1:00 pm

NAFA Welcome Desk

1:45 pm 

Scientific Poster Review – 2 CE

Formal time for virtual review

3:45 pm

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Tara Bonardi, CRNA, AKANA President
Camille Plowman, AKANA Executive Director
Nicole Damico, PhD, CRNA, CHSE, FAANA, NAFA VCU Director

4:00 pm 

Current Issues, Future Impact: CRNA Practice in 2025 – 1 CE

Nicole Damico, PhD, CRNA, CHSE, FAANA

Objective: Describe current professional issues and healthcare trends that affect CRNA practice in the United States.

5:00 pm

Serving Native Communities: CRNA Cultural Competence – 1 CE

Christopher “Uksook” Delgado, Alaska Native Heritage Center

Objective: Discuss how CRNAs can better serve Native communities by incorporating culturally competent care into anesthesia practice.

6:00 pm

CRNA Care Across Alaska: Navigating Rural and Urban Realities – 1 CE

Ashley Lunski, DNAP, CRNA and Nicole Damico, PhD, CRNA, CHSE, FAANA

Objective: Discuss the evolving conditions and challenges faced by CRNAs practicing in both rural and urban settings across Alaska.

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

AKANA Welcome Reception

All are welcome

6:15 am

Breakfast with Exhibitors & NAFA Welcome Desk

7:00 am

The Updated Preop: What Every Provider Should Know Today – 1 CE 

Rebekah L. Carmel, PhD, CRNA

Objective: Identify and apply current evidence-based practices in preoperative anesthetic assessment, including risk stratification, patient optimization, and interdisciplinary coordination.

8:00 am

Perioperative Neurocognitive Disorders: Current Insights and Evolving Practices 

1 CE – Rebekah L. Carmel, PhD, CRNA

Objective: Describe the spectrum of perioperative neurocognitive disorders (PNDs), including delirium and postoperative cognitive dysfunction, and identify key risk factors across patient populations.

9:00 am

Refreshment Break with Exhibitors

9:15 am

AI at the Head of the Bed: Clinical Applications for CRNAs — 1 CE 

Nicole Damico, PhD, CRNA, CHSE, FAANA

Objective: Examine practical case-based examples of Artificial Intelligence (AI) integration into anesthesia care and their potential impact on CRNA clinical practice.

10:15 am

Predict, Prevent, Prepare: Ultrasound and AI in Difficult Airway Practice — 1 CE 

Nicole Damico, PhD, CRNA, CHSE, FAANA
Rebekah L. Carmel, PhD, CRNA

Objectives:

1. Analyze the potential of AI-based tools to predict difficult intubation and guide decision-making.
2. Evaluate evidence on the effectiveness of airway ultrasound compared to traditional airway assessment methods.

11:15 am

Airway Challenges in Action — 1 CE 

Nicole Damico, PhD, CRNA, CHSE, FAANA
Rebekah L. Carmel, PhD, CRNA

Objective: Discuss evidence-based strategies for management of airway challenges.

12:15 pm

Shaping the Future: DNAP Contributions to Patient Safety — 1 CE

Nicole Damico, PhD, CRNA, CHSE, FAANA

Objective: Analyze the evidence base underlying doctoral student projects and its application to anesthesia care.

1:15 pm

Networking Lunch and AKANA Business Meeting

2:15 pm

Hands-On Practice: Difficult Airway Assessment and Management Workshop – 3 CE

Nicole Damico, PhD, CRNA, CHSE, FAANA and Rebekah L. Carmel, PhD, CRNA

Objectives:

1. Apply ultrasound techniques to measure airway parameters relevant to predicting difficult intubation.
2. Perform simulated fiberoptic-guided intubations using proper technique.
3. Compare the effectiveness of different supraglottic airway devices for ventilation and as intubation conduits.

6:15 am

NAFA Welcome Desk

7:00 am

Demonstration & Hands-On Practice: Gastric Ultrasound – 2 CE 

Nicole Damico, PhD, CRNA, CHSE, FAANA, Rebekah L. Carmel, PhD, CRNA

Note: If you would like to be scanned as part of the gastric ultrasound demonstration, please ensure you are NPO prior to the session. We will have live models available, and you are not required to be scanned to participate.

Objectives:

1. Demonstrate correct probe positioning and scanning technique for gastric ultrasound on a live model.
2. Acquire and optimize sonographic images of the gastric antrum on a live model in different patient positions.

9:00 am

Breakfast with Exhibitors

10:00 am

Beyond Blood Sugar: Integrating Diabetes Therapies into Perioperative Planning 

1 CE & .5 CE Credit in Pharmacology/Therapeutics – Rebekah L. Carmel, PhD, CRNA

Objective: Examine the pharmacologic mechanisms and perioperative implications of contemporary diabetes therapies—including insulin analogs, GLP-1 receptor agonists, SGLT2 inhibitors and DPP4s—to guide safe anesthetic planning and optimize surgical outcomes.

11:00 am

Balancing Act: Perioperative Antithrombotic Management – 1 CE and 1 CE

Credit in Pharmacology/Therapeutics– Nicole Damico, PhD, CRNA, CHSE, FAANA

Objective: Discuss pharmacologic approaches to perioperative antithrombotic management to enhance patient safety.

12:00 pm

From Neostigmine to Sugammadex: Lessons from a Decade of Change – 1 CE

1 CE Credit in Pharmacology/Therapeutics– Nicole Damico, PhD, CRNA, CHSE, FAANA

Objective: Analyze the impact of sugammadex on perioperative outcomes, including the incidence of residual neuromuscular blockade and postoperative complications, over the last decade since approval by the FDA.

1:00 pm

Networking Lunch

2:00 pm

Substance Use Disorder and Perioperative Care: Challenges, Protocols, and Progress – 1 CE, .5 CE Credit in Pharmacology/Therapeutics, and .25 CE in Pain Rebekah L. Carmel, PhD, CRNA

Objectives:

1. Analyze the pharmacologic considerations in anesthetic management of patients with substance use disorder, including tolerance, withdrawal risk, and interactions with maintenance therapies such as methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone.
2. Implement evidence-based perioperative protocols that address the unique clinical, behavioral, and ethical challenges associated with caring for patients affected by substance use disorder.

3:00 pm

Improving Outcomes: Integrating Evidence in Perioperative Care

1 CE, .5 CE Credit in Pharmacology/Therapeutics – Rebekah Carmel, PhD, CRNA

Objective: Evaluate current evidence supporting Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols and their application to CRNA practice.

4:00 pm

Driving Practice Forward: DNAP Student Scholarship – 1 CE

Nicole Damico, PhD, CRNA, CHSE, FAANA

Objective: Identify lessons learned from DNAP projects that can inform clinical decision-making or quality improvement.

5:00 pm

Adjournment