Anesthesiology

Reflections on ASA Advance 2026

ASA ADVANCE 2026— Las Vegas, NV | “The Anesthesiology Business Event” 

Written by Sharline Kashfian, MD, MHA, MPH

Conference attendees posing together in a hotel ballroom, wearing name badges.

At this year’s ASA ADVANCE conference, the UCLA Department of Anesthesiology did not just participate—we helped shape the conversation. Attending the meeting were 18 members of our department, including 9 faculty members, 6 resident physicians, and our department CFO, Johnny Quach. UCLA contributed 4 resident posters and 10 faculty-led sessions. ASA ADVANCE is an annual highlight of our Resident Leadership Track, and we were excited to be joined by two Leadership Track alumni from the Class of 2025. Our residents and faculty represented UCLA with distinction.   

ASA ADVANCE is a national forum where leaders in anesthesiology come together to explore innovation, strategy, leadership, and the evolving business of our specialty. This year, discussions spanned workforce dynamics, contract negotiations, professional development, and strategies to strengthen alignment between anesthesiology departments and hospital leadership. Sessions on NORA, quality improvement tracking, and ambulatory surgery centers highlighted the critical intersection of performance optimization, operational efficiency, and financial sustainability. 

Group of ten adults standing and smiling before a circular gold mirror in a lobby.

The conference provided valuable insights into the current macroeconomic landscape of healthcare and anesthesiology, including the forces shaping reimbursement and the trajectory of our field. A central theme was that in a value-based era, the future of physician-led anesthesiology will depend on our ability to deliver measurable value, enhance performance, and adapt to workforce and payment challenges. ASA ADVANCE reinforced the importance of working smarter—not harder—to ensure the longevity of our specialty while continuing to deliver exceptional, patient-centered care.

We would like to give a special acknowledgment to our outstanding faculty who helped shape the national dialogue at ASA ADVANCE. Maxime Cannesson, MD, PhD, Johnathan Pregler, MD, Philip Levine, MD, and Emily Methangkool, MD, MPH, contributed their expertise by leading sessions, moderating panels, and facilitating roundtable discussions. UCLA’s presence was both prominent and impactful—truly unmatched by any other institution. We are proud to have such iconic leaders representing our department.

At UCLA, we are not just adapting to the future of anesthesiology—we are helping define it.