Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Society
A Section of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia.

The CCAS Global Committee is focused on one thing: improving care for children with congenital heart disease around the world, especially in places where resources are limited. We do that through service, education, research, and advocacy. 

As anesthesiologists, we know how critical our role is across every stage of the perioperative continuum. We believe there is an often-overlooked component of congenital heart program development: the leadership potential of pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists in building sustainable, high-quality congenital heart services worldwide. Which leads us to one of the biggest opportunities we see for this committee, and for our Society as a whole, which is elevating the role of anesthesiologists as leaders within congenital heart surgery programs. 

There’s real momentum building internationally in the chd community: innovative curriculums, advocacy at the highest levels, improved data systems. We want anesthesia to be part of that. That means helping close the data gap, growing the anesthesia and critical care workforce, and training and empowering the next generation of pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists through innovative education, research, and advocacy.

But we also want this committee to be a resource for you: CCAS members who are curious about international work or already doing it. We’re aiming to build a cohesive community, one grounded in diverse experiences and strong connection, so we can help you find opportunities that are meaningful, impactful, and align with your interests.

At the heart of it all, global health work is about collaboration. By partnering with local heart centers, academic institutions, societies, and NGOs around the world, we can start to close the very real (and unacceptable) gap in care for children born with congenital heart disease. This work matters deeply, and we’re honored to be part of it.

So, a little about who we are. The CCAS Global Health Committee is a young, growing group that meets regularly to talk about our projects, our members’ work, and where we’re headed. The committee was started two years ago by then President of CCAS, Luis Zabala, MD. His call to action then challenged our specialty to address the global burden of pediatric and congenital heart disease, and today we are building on that vision: our priorities are to grow our community, expand our presence at CCAS meetings, strengthen partnerships, and better understand the important international work already being done by our members.

One of our top priorities right now is simply getting a clearer picture of everything our members are already doing. A lot of that work is happening quietly, and we want to bring it into the light, celebrate it, and find ways to connect efforts for a bigger collective impact. 

If any of this resonates with you, we’d love to hear from you. Please simply reach out, tell us what you’re working on or what you might wish to contribute to, and let’s talk about what’s possible together.

As James Cox said in his 2001 STS Presidential Address: “We cannot continue to boast about the number of cases we do, as if increased volumes somehow bestow increased virtue, when we alone have the ability to add 75 years onto the lives of millions of children and yet choose not to do so.” That call to action, just as Dr. Zabala’s was in 2024 is as urgent today…and will be just as urgent at the next call to action, and the one thereafter. The children and communities on the other side of this gap deserve our partnership, our knowledge, and our commitment. 

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Committee Members