Obstetric anesthesia excellence featured at SOAP 2026 annual meeting
The 58th Annual Meeting of the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology (SOAP), held April 29 to May 3, 2026, in Montréal, brought together approximately 1100 attendees and global leaders in obstetric anesthesia under the theme From Discovery to Delivery: Bridging Research and Clinical Care in Obstetric Anesthesia, making it the largest SOAP meeting to date
Under the leadership of Dr. Ron George, SOAP President, Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine at the University of Toronto, and Director of Obstetric Anesthesiology at Mount Sinai Hospital, the meeting featured cutting-edge research presentations and discussions focused on translating evidence into clinical practice.
Faculty and trainees from the department played an important role throughout the meeting, showcasing the department’s international leadership in obstetric anesthesia research, education and patient care.
“As I reflect on the meeting, it is striking how prominently the University of Toronto community contributed to what was, by all measures, the most successful SOAP meeting to date,” said Dr. George. “From my vantage point as SOAP President it was clear that Toronto’s influence was both substantive and visible throughout the program.”
A major highlight was the strong research presence from obstetric anesthesia fellows and graduate trainees. Two of the six abstracts selected for the SOAP Best Paper competition originated from Mount Sinai Hospital. Graduate student Anuradha Baishnob, supervised by Dr. Mrinalini Balki, who leads a state-of-the art laboratory at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, was the winner of the conference’s Best Paper competition.
Notably, department Chair Dr. Beverley Orser delivered the keynote lecture titled “Expanding access to safe and equitable anesthesia care.” Drs. Orser and George also provided expertise on the President’s Panel, “Beyond the Evidence – Implementing Research into Everyday Obstetric Anesthesia Practice,” alongside international scholars from Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Iowa.
A particularly meaningful moment of the meeting was the presentation of the inaugural SOAP Medal of Enduring Legacy to Dr. Joanne Douglas (UBC), presented by Dr. Ron George, recognizing her foundational contributions to obstetric anesthesia in Canada and her decades of leadership in shaping the field.
Additional highlights included a former Mount Sinai obstetric anesthesia fellow, Dr. David Monks, delivering the prestigious Ostheimer Lecture and several Mount Sinai faculty leading hands-on point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) workshops.
Reflecting on the meeting overall, Dr. George noted, “What left an impression on me was the overall positive energy in the OB anesthesia community, and a willingness and a desire to escalate the care that we provide to all patients to the highest levels of excellence. That energy was permeating throughout the meeting, each and every session.”
