Advancing Anesthesia Through Discovery: The International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS) 2025 Meeting in Honolulu. What a Fabulous Experience

The International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS) has been at the forefront of advancing the science and practice of anesthesiology for over a century! As a nonprofit dedicated to research and education, IARS funds critical discoveries that shape patient care and provides a global forum for innovation in anesthesiology, critical care, and perioperative medicine.

This year’s meeting in Honolulu brought leading minds in anesthesiology and perioperative medicine together to share groundbreaking research, explore emerging technologies, and to collaborate on ways to enhance the science of perioperative care and to improve patient outcomes. Typical of IARS meetings, this year’s meeting represented another exceptional opportunity to learn from the most amazing thought leaders, researchers, innovators, and educators the world has to offer. This year, topics ranged from discussions on anesthesia and disorders of consciousness, to Gen Z Anesthesiology, to the use of suzetrigine- a novel NAV 1.8 voltage-gated sodium channel blocker- for acute pain management, to AI in perioperative medicine, to considerations of marijuana use in the perioperative period, to enhancing the use of regional anesthesia in Guatemala and perioperative pain assessment and management across Africa.

Spending time with colleagues and friends from the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER) also represented another wonderful and important experience. Considering all of the challenges facing research today, including pending NIH caps, there has never been a more important time to both individually and collectively support FAER and the IARS’s mission to “support, define, and deliver tomorrows care today.” https://www.asahq.org/faer/support-faer; https://iars.org/donate/

I’m especially proud and honored to have presented on behalf of Envision Healthcare and the Physician Quality Registry, whose exemplary abstract focused on "Anesthesiology, The Cost of Cost Avoidance, and the Quality Payment Program.” This work by Dr. Bruce Kingsley, Dr. Benjamin Houseman, Dr. Zachary Goldman, Dr. Rafael Noriega, Samantha Maras, Marvin Gallo, and Patrick Velliky sheds light on the financial and clinical trade-offs that come with value-driven decision-making in healthcare—an issue that impacts the entire health ecosystem. Their critical work focuses on the importance of balancing economic responsibility with high-quality care, which is essential for defining and driving value in perioperative medicine.

Additionally, it was an honor to have Dr. Santhanam Suresh moderate our abstract session, and to present alongside the following exemplary researchers: Dr. Divleen Malhi (University of Ottawa), Dr. Xuan He (Boston University), Cindy Huang (George Washington School of Medicine), Dr. Robert Johnstone (West Virginia University), Dr. Lisa Lee (UCLA Medical Center), Dr. Katherine Loh (Vanderbilt University Medical Center), and Thomas Tran (University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio).

Lastly, a special thanks to the IARS leadership and to all of the presenters, attendees, and supporters for delivering another amazing and professionally nourishing experience. On to IARS 2026 in my home town of Montreal, Quebec May 1-3, 2026 (Mark your calendars- https://meetings.iars.org/past-future-meetings/future/).