VOLUME 33, ISSUE 1

I wanted to take a moment to thank all of our TSA membership who have done so much during a tumultuous year that has been disrupted in so many ways. Our membership has “come together” in so many ways over the past year, despite not being able to physically meet in person. The loss of the physical meetings has caused many of us to learn new skills with virtual meetings in order to continue to conduct the business of the TSA.

I commend the members who have stepped up to continue to fight the battles that must be fought. There are too many to name all of them (for fear of leaving someone out), but our state has been well represented as our specialty was a large part of dealing with the COVID pandemic in 2020. Leadership at the highest levels of the ASA came from within our own TSA membership at a time when much of our way of practicing medicine had to be continually reinvented. In addition, the legislative battles did not cease during the pandemic. In fact, many of the battles became even more urgent. Many of you continuously fought these battles on the front lines and the membership is extremely grateful for the work that has continued to be done, despite adverse conditions. The need to support our TSAPAC remains and is more important now than ever. Dr. Kercheville’s ASA Director’s report gives details of a very busy year’s activities and recognizes some of the very important achievements of the TSA membership at the ASA level this year.

This issue of the TSA Newsletter highlights some of the events that we have had to deal with over the last year. I encourage you to read the articles as they highlight the effects of COVID on both large and smaller practices. We also have an article that examines the impact of COVID on the wellness of our physicians and other healthcare providers. In addition, we have a very nice review of the regional anesthesia management of the patients with multiple rib fractures that introduces a couple of newer approaches to this issue that some may not be as familiar with. On the education front, we also continue the series exploring generational differences in learners in the second of a series of articles. We also share with you a very interesting article on a recent whistleblower legal case surrounding the “company model” of anesthesia services. I encourage everyone to read this article as it has some very interesting information that we should all be aware of. In addition, I hope that all will read about the advocacy efforts of several of our TSA colleagues who travelled on short notice to Charlotte, N.C. in order to advocate for our specialty on the critical issue of balance billing.

Perhaps my favorite series of articles that we have added in the last few years is the historical series, “On the Shoulders of Giants,” examining leaders in anesthesiology from the state of Texas who have made an impact on our specialty in so many ways. Thus far, the series has examined the careers of M.T. “Pepper” Jenkins, Arthur Keats, Betty Stephenson, Claudia Potter, Gabor Racz, and James Arens. In this volume of the Newsletter, we add Charles Tandy to the distinguished list of giants within our specialty and society who have paved the way for us to follow. I was very happy to learn more about his career and his accomplishments in this excellent addition to our series. Isaac Newton is credited with the quote, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” This quote was the basis for which I named this historical series and I believe that there are many in our membership who have or are currently filling that role for our younger generation of anesthesiologists. I hope that we can continue to honor many more of our leaders who have helped us “see further.”

On a very sad note, we have an article honoring the life of our friend, colleague, and TSA officer, Dr. Charles E. Cowles. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. His leadership and impact on our society was immense. We offer condolences and prayers of comfort for his family and friends as they deal with this tremendous loss.

Thank you all for exploring this volume of the TSA Newsletter and I hope that you find information in it that will be of interest to you. I wish to thank all who have contributed, despite them being very busy with many other duties. Please email me if you would like to contribute something in the future or if you have a good idea for a topic. I hope that everyone has a happy and healthy 2021 and I hope to see as many as possible (hopefully in person and not on Zoom) at our TSA Annual Meeting next fall.