Anesthesiology Update 2026

Continuing Education

May 4 - 8, 2026

Course Schedule

This in-depth course, presented by the Harvard Medical School faculty, is intended to provide anesthesia practitioners with a comprehensive review of the most important advances in clinical anesthesiology and each of its major subspecialties, including ambulatory, thoracic, pediatric, obstetric, regional, and cardiac anesthesia. The program provides strategies, updates, best practices, education for skills advancement, and guidance for challenging cases and controversial aspects of patient care. Registrants can choose to attend either live streaming online or in person in Boston, MA.

Live Online
In Person
Live Online or In Person

Choose your learning experience:

ATTEND ONLINE for LIVE STREAMING education and online Q&A with faculty.
ATTEND IN PERSON in Boston, MA at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel. Faculty provide dedicated time for Q&A with participants.

In-Person Venue:

Fairmont Copley Plaza

138 St. James Avenue

Boston, Massachusetts

$1,575

This is the full tuition. A $100 early registration discount is available.

For tuition for residents, fellows, and students, please see the full table below.

Early Registration Deadline: March 31, 2026

Continuing Education Credits

Earn up to:

» 52.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™

» 52.25 ECME Credits^®

» 18.25 credits Risk Management Study, including:

3.25 credits of Opioid Education and Pain Management Training
2.50 credits of End-of-Life Care Studies

» Nurse Anesthetists: This course has been submitted for AANA Class A CE credits

Commensurate credits through the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

View all

5 Days

This 5-day intensive program, which is among the highest-rated Harvard Medical School CME courses, updates busy anesthesia practitioners on current best practices in anesthesiology.

See schedule below

Overview

The Comprehensive 2026 Anesthesiology Update

Cardiac, Regional, Office-Based, Thoracic, Obstetric, Neuro, and Pediatric

Anesthesiology Update will be held on May 4–8, 2026. You have the option to attend either online as the course is live streamed or in person in Boston, MA.

In the past year, there have been a number of very significant clinical changes that affect the practice of anesthesiology. This comprehensive CME program provides a special and timely opportunity for anesthesiologists, nurse anesthetists, and others with interest in the field to hear directly from world-renowned specialists and master clinicians about these changes.

The curriculum at Anesthesiology Update 2026 ensures not only that attendees leave with a comprehensive understanding of the latest advances, risk mitigation strategies, and anesthesiology guidelines, but also with specific recommendations to incorporate these updates into practice.

The format is engaging and attendees are encouraged to pose questions of the national and international experts who will be delivering the updates and education at this event.

Updates, best practices and new guidelines cover:

Hands-on cardiac, gastric, and lung ultrasound
Front of neck airway access
High-flow nasal oxygen
Advances in transfusion practices
Artificial intelligence in anesthesia delivery
Brain health: using artificial intelligence to predict neurocognitive disorders
News from the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation
High-risk obstetric patients: evidence-based care
Perioperative resuscitation
End-of-life care
Mechanical circulatory support and intracardiac devices
New developments in anesthetic pharmacology: hypnotics and analgesics
Recent advances in airway management
The agony of GLP1 agonists
Care of the geriatric patient for surgery
Frontiers in quality measurement and improvement

Participants will take away important guidelines and checklists that they can put to immediate use in their anesthesia practice.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

2026 Guidelines, New Innovations, Challenging Cases, and State-of-the-Art Clinical and Patient Safety Updates in the Areas of:

Regional anesthesia
Cardiac anesthesia
Critical care medicine
Ambulatory anesthesia, office-based anesthesia, NORA
Pediatric anesthesia
Obstetric anesthesia
Thoracic anesthesia
Perioperative transfusion medicine
Neuroanesthesia
Pain management
Patient safety and risk reduction
Enhanced recovery after surgery

IMPORTANT DRUG UPDATES

Anesthetic drugs in the development pipeline
GLP1 agonists
Target controlled Infusion
New hypnotics
Methadone in clinical care

Developed and Offered By:

Continuing Education courses are developed by faculty from Harvard Medical School's teaching hospitals and accredited by Harvard Medical School. This course is offered by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Mass General Brigham, and Boston Children's Hospital.

Schedule

This program is among the highest-rated Harvard Medical School CME courses.

All schedule times are Eastern Daylight Time.

Please note that program changes/substitutions may be made without notice.

View and Print Full Schedule

Monday, May 4, 2026

Day 1

Monday, May 4, 2026

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Day 2

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Hands-on Gastric Ultrasound Workshop

Drs. Maria Borrelli and Yunping Li • Lunch provided • (Limited to a maximum of 25 participants)

Ether Dome Tour

Drs. Susan Vassallo and Jeremi Mountjoy • Includes transportation and refreshments • (Limited to a maximum of 50 participants)

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Day 3

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Hands-on Lung Ultrasound Workshop

Dr. Aidan Sharkey • Lunch provided • (Limited to a maximum of 25 participants)

Regional Anesthesia Workshop—Hands-on Skills

Includes dinner • (Limited to a maximum of 50 participants)

Thursday, May 7, 2026

Day 4

Thursday, May 7, 2026

Hands-on Cardiac Ultrasound Workshop

Dr. Maurizio Bottiroli • Lunch provided • (Limited to a maximum of 25 participants)

Front of Neck Access Workshop—Hands-on Skills

Drs. Bhavani Shankar Kodali, Stephanie Yacoubian, Jennifer Dearden, and Ellen O'Sullivan • Includes dinner • (Limited to a maximum of 50 participants)

Friday, May 8, 2026

Day 5

Friday, May 8, 2026

In-Person Venue

The 2026 program offers participants two ways to attend. You can choose one of these two options when you register:

ATTEND VIRTUALLY/ONLINE: All core sessions will be live streamed and support interactive, online Q&A with faculty, giving you the ability to get answers to your specific questions.

ATTEND IN PERSON in BOSTON, MA at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel:

Fairmont Copley Plaza
138 St. James Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts
+1 617-267-5300

This luxury downtown Boston landmark hotel has been a symbol of the city’s rich history and offers top-notch accommodations and amenities. Located within the heart of Boston, Fairmont Copley Plaza is an easy walk to many of the city’s historic sites, shopping, museums, and restaurants.

Accommodations

Fairmont Copley Plaza has reserved a block of discounted rooms for course participants.

Important to note:

The number of discounted rooms is limited.
Discounted rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The discounted room rate is only available until April 11, 2026, or until the block sells out.

To reserve your room:

Online: To reserve your room online, please use the dedicated reservation link (coming soon).
By phone: If you are calling the hotel rather than using the dedicated link above to request a discounted room, please call 1-866-540-4417 or 800-441-1414 and be sure to specify that you are enrolled in Anesthesiology Update 2026.

Attend Online or In Person

Choose your learning experience:

ATTEND ONLINE for LIVE STREAMING education and online Q&A with faculty.
ATTEND IN PERSON in Boston, MA at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel. Faculty provide dedicated time for Q&A with participants.

BOTH OPTIONS provide participants with:

RECORDINGS of all core sessions, which will be made available online for viewing, at your convenience, for 60 days following the conclusion of this program.
The chance to POSE YOUR SPECIFIC QUESTIONS to course faculty.
FLEXIBILITY to CHANGE your attendance preference: Should your circumstances change after you have registered for either the ONLINE or IN-PERSON program, you have the ability to change from one attendance option to the other up until two weeks before the program begins.

Faculty

Course Director

Sugantha Sundar

Assistant Professor of Anaesthesia
Harvard Medical School
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Co-Directors

Keira P. Mason

Associate Professor of Anaesthesia
Harvard Medical School
Boston Children’s Hospital

Jeremi R. Mountjoy

MSc, MD, FRCPC

Assistant Professor of Anaesthesia
Harvard Medical School
Massachusetts General Hospital

Assia Valovska

MD, FASA

Assistant Professor of Anaesthesia
Harvard Medical School
Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Brian O'Gara

MD, MPH

Assistant Professor of Anaesthesia
Harvard Medical School
Anesthesiologist, Intensivist, Department of Anaesthesia, Critical Care, and Pain Medicine
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Course Fees

Fee Disclaimer

Registrations for Harvard Medical School CME programs are made via our secure online registration system. At the end of the registration process, a $10 non-refundable processing fee will be added to your registration.

Upon receipt of your paid registration, an email confirmation will be sent to you. Be sure to include an email address that you check frequently. Your email address is used for critical information, including registration confirmation, evaluation, and certificate. Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until you have received an email confirming your paid registration.

Please review the cancellation policy.

Early Registration Deadline: March 31, 2026

Role	Course Fee
Physician (MD/DO)	$1,575.00
Nurse (RN/APRN)	$1,575.00
PA	$1,575.00
Resident/Fellow	$1,375.00
Allied Health Professional / Other	$1,575.00

Optional In-Person Activities
Hands-on Ultrasound Workshops (lunch provided) Tuesday through Thursday afternoons (Each ultrasound workshop limited to a maximum of 25 participants)	$75
Evening Workshops (Evening workshops limited to a maximum of 50 participants)
Tuesday evening, May 5 Ether Dome Tour (off site): Includes refreshments and transportation	$85
Wednesday evening, May 6 Regional Anesthesia Workshop (on site): Includes dinner	$350
Thursday evening, May 7 Front of Neck Access Workshop (on site): Includes dinner	$350

All attendees of Anesthesiology Update 2026 will be provided with an online syllabus. All sessions of the core course will be recorded as they are live streamed and placed in the online course video library, so that registrants can review them at their convenience. The video library will be available to all registrants for 60 days after the conclusion of the course.

For our in-person attendees, continental breakfast will be offered each morning and coffee and snacks will be available during morning and afternoon breaks. On the afternoon of Monday, May 4, in-person attendees are invited to a luncheon to meet and network with faculty and colleagues.

Accreditation

In support of improving patient care, Harvard Medical School is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Physicians

Badge for Jointly Accredited Provider with Commendation Interprofessional Continuing Education

The Harvard Medical School designates this for a maximum of 52.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Credit Breakdown by Program Option

Course only, no optional Hands-on Ultrasound or Evening Workshops = 38.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
Course, including 3 optional Hands-on Ultrasound Workshops (4.25) = 42.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
Course with Tues. Ether Dome Tour (2.50), Weds. Regional Anesthesia Workshop (3.50) and Thurs. Front of Neck Access Workshop (3.50) = a maximum of 48.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™

Nurse Anesthetists

This program has been submitted to the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology for approval.

Risk Management

This activity meets the criteria of the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine for 18.25 credits of Risk Management Study. This includes:

3.25 credits in Opioid Education and Pain Management Training
2.50 credits of End-of-Life Care Education

Please check your individual state licensing board requirements before claiming these credits.

European Accreditation

The American Medical Association (AMA) has an agreement of mutual recognition of continuing medical education (CME) credit with the European Union of Medical Specialties (UEMS). Additional information regarding this agreement may be found on the European Union of Medical Specialties website.

Canadian Accreditation

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada recognizes conferences and workshops held outside of Canada that are developed by a university, academy, hospital, specialty society or college as accredited group learning activities.

Competencies

IOM Competencies

This course is designed to meet the following Institute of Medicine Core Competencies:

Provide Patient-Centered Care
Work in Interdisciplinary Teams
Employ Evidence-Based Practice
Apply Quality Improvement

ABMS/ACGME Competencies

This course is designed to meet the following American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) / Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Educational (ACGME) competencies:

Patient Care and Procedural Skills
Practice-Based Learning and Improvement

Disclaimer & Disclosure

Disclaimer Policy

CME activities accredited by Harvard Medical School are offered solely for educational purposes and do not constitute any form of certification of competency. Practitioners should always consult additional sources of information and exercise their best professional judgment before making clinical decisions of any kind.

Note: AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ is calculated based on submission of a preliminary agenda and may be subject to change.

Disclosure

In accord with the disclosure policy of the Medical School as well as standards set forth by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), course planners, speakers, and content reviewers have been asked to disclose any relationships they have to companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. In addition, faculty have been asked to list any off-label uses of pharmaceuticals and/or devices for investigational or non-FDA approved purposes that they plan to discuss.

Registration for courses managed by Harvard Medical School can only be completed through Harvard Medical School’s official registration portal: cmeregistration.hms.harvard.edu. Attendee registrations made through any other sites cannot be honored and will not be refunded. Please report any unauthorized websites or solicitations for registrations.

Program Topics

Clinical Practice

Anesthesiology Update 2026

On This Page

Overview

The Comprehensive 2026 Anesthesiology Update

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

IMPORTANT DRUG UPDATES

Developed and Offered By:

Participant Types

Schedule

Monday, May 4, 2026

Welcome

Spotlight 2026

Why the Future of Anesthesiology Shines Bright

Opioids and Obstructive Sleep Apnea: The Latest in 2026

Target Controlled Infusion (TCI): Why Don’t We Have It?

Current Risks and Benefits of Blood Transfusion

Q&A

Understanding the Science

Patients Post-PACU: Out of Sight—Out of Mind?

Multimodal General Anesthesia

How Total Intravenous Anesthesia (TIVA) Evolved into a Viable Alternative to Inhalational Techniques: A View from the Front Lines

Q&A

Course Luncheon Reception (available to in-person attendees)

Hot off the Press in 2026

Physiological Effects of High Flow Nasal Cannula

Perioperative Neurocognitive Disorders

Spontaneous Ventilation: Friend or Foe?

Exploring the Potential Role of Artificial Intelligence in Prediction and Management of Perioperative Neurocognitive Disorders

Q&A

Practice Parameters: Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation

Leveraging Technology and Artificial Intelligence for Smarter Anesthesia Systems

Artificial Intelligence and Medication Safety in the Perioperative Setting

Artificial Intelligence and the Anesthesia Workforce: Addressing Shortages and Optimizing Care

Fireside Chat: Patient Safety in the Era of Artificial Intelligence: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Future of Anesthesia Care

Q&A

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

The High-Risk Obstetric Patient: Evidence-Based Practices

POCUS in the Obstetric Patient

Cardiac Disease in Pregnancy

Oxytocin and Alternative Uterotonic Agents for Cesarean Delivery

Maternal Hemorrhage: Don’t Give up on Mom

Pain During Cesarean Delivery: Avoiding Traumatic Birth Experiences

Q&A

What Is New in 2026

The Analgesic Pipeline: Suzetrigine and Vocacapsaicin

Waking up Happy: General Anesthesia for Patients with Chronic Pain

Q&A

Optional Hands-on Ultrasound Workshop (lunch provided)

Hands-on Gastric Ultrasound Workshop

Clinical Conundrums: Session 1

Pain Management in People Using Opioids

All Things Are Poison: Antidotes in Anesthesia

Persistent Opioid Use After Surgery

Cognitive Computing and Disruptive Technology: Why We Won’t Be Replaced Anytime Soon

Hot Topics in Anesthesia: What Is New in the Last 12 Months

Q&A

Airway Management in 2026

The Management of "Cannot Intubate, Cannot Oxygenate" Scenario

Unexpected Difficult Intubation: Are You Prepared?

Challenges of the Bleeding Airway

Q&A

Optional Evening Activity: Ether Dome Tour

Ether Dome Tour

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Cutting-Edge Topics

Perioperative Resuscitation and Life Support: What Is Different in the Operating Room

The Science Has Spoken and It’s Probably Wrong

Management of Sepsis in 2026: New Guidelines

Q&A

Current Practices in Ambulatory and Office-Based Anesthesia

Preoperative Evaluation for Ambulatory Surgery

Enhanced Recovery in Ambulatory Surgery

Office-Based Anesthesia Update 2026

Outcomes in Ambulatory Surgery

Q&A

Optional Hands-on Ultrasound Workshop (lunch provided)

Hands-on Lung Ultrasound Workshop

Pain Management: Results-Driven Practice

Regional Blocks for Hip and Rib Fractures: Evidence-Based Techniques and Best Practice

Adding Perioperative Methadone to Your Practice: Understanding the Current Evidence