Mahsa Ava Sohrab

Second Avenue Commons, nestled in downtown Pittsburgh, is more than just a shelter. For those experiencing homelessness, it serves as a foundation for stability. Opened in 2022 through a collaboration between local nonprofits, Allegheny County, and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), the shelter offers over 100 beds and private rooms, overflow space, and a bustling day center.

When I moved to Westchester County in 2016 to start my first job, my practice owner insisted I join a local society of ophthalmologists to become acquainted with other physicians in the area and establish potential referral sources. The head of the society, who had been running his own practice for many years, had recently sold his practice to my boss and was reducing his work schedule to a few days a week. Like him, the majority of physicians in the society were also practice owners.

The American Society of Anesthesiologists' annual Anesthesiology meeting, the largest anesthesiology conference in the world, will be held from October 10 to 14 in San Antonio, TX, with a small virtual component. It will open with a keynote session featuring Lucy Kalanithi, MD. Kalanithi will reflect on the life and impact of her late husband, Paul Kalanithi, MD, neurosurgeon and author of the bestselling memoir When Breath Becomes Air who died of lung cancer at 37.