Virginia Society of Anesthesiologists

11/13/2025

🎙️ Member Q&A: Dr. Manhal Saleeby
Anesthesiologist and Pain Specialist, VCU Health Community Memorial Hospital

🔹 What drew you to anesthesiology?
When I came from Syria, to be able to get into American specialties I had to go to internal medicine first. However, I felt like my dream was more intervention. I wanted to have hands-on. With the help of the medical director of internal medicine, they appointed me to anesthesiology. When I went to interview, I really fell in love with the culture. I fell in love with how everybody is down to earth. As a junior CA1 or CA2, you felt like you were one of the team. And I really like that. The other thing is the immediate satisfaction of when you care for the patient. You’re right there monitoring the outcome ... and you’re treating it right away.

🔹 How about your subspecialties?
I graduated from anesthesia in 2000. Then I did the pain management fellowship and a pediatric anesthesia fellowship. I had to pick one to be my long-term career, and that was pain management. Because I missed my own patients. I missed following patients long-term. In pain management, you can do a procedure and you can follow the patient for years. Just like any other medical specialty. So I get the best of both worlds.

🔹 How long have you been an anesthesiologist?
I’ve been an anesthesiologist since 2000 — so 25 years.

🔹 Why did you join VSA?
I think we have a duty to support our societies. Because without them, a lot of the regulations, the discussions and the lobbying with Congress or the local politicians, we have to be an advocate. We have to push for patient care, and continuing to be the physician-led specialty. ... I can give some of my time, we can support the PAC. Because it makes a big difference. It’s important that the physicians support their societies.

🔹 What would you like medical students to know?
If you like medicine, and at the same time you like interventions, direct patient care, hands-on ... we’re a good compromise between internal medicine and general surgery. What I like about anesthesia is that we care, and our departments care, about our work-life balance.

11/11/2025

🇺🇸 Thank you to all veterans, and our VSA members and their family members who served in the armed forces. On this Veterans Day, we also show appreciation to our Association of Veterans Affairs Anesthesiologists colleagues and their commitment to veterans care.

11/07/2025

AI is making bedside ultrasound faster, more consistent and easier to teach.

VSA member Dr. Justin Genova shares practical use cases: on-screen probe guidance, sub-optimal image detection, and such automated measures as LVEF, VTI, and IVC collapsibility. Studies show quicker scans and higher image-quality scores in trainees.

Read the full story at vsanews.wpengine.com/?p=2320

11/05/2025

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10/31/2025

It was a weekend of hands-on POCUS, expert faculty and learning. 🩺🖥️

VSA’s immersive weekend brought gastric US, FAST, lung + focused cardiac echo to life, with participants logging cases toward the ASA Diagnostic POCUS Certificate.

One of the faculty team members, Dr. Melissa Byrne, recaps the experience: https://vsanews.wpengine.com/?p=2311

10/29/2025

We loved having so many Virginia medical students join us at Anesthesiology 2025! Thanks Karen Frieswyk for sharing this photo from San Antonio with our VSA President, Casey Dowling, DO, FASA.

10/23/2025

Please join us in welcoming Patrick Giam, M.D., FASA as the new president of The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).

His commitment to patient safety, anesthesiologist-led care, and supporting early-career colleagues will strengthen our specialty.

"I will continue to tackle the issues that are most important to our members, from securing fair payment and battling ‘Big Insurance’ to preserving anesthesiologist-led care and more,” Giam said.

Congratulations, Dr. Giam — and we thank Donald E. Arnold, M.D., FACHE, FASA for his leadership as Immediate Past President.

10/22/2025

Gastric POCUS turns “Is the stomach empty?” into real-time data.

In the fall issue of VSA's newsletter, UVA's Christina Jardak, MD, shares how it supports safer inductions and smarter perioperative decisions — especially with GLP-1 use and other risk factors.

Read how gastric ultrasound adds value: vsanews.wpengine.com/?p=2306

10/16/2025

We’ve had more than great sessions at Anesthesiology 2025. We've also connected at some special events.

Virginia was represented at the ASA Presidents’ Reception by Brooke Trainer, (VSA President-Elect), Donald E. Arnold (ASA Outgoing President), Casey Dowling (VSA President) and Jeff Green (VSA Past President).

We also joined a jam-packed Medical Student Program Director Meet and Greet, and connected with Association for Veterans Affairs Anesthesiologists leadership over dinner.

The conference included key insight on emerging technologies, late-breaking research, perioperative medicine, physician wellbeing and workforce challenges.

10/14/2025

We’ve had a standout week at Anesthesiology 2025 in San Antonio.

One of the highlights for us was supporting VSA board member Brooke Trainer, MD, FASA, on the national stage.

Trainer delivered the keynote, “Perspectives Shape Our Future: Positive Outlook for our Future,” at the joint meeting of the Association for Veterans Affairs Anesthesiologists with the Uniformed Services Society of Anesthesiologists.

We’re proud to see our members and leaders showing up where it counts — advancing care for veterans, service members, and the patients we serve every day.

10/10/2025

In the News: A federal judge in California has upheld the state’s limit on using the title “doctor/Dr.” in health care settings to licensed physicians.

The court cited evidence that patients can be confused by nonphysicians using the title.

As noted by The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) President Donald E. Arnold, MD, FACHE, FASA, this is a win for transparency and aligns with ongoing work to ensure accurate titles and truthful advertising.

Read more: https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/legal-regulatory-issues/california-doctorate-nurses-cant-use-doctor-title-judge-rules-8-notes/

A California federal judge has ruled that nurses with doctorates do not have the right to call themselves doctors. Here is what to know: 1. The case…

10/09/2025

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