International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS) Chair Dr. Santhanam Suresh, MD, MBA, FASA, FAAP and Immediate Past Chair Christian Werner, MD connected with international leaders in clinical anesthesia during the Japan Society of Clinical Anesthesia (JSCA) 42^nd Annual Conference, held November 11-12, at the Kyoto International Conference Center in Kyoto, Japan. Contributing to the lively exchange of ideas and collaboration across countries at the Annual Conference, Drs. Suresh and Werner shared their expertise during the IARS Kosaka Award Commemorative Symposium on November 12.

Sponsored by the International Communication Committee of the JSCA and chaired by IARS Emeritus Trustee Makoto Ozaki, MD, PhD, from Tokyo Women’s Medical University, and Yasuko Nagasaka, MD, from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, the IARS Kosaka Award Commemorative Symposium celebrated the 100^th anniversary of IARS and the long-standing relationship and exemplary collaboration between the IARS and JSCA.

The founder of the JSCA, Dr. Futami Kosaka, began this cooperative relationship with IARS in 1990 and developed the foundation for today’s Kosaka Best Abstracts Session, which is presented during the IARS Annual Meeting. These prestigious awards are made possible by the support of the JSCA and IARS and celebrate the top scoring abstracts submitted to the IARS Annual Meeting in three categories, clinical research, basic science, or submitted by scholars.

During the Commemorative Symposium at the JSCA Annual Conference, Dr. Suresh provided a succinct overview of IARS programs and resources as well as a compelling presentation on regional anesthesia in a presentation entitled, “Safety and Efficacy of Regional Anesthesia in Children.” Dr. Suresh is Senior Vice-President and Chief of Provider Integration at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, and Arthur C. King Board Designated Professor in Anesthesiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Continuing the momentum for research sharing, Professor of Anesthesiology and Chairman at the Department of Anesthesiology at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Dr. Werner continued by exploring the latest updates for neuroanesthesia.

This Symposia was integrally aligned with JSCA’s mission, which is to advance research and scientific progress in clinical anesthesia and improve overall medical science. This year’s 42^nd Annual Conference continued this tradition with Conference President Professor Teiji Sawa from the Department of Anesthesiology at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine leading the planning efforts and spearheading the success.