Officer Candidates
PRESIDENT
Viviane G. Nasr, MD, MPH, FASA
Boston Children’s Hospital
Boston, MA
Hospital/Institution Titles:
Associate Professor of Anaesthesia; Harvard Medical School
Chief, Division of Cardiac Anesthesia
Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine; Boston Children’s Hospital
Name and City/State of College attended; degree and year obtained:
American University of Beirut, Lebanon, BS, 1999
Name and City/State of Medical School attended, degree and year obtained:
American University of Beirut, Lebanon, MD, 2003
Name and City/State of Hospital where Internship was completed; type and dates attended; degree and year obtained:
American University of Beirut, Lebanon 2004
Metrowest Medical Center, Harvard Medical School Affiliate, Framingham, MA, 2010
Name and City/State of Hospital where Anesthesiology Residency was completed; dates of training:
American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon, 2007
Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, 2013
Name and City/State of Hospital where Fellowship training was completed (if applicable); type and dates of Fellowship:
Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowship, Children’s National Medical Center, George Washington University, Washington D.C., 2009
Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesia Fellowship, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 2014
Name and City/State of Hospital/University where additional training was completed (if applicable); type and dates of training:
Master of Public Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Prior involvement with CCAS or SPA:
I am currently the Vice President and Chair of the Education Committee. I have led multiple initiatives within CCAS in the past few years, including writing questions, updating the website, creation of the CCAS Special Interest Group, organizing the CCAS webinar series, recognition of the pediatric cardiac anesthesia specialty by the ACGME and many others. The more recent effort was the evaluation of the pediatric cardiac anesthesia practice including education, staffing, work environment, career development and compensation.
Involvement with other national/international (pediatric) anesthesia organizations (if applicable):
-Chair of the Anesthesia Track for the World Congress of Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery 2025.
-American Society of Anesthesiologists, member
-International Anesthesia Research Society, member
-Association of University Anesthesiologists, member
VICE PRESIDENT
David F. Vener, MD
Texas Children’s Hospital
Houston, TX
Hospital/Institution Titles:
Professor, Department of Anesthesiology
Baylor College of Medicine
Name and City/State of College attended; degree and year obtained:
The University of Texas at Austin, B.A. – Plan 2 Honors Program, 1985
Name and City/State of Medical School attended, degree and year obtained:
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 1989.
Name and City/State of Hospital where Internship was completed; type and dates attended; degree and year obtained:
Baylor College of Medicine Affiliated Residency Programs, July 1989 – June 1990 (Categorical Anesthesia)
Name and City/State of Hospital where Anesthesiology Residency was completed; dates of training:
Baylor College of Medicine Affiliated Residency Programs, July 1990 – June 1993 (Categorical Anesthesia with CA3 Research Track)
Name and City/State of Hospital where Fellowship training was completed (if applicable); type and dates of Fellowship:
Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada, Paediatric Anaesthesia Clinical/Research Fellowship, July 1993 – June 1994
Prior involvement with CCAS or SPA:
I am one of the founding members of the CCAS beginning with the initial discussions taking place at the PCIS meeting in Miami, FL in 2007. Since its inception, I served as Chair of the Database Committee until 2 years ago and have served 2 terms on the Board of Directors and for the last two years on the Executive Board as the CCAS Secretary/Treasurer. I was the Chair of the CCAS Annual Meeting in Austin, TX in March 2023. At various times I have also been active in the Education and Quality Committees and I have represented the CCAS at various multi-disciplinary forums related to my database work.
Involvement with other national/international (pediatric) anesthesia organizations:
I served two terms as a member of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesia’s Database Committee and have also served as member of the American Society of Anesthesiology’s Quality Institute.
In addition, I have represented the CCAS as a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgery’s Congenital Heart Surgery Database Committee and as a member of the STS’ Access and Publications Committee and have also been a member of the Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Consortium (PC4).
SECRETARY
Laura Downey, MD
Emory University
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Candidate Video
Hospital/Institution Titles:
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Emory University
Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiologist, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Name and City/State of College attended; degree and year obtained:
Duke University, Durham, NC BS 2003
Name and City/State of Medical School attended, degree and year obtained:
Duke University, Durham, NC MD 2008
Name and City/State of Hospital where Internship was completed; type and dates attended; degree and year obtained:
Internship in Internal Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 2008-09
Name and City/State of Hospital where Anesthesiology Residency was completed; dates of training:
Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 2009-2012
Name and City/State of Hospital where Fellowship training was completed (if applicable); type and dates of Fellowship:
Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowship 2012-2013
Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesia Fellowship 2014
Prior involvement with CCAS or SPA:
I attended my first CCAS meeting as a 2nd year anesthesia resident in 2010. Since then, I have had the opportunity to lead Roundtable Discussions, teach workshops, speak at educational meetings, and mentor trainees and junior faculty in abstract presentations and other educational opportunities.
I joined the CCAS Hemostasis Interest Group (HIG) as one of the original members and served as the HIG Chair from 2021-2024. Since our inception, our membership has grown from 5 clinicians to a network of cardiac anesthesiologists from over 20 institutions. Due to the small heterogenous population of pediatric cardiac patients that present to a single institution, large, high-quality studies in pediatric cardiac transfusion medicine are challenging. However, this multi-institutional collaboration has led to several abstracts and publications that aim to define differences in clinical practices across institutions.
I have been an active member of the SPA Research Committee, including serving as an abstract reviewer and a moderator for poster sessions for the SPA 2020 Annual Meeting. In 2019, I received the SPA Young Investigator Grant to carry out a randomized clinical trial examining the “In vivo effect of fibrinogen concentrate versus cryoprecipitate on the neonatal fibrin network.” From 2021-2023, I served as a member of the SPA Young Investigator Grant Committee.
In 2022, I became a member of the CCAS Research Committee and eventually Committee Chair in 2024. As a member of this committee, I served as an abstract reviewer, moderator for poster sessions, and a member of the Dolly D Hansen Research Award Reviewer. Since becoming Chair in March 2024, I have worked with the board of directors on several initiatives to increase our educational and research outreach, including adding new abstract awards, trainee scholarships, and additional funding for quality improvement research awards. We recently launched our monthly Podcast “Inquiring Minds Mending Tiny Hearts.” Over the course of this podcast, the research committee will invite experts to discuss pearls and pitfalls of research in the field of congenital cardiac disease.
As a member of the CCAS Board of Directors for the past four years, I have enjoyed developing collaborative relationships across the larger anesthesia community and congenital cardiac specialties to further the mission of the CCAS. As secretary, I look forward to continuing this mission with like-minded Congenital Cardiac Anesthesiologists who are dedicated to improving the perioperative care and outcomes for patients with congenital heart disease requiring anesthetic care.
Involvement with other national/international (pediatric) anesthesia organizations:
My work in HIG and the CCAS Research complements my involvement on the ASA Patient Blood Management Committee. The Committee focus on updating practice guidelines and consensus statements for transfusion medicine and guidelines for pediatric anesthesiologists.
As part of the ASA PBM Committee, members are invited to give workshops and lectures on transfusion related topics at national meetings throughout the year, including the ASA Annual Meeting, the Society for the Advancement of Blood Management, and the Boston Children’s Annual Meeting on the Principles of Pediatric Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine.
In addition to my work with the CCAS and the ASA, I was invited by the Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Consortium PC⁴ to join a workgroup aimed at reducing/preventing thrombotic complications in pediatric. The PC⁴ is a unique collaborative of leaders in pediatric cardiac critical care, cardiac surgery, and cardiology representing the diverse group of centers caring for these patients. The Thrombosis Workshop aims to improve the quality of care to patients with critical pediatric and congenital cardiovascular disease through the core pillars of collaborative quality improvement: purposeful collection of specific clinical data on outcomes and practice; timely performance feedback to clinicians, and continuous improvement based on empirical analysis and collaborative learning.
TREASURER
Lawrence I. Schwartz, MD
Cohen Children’s Medical Center/Northwell
New Hyde Park, NY
Candidate Video
Hospital/Institution Titles:
Director, Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology
Name and City/State of College attended; degree and year obtained: Washington University. St Louis, MO. BA History 1990.
Name and City/State of Medical School attended, degree and year obtained: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. MD 1995.
Name and City/State of Hospital where Internship was completed; type and dates attended; degree and year obtained:
Sinai Hospital of Baltimore. Baltimore, MD. Pediatric Residency 1996-1999
Name and City/State of Hospital where Anesthesiology Residency was completed; dates of training: Johns Hopkins Hospital. Baltimore, MD. 1999-2002
Name and City/State of Hospital where Fellowship training was completed (if applicable); type and dates of Fellowship:
Johns Hopkins Hospital. Baltimore, MD. Pediatric Anesthesiology & Pediatric Critical Care Medicine 2002-2004.
Prior involvement with CCAS or SPA:
SPA Board of Directors; Director-At-Large, 2018-2022
WELI Steering Committee and Advisory Board, 2018 – present
DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE CANDIDATES
Megan Albertz, MD
Children’s Hospital Colorado/University of Colorado
Aurora, CO
Candidate Video
Hospital/Institution Titles:
Program Director for Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology Fellowship
Assistant Professor
Name and City/State of College attended; degree and year obtained:
Miami University, Oxford, OH; B.S. in Biochemistry awarded in 2008
Name and City/State of Medical School attended, degree and year obtained:
University of Cincinnati Medical School. Cincinnati, OH; MD awarded in 2012
Name and City/State of Hospital where Internship was completed; type and dates attended; degree and year obtained:
University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 2012-2013
Name and City/State of Hospital where Anesthesiology Residency was completed; dates of training:
University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL 2013-2016
Name and City/State of Hospital where Fellowship training was completed (if applicable); type and dates of Fellowship:
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH; Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship 2016-2017
Name and City/State of Hospital/University where additional training was completed (if applicable); type and dates of training:
Children’s Hospital Colorado/University of Colorado, Aurora, CO; Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology Fellowship. 2017-2018
Prior involvement with CCAS or SPA:
Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesia Program Directors Association (2023-present) – This is a CCAS Committee which includes program directors and associate program directors for pediatric cardiac anesthesiology fellowships. It is a great opportunity to discuss successes and challenges. I am also part of a subcommittee to help develop a standardized curriculum for pediatric cardiac anesthesia fellows that will be available on OpenAnesthesia in the future.
CCAS Trainee Lecture Series (2021-present) – I collaborate with Dr. Houska and Dr. Scholl to organize live monthly lectures for our pediatric cardiac anesthesia fellows that gives them exposure to high-yield topics and an opportunity to interact with anesthesiologists, cardiologists, and surgeons at different institutions and ask questions to elicit differences and variability in practice.
CCAS Coaching Mentoring Initiative (2022-present) – I am part of team that helps pair pediatric cardiac anesthesia fellows with experienced mentors in the field. It is both an opportunity to help advance careers, but also promote sustainability and longevity in the field.
SPA Question of the Week Editor (2021-present) – I am one of eight editors who peer review question and keyword submissions for the program. It is an excellent continuing education and potential pediatric anesthesia board review program that has produced nearly 200 high-quality questions and keywords.
Morgan L. Brown, MD, PhD
Boston Children’s Hospital
Boston, MA
Candidate Video
Hospital/Institution Titles:
Clinical Director, Division of Cardiac Anesthesia
Name and City/State of College attended; degree and year obtained:
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada BSc 2003
Name and City/State of Medical School attended, degree and year obtained:
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada MD 2003
Name and City/State of Hospital where Internship was completed; type and dates attended; degree and year obtained:
University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada 2003-2005, Cardiac Surgery
Name and City/State of Hospital where Anesthesiology Residency was completed; dates of training:
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta 2009-2012
Name and City/State of Hospital where Fellowship training was completed (if applicable); type and dates of Fellowship:
Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 2012-2014, pediatric and congenital cardiac anesthesia
Name and City/State of Hospital/University where additional training was completed (if applicable); type and dates of training:
PhD in Clinical and Translational Science, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 2005-2009
Prior involvement with CCAS or SPA:
I am the current chair of the STS database committee- 2023-2025 and have been a member of this committee since 2012. I am the past chair of the Quality and Safety Committee. I have participated in CCAS by working with various committees including many other members which includes the development of the cognitive aid cards (I serve as editor), as well as a recent scoping review of quality metrics. In addition, we have published on cardiac arrest using the STS-CCAS database, and we will be starting a manuscript on early extubation in 2025. I have given presentations, organized and participated in various workshops and roundtables, and also mentored many of our trainees and faculty in research presentations at CCAS. I am also part of many of our special interest groups including the hemostasis and adult congenital groups. At SPA, I am a member of the Quality and Safety Committee.
Involvement with other national/international (pediatric) anesthesia organizations:
I am the Boston Children’s Hospital Principal Investigator for the Multicenter Perioperative Outcomes Group (MPOG) and I am the co-chair of the pediatric quality improvement committee and the chair of the pediatric cardiac anesthesia quality subcommittee for MPOG. This organization focuses on promoting safe and evidence-based perioperative care for all patients through collaboration, research, education, and quality improvement.
Nischal K. Gautam, MD
Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, UTHealth
Houston, TX
Candidate Video
Hospital/Institution Titles:
Professor of Anesthesiology, Vice Chair and Division Chief of Pediatric Anesthesiology
Name and City/State of College attended; degree and year obtained:
Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, New Delhi, Senior Secondary, 1993
Name and City/State of Medical School attended, degree and year obtained:
Bangalore Medical College, India, 1999
Name and City/State of Hospital where Internship was completed; type and dates attended; degree and year obtained:
Bangalore Medical College, India, 1999
Name and City/State of Hospital where Anesthesiology Residency was completed; dates of training:
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 2006
Name and City/State of Hospital where Fellowship training was completed (if applicable); type and dates of Fellowship:
Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Univ of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Pediatric and Pediatric Cardiovascular Anesthesiology Fellowship, 2007
Prior involvement with CCAS or SPA:
I am currently serving as the Program Chair for the 2025 Annual Meeting, having previously co-chaired the 2023 and 2024 meetings. My involvement with CCAS has been since 2007, and since then I have actively participated in its meetings and contributed to multiple committees. Through my work in education, research, QI and multi-institutional collaboration, I have gained a good understating of CCAS mission. This experience has allowed me to advocate for its goals of improving outcomes and advancing our care.
Committees:
- CCAS Communications Committee- member 2017 to present
- CCAS Database Committee – member 2017 to present
- CCAS Hemostasis Interest Group- 2016 to present
- ACHD SIG- 2022 to present
- PCAPD- 2023-2024
- CCAS Education Committee- 2021 to present
- CCAS Annual Meeting Planning Committee
- Program chair (2025), Co-chair (2024,2023), and Shadow (2022).
- CCAS-CHiP Network Journal Watch editor 2020-2023
- CCAS Newsletter Contributor – 2018-2022
- Moderator Poster Session CCAS – 2022 to present
- Abstract Grader for Annual meeting – 2022 to present
- Session Moderator CCAS Annual Meeting- 2022 to present
- Workshop Faculty- CPB (2018), One lung ventilation (2019).
- Invited PBLD- 2021
- CCAS Compensation Taskforce , member-2023
- CCAS Best Abstract/Poster Award- 2021, 2022, and 2024
Involvement with other national/international (pediatric) anesthesia organizations:
Pediatric Anesthesia Leadership Council- 2023 to present
ABA Applied Board Examiner, 2015 to present
Lindsay Loveland, MD
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA
Candidate Video
Hospital/Institution Titles:
Associate Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology
Associate chief for education and professional development
Program Director – Advanced Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology Fellowship
Wellbeing Champion
Name and City/State of College attended; degree and year obtained:
The University of Wisconsin – Madison, Madison, WI; BS, Medical Microbiology and Immunology, 2002
Name and City/State of Medical School attended, degree and year obtained:
The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI
Name and City/State of Hospital where Internship was completed; type and dates attended; degree and year obtained:
The University of Chicago Hospitals, Chicago, IL; 2006-07 (categorical intern)
Name and City/State of Hospital where Anesthesiology Residency was completed; dates of training:
The University of Chicago Hospitals, Chicago, IL; 2006-10
Name and City/State of Hospital where Fellowship training was completed (if applicable); type and dates of Fellowship:
Children’s Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI; Pediatric Anesthesiology 2010-2011
Prior involvement with CCAS or SPA:
- CCAS member since 2010
- CCAS Database Committee member – 2014-2020 –
- Site representative for duration of time at Children’s Wisconsin
- CCAS Trainee SIG – faculty mentor 2022 – present
- Faculty mentor to assist Fellows in providing support and connections to the society, other fellows and programs throughout the country and globally.
- CCAS – PCAPDA member – inception – present
- Part of the development and growth of this new committee within CCAS
- SPA member since 2009 – present
- SPA Wellbeing Committee since 2021
- SPA Education Committee
- Shadow chair, annual meeting- workshops, 2019
- PAPDA member since – 2014 – present
- ACGME case log revision committee – 2017-2024
- Cardiac Rotation G&O task force 2016
- At large board member 2020-2021
Involvement with other national/international (pediatric) anesthesia organizations:
- Pediatric Anesthesiology Article of the Day
- PAAD Executive Committee since 2021
- Cardiac Editorial Team
- American Society of Anesthesiologists – 2007
- Wellbeing member, committee member since 2021
- SAAAPM member since 2018 – present
- Pediatric Counselor 2020-2021
- Member, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania state anesthesia societies
Pablo Motta, MD
Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital
Houston, TX
Candidate Video
Hospital/Institution Titles:
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine Baylor College of Medicine
Arthur S. Keats Division of Pediatric Cardiovascular Anesthesiology Texas Children’s Hospital
Name and City/State of College attended; degree and year obtained:
Facultad de Medicina, UDELAR, Montevideo Uruguay (8-year program, college and medical school) 1993
Name and City/State of Medical School attended, degree and year obtained:
Facultad de Medicina, UDELAR, Montevideo Uruguay (8-year program, college and medical school) 1993
Name and City/State of Hospital where Internship was completed; type and dates attended; degree and year obtained:
Transitional Internship Hospital de Clínicas, Montevideo Uruguay. 7/1992 – 6/1993
Preliminary Internship/Internal Medicine The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio 7/1997 – 6/1998
Name and City/State of Hospital where Anesthesiology Residency was completed; dates of training:
Anesthesiology Residency the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio 7/1998 – 6/2001
Name and City/State of Hospital where Fellowship training was completed (if applicable); type and dates of Fellowship:
Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology Fellowship the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio 7/2001 – 6/2002
Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesia non-ACGME Fellowship the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio 1/2004 – 1/2005
Name and City/State of Hospital/University where additional training was completed (if applicable); type and dates of training:
Critical Care Medicine Residency Maciel Hospital – Ministry of Public Health, Montevideo, Uruguay 4/1994 – 3/1997
Prior involvement with CCAS or SPA:
Since 2018, I have been an active member of the Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Society (CCAS) Communications Committee, contributing to enhancing communication and engagement within the field. In 2022, I became the Chairman of the CCAS Special Interest Group in Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD), leading efforts to advance education, collaboration, and clinical excellence in ACHD management. I have also contributed to the yearly CCAS meeting program, including organizing and participating in TEE and mechanical circulation workshops to support hands-on learning and professional development in these critical areas.
Involvement with other national/international (pediatric) anesthesia organizations:
I have served as the head anesthesiologist for Heart Gift Texas’ pediatric cardiac mission trips to Santa Cruz, Bolivia, since 2012. These annual missions provide free cardiac surgeries and interventional procedures for 30 pediatric patients from underserved communities. My role includes overseeing planning, logistics, patient selection, anesthesia supervision, and education for local medical teams. Additionally, as the Anesthesiologist Lead for Texas Children’s Heart Center’s collaboration with Children’s HeartLink, I work with Hospital Real Portuguesa in Recife, Brazil, leading efforts to improve pediatric cardiac care through mentorship, monitoring, and annual site visits to support sustainable advancements.
Faith J. Ross, MD, MS
Seattle Children’s Hospital, University of Washington
Seattle, WA
Candidate Video
Hospital/Institution Titles:
Associate Professor
Director, Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesia Fellowship
Name and City/State of College attended; degree and year obtained:
University of Oklahoma, BS in Astrophysics, summa cum laude, 2004
Yale University, MS, Physics, 2005
Name and City/State of Medical School attended, degree and year obtained:
University of Connecticut School of Medicine, MD, 2010
Name and City/State of Hospital where Internship was completed; type and dates attended; degree and year obtained:
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Transitional, 2010-2011
Name and City/State of Hospital where Anesthesiology Residency was completed; dates of training:
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Anesthesiology, 2011-2014
Name and City/State of Hospital where Fellowship training was completed (if applicable); type and dates of Fellowship:
Seattle Children’s Hospital, Pediatric Anesthesiology, 2014-2015
Name and City/State of Hospital/University where additional training was completed (if applicable); type and dates of training:
Seattle Children’s Hospital, Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesiology, 2015-2017
Prior involvement with CCAS or SPA:
CCAS Communications Committee Member – Wrote summary of CCAS meeting for CCAS newsletter (multiple years), contributed educational content
SPA Communications Committee Member – Contributed meeting summaries for newsletter
SPA Meeting Planning Shadow for 2020 Meeting – Assisted in planning 2020 meeting in the Bahamas
SPA Committee of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – Participated in meetings and multi-institutional QI project
CCAS Latin America Interest Group – Attended conference, visiting professorship in Chile March 2023
SPA Mission Driven Mentoring Program (MDMP) – Recipient of first MDMP Grant
MPOG Pediatric Cardiac Workgroup
Involvement with other national/international (pediatric) anesthesia organizations:
Open Anesthesia Co-Editor, Pediatric Section – Produced series of educational podcasts on CHD and interviews with experts (SPA/OA Ask the Experts Series).
Women’s Empowerment and Leadership Initiative (WELI)
