Cite as: Ip V. Editor’s corner: be part of the society working for you. ASRA Pain Medicine News 2023;48. https://doi.org/10.52211/asra050123.002.

It was fantastic to see such a diverse group of regional anesthesiologists and allied health professionals come together to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the original ASRA. It was truly a success, thanks to the hard work of Stephen Haskins, MD, and his team. The annual meetings always feel like a family reunion, seeing old friends, meeting new ones, bouncing ideas around, and having a chance for collaboration. Of course, there is always something new and different to learn about, whether it is the latest block, tips for maintaining wellness, or sustainability/diversity.

In the past 2 years, under the phenomenal leadership of Samer Narouze, MD, PhD, ASRA has been rebranded as ASRA Pain Medicine, which is an important step towards the society’s mission to include all aspects of pain medicine. Furthermore, throughout the past 2 years, Dr. Narouze has continued to embrace diversity, appreciate different kinds of talents, and engage in international collaboration. Without a doubt, David Provenzano, MD, current president of ASRA Pain Medicine, will continue this mission to support research, advocate for our members (including fellows and residents as well as allied health professionals), strengthen international collaboration, and build relationships with other specialties as he outlined in his President’s Message.

It was heartening to see ASRA Pain Medicine include most of the special interests groups (SIGs), such as the Green Anesthesia SIG, in this year’s meeting. It was timely as Earth Day fell on the last day of the meeting, and we celebrated it by posting the article by Rachel Outterson, MD, online ahead of the May edition to remind us that regional anesthesia can be one of the answers for curbing carbon dioxide emissions.

Another article worth mentioning is a discussion about opioid-use disorder in cesarean section, which is such an important topic, though the evidence is scarce. Michael G. Taylor, MD, and Laura L. Sorabella, MD, examined the evidence and formulated a pathway to help us manage a very challenging obstetrics patient population.

There are three articles included in our most popular  “How I Do It” section, so check them out as I am always able to pick up some tips and pearls, hence refining my skills by reading how other regional anesthesia specialists perform their blocks. We have articles on both acute and chronic pain blocks, including the gasserian ganglion block for trigeminal neuralgia, the rectus sheath block, and the external oblique intercostal plane blocks.

In this edition of the newsletter, there are also some very interesting chronic pain articles, one, for example, outlining a novel exosome therapy, which, although still not approved by FDA, is certainly an innovative concept. Other innovations include tele-simulation for medical education — a silver lining from the COVID-19 pandemic. As always, please email me at ASRAeditor@asra.com with your ideas and comments.