively with members on all projects. The opportunities are tremendous to get involved at all levels and make a name for yourself and your work! We are excited to grow our society and enhance our impact and immensely privileged to work with our members from all corners of the world.

SHANA is grateful to our sponsors who have provided and continue to provide invaluable support for our educational mission, provide the technology that we use to care for our patients, and support our Annual Meeting during the ASA. Thank you!

I sincerely hope you will engage frequently with the Society, come to Philadelphia in October 2024 for the SHANA Annual Meeting, and write me anytime with your ideas.

Joshua H. Atkins MD, PhD
President, Society for Head and Neck Anesthesia