SAMBA Board of Directors

Niraja Rajan, MD, SAMBA-F
Hershey, PA

Dr. Rajan completed a residency in Anesthesiology at the University of Pennsylvania and a fellowship in Pediatric Anesthesia at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Dr. Rajan has a special interest in ambulatory anesthesia and acute pain management. Dr. Rajan is currently Co- Chair of the Guidelines Committee and Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia. She is also a member of the ASA Sub-Committee on Ambulatory Anesthesia Education track.

Dr. Rajan has published several abstracts, research articles, review articles and book chapters. She is the editor of the recently published book: A Manual of Practice Management for Ambulatory Surgery Centers. She has spoken at various national and international meetings on topics related to ambulatory anesthesia. She is also on the Editorial Board of Anesthesia and Analgesia.

She developed the ambulatory anesthesia curriculum on Toolbox Anesthesia, an online educational module for residents across the country.

Dr. Rajan is also passionate about patient safety in the ambulatory setting and has worked with several national organizations including AHRQ on patient safety and quality improvement projects involving ASCs. She is also working with the Simulation Education Network on teamwork development education. Dr. Rajan has been serving on the Institute Quality Advisory Committee of the AAAHC since 2019.

Steven Butz, MD, SAMBA-F
Milwaukee, WI

Dr. Steven Butz is professor of anesthesiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Associate Chief Medical Officer in charge of the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Surgicenter in Milwaukee, WI. He is boarded in anesthesiology and the pediatric subspecialty.

Dr. Butz has been chair of the SAMBA Education Committee and published a scenario-based drill manual for emergency preparedness with the committee. He has served as co-chair of the Meetings Committee and assistant treasurer with a seat on the Board of Directors. His Presidency term was 2023-2024.

Professionally, Dr. Butz has lectured nationally and internationally on a variety of interests including pediatric anesthesia, diabetes management, accreditation, quality and patient selection. He is published in chapters and clinics on pediatric anesthesia topics. He also serves on the Accreditation Committee for Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care for which he is a surveyor.

Alberto Ardon, MD, MPH, SAMBA-F
Jacksonville, FL

Alberto Ardon, MD, MPH, SAMBA-F is an anesthesiology consultant and assistant professor at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL. He obtained his medical degree from Tulane University School of Medicine and graduate degree in public health from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. He completed anesthesia residency at the University of Virginia Health System and consequently completed a fellowship in regional anesthesia and acute pain at Mayo Clinic. He has been practicing since 2014 and focuses on ambulatory anesthesia, orthopedic anesthesia, and acute pain. He is the medical director of the perioperative area and is actively involved in operational decisions for the surgical practice. He contributes to several hospital committees, including serving as chair of the Real Time Location Services Subcommittee. Additionally, he is the assistant program director for Mayo Clinic Florida’s Regional Anesthesia Fellowship. His research interests include outpatient arthroplasty, systematic reviews, and peripheral nerve block techniques. He is also active in global health and participates in medical missions, most recently to Latin America and Africa. He has previously served as chair of the SAMBA Regional Anesthesia Committee and has been a SAMBA board member since 2021.

Fred E. Shapiro, DO, FASA
Boston, MA

Fred E. Shapiro, DO, FASA is an Associate Professor of Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School, at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston, Massachusetts. He has extensive research publication experience and a reputation nationally and internationally in the field of patient safety in anesthesia and surgery performed outside the operating room.

He created the first Harvard Medical School Office Based Anesthesia (OBA) continuing medical education (CME) course, “The Manual of Office Based Anesthesia Procedures,” presented to the Academy at Harvard Medical School, which led to inception of an OBA curriculum. It was incorporated into the Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia (SAMBA) national program. He was co-director for the first and second SAMBA OBA Virtual Symposia and wrote the seminal American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) CME article on Office Based Anesthesia: Safety and Outcomes.

He participated in The Massachusetts Board of Medicine task force to define qualifications for practitioners supervising office-based procedures and surgery, recently revised the Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) Office Based Surgery Guidelines, and acts as a resource to ASA governance regarding similar statewide national legislative changes. He was appointed as advisor to the MMS Committee on Quality of Medical Practice.

In 2009, he co-founded The Institute for Safety in Office Based Surgery, an independent, multidisciplinary, non-profit organization to promote patient safety in office-based surgery through scholarship and patient and physician education.

In 2017, he co-founded The Incubator for Patient Safety & Outcomes (IPSO). The institute’s mission is to empower patients with patient safety through innovative research, strategic partnerships, and patient safety outreach tools.

As immediate past Chair of the ASA Committee on Patient Safety and Education (CPSE), he lead projects to improve patient safety, satisfaction, and outcomes through the development of patient and practitioner educational tools. He also edited a special edition publication from the ASA CPSE members, Emerging concepts in Patient Safety, in International Anesthesia Clinics. In 2018-19 he represented the ASA as an invited patient safety expert lecturer at the Korean, Japanese, and Hong Kong Society of Anesthesiologists annual meetings.

He is the Past President of the Massachusetts Society of Anesthesiologists and Suffolk District of the MMS. Additionally, he represents the anesthesiology profession in the MMS Interspecialty Committee, Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts, and Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare credentialing and peer review committees. He participates in the Harvard Medical School interprofessional curriculum incorporating quality and safety projects from surgical, anesthesiology, and nursing specialties.

He was appointed to the SAMBA Board of Directors, is Co-Chair SAMBA OBA Committee, and is a member of the Education, Ophthalmology, Clinical Guidelines Committees. He is also a member of the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation Patient Safety Advisory Committee on Non-Operating Room Anesthesia. He was nominated for the 2020 and 2021 Excellence in Mentoring Awards given by Harvard Medical School.

Richard D. Urman, MD, MBA, FASA
Columbus, OH

Richard D. Urman, MD, MBA, FASA is the Jay J. Jacoby Professor and Chair, Department of Anesthesiology at The Ohio State University and Anesthesiologist-In-Chief.

His research interests include ambulatory surgical safety, operating room efficiency, pharmacology, and pain management. He currently services as SAMBA Executive Committee member and Secretary. He has also served as Chair of SAMBA communications committee and is currently a member of the Clinical Guidelines Committee. He has served an alternate representative to The Joint Commission Professional and Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) and as a member of the ASA-SAMBA Technical Expert Panel. He serves as Associate Editor of Anesthesia & Analgesia.

Victor Davila, MD, SAMBA-F
Columbus, OH

Victor R. Davila, MD, SAMBA-F is a staff anesthesiologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Associate Professor at Ohio State University Medical School.

He is the Education Director for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety for the Department of Anesthesiology. Additionally, he serves on the Departmental Quality Committee as well and the Quality Improvement Subcommittee for the Ohio State University Medical Center.

His research interests include post-discharge quality metrics and patient safety. He has served on the ASA Committee on Performance and Outcome Measures as well as the Committee on Communications where he helped design and promote the Enhancing Patient Communications Program and Toolkit. He is also currently serving as the anesthesiology co-lead of the ACGME Program Directors Patient Safety and Quality (PDPQ) Educators Network.

Michael O’Rourke, MD, FASA
Maywood, IL

Michael O’Rourke, MD, FASA is Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine of Loyola University Chicago and an anesthesiologist at Loyola University Medical Center and the Edward Hines, Jr VA hospital. He is currently a board member of SAMBA and serves as chair of the SAMBA CME committee. He previously was the Associate Medical Director of Loyola’s Ambulatory Surgery Center and a member of the ASA Committee on Ambulatory Surgical Care. He is currently medical director of Loyola’s preoperative screening clinic and enjoys clinical work at Loyola Medical Center and the Edward Hines, Jr VA hospital outside Chicago.

Kara Barnett, MD, FASA
Middletown, NJ

Dr. Kara Barnett is an Associate Clinical Member at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center, as well as the Director of Anesthesia Services at MSK Monmouth regional site. Dr. Barnett received her undergraduate and medical degrees from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and completed her anesthesiology residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She currently serves as the SAMBA Chair of the Scientific Papers Committee, Vice Chair of the NORA committee, and a member of the Meetings and Education Committees. She also serves on various committees for MSK, ASA, and New York State Society of Anesthesiologists.

Her academic interests include perioperative lactation, NORA in the ASC, patient safety, and active listening. In her spare time, she enjoys hanging with her family, doing photography, and playing a good game of Candy Crush.

Steven Gayer, MD
Miami, FL

Steven Gayer, MD, MBA, FASA is a Professor of Anesthesiology and Ophthalmology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine's Bascom Palmer Eye Institute where he serves as the Medical Director of Surgery and Chief of Anesthesia Services at the Miami Hospital as well as the Naples, Fort Lauderdale, and Palm Beach Gardens Ambulatory Surgery facilities.

Dr. Gayer was the prior Chair of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Committee on Ambulatory Surgical Care and currently serves on the Committee on Quality Management & Departmental Administration (QMDA) and as the liaison to the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF) and the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC). Additionally, he is the ASA’s liaison to the American Dental Association’s Council on Dental Education and Licensure (CDEL).

As President of the Florida Society of Anesthesiologists, Dr. Gayer’s expert testimony before the Florida Board of Medicine resulted in the required adoption of sedation rescue medications in office-based surgical facilities throughout the state.

In addition to his leadership and advocacy roles, Dr. Gayer has made significant contributions to academic research. He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles, written numerous textbook chapters, and has lectured extensively worldwide. He contributed to the SAMBA position statement on preoperative care for cataract surgery patients. His laboratory has conducted research on the safe use of ophthalmic ultrasound for eye anesthesia and the etiologies of sudden death during retina surgery. 

Dr. Steven Gayer’s accomplishments, leadership roles, and contributions to research have earned him widespread recognition and respect within the medical community. His dedication to advancing healthcare, commitment to patient safety, and extensive expertise continue to shape the fields of ophthalmic anesthesia and ambulatory surgical care.

Jaime Hyman, MD
Westport, CT

Dr. Jaime Hyman is an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Division Chief of Ambulatory Anesthesiology, and director of the Head and Neck Anesthesiology Fellowship at the Yale School of Medicine. She is also the chair of the SAMBA Education Committee, member of the SAMBA Resident Committee, and member of the ASA Committee on Ambulatory Surgical Care. Dr. Hyman has presented nationally and internationally on topics related to ambulatory anesthesiology. Her clinical research focuses on quality of recovery after ambulatory surgery.

Kelly Lebak, MD
Cleveland, OH

Dr. Kelly Lebak is an Associate Professor at MetroHealth Medical Center, a Level 1 trauma center, in Cleveland, Ohio. She is the Medical Director for the system’s three ambulatory surgery centers. She keeps busy with organizing a departmental annual resident research symposium and coordinating the resident NORA and ambulatory anesthesiology curricula.

She is the Chair of the SAMBA Website Committee, Vice Chair of the Communications Committee, member of the Meetings and Office-Based Anesthesia Committees, and a member of the ASA Abstract Review Subcommittee on Ambulatory Anesthesia and Educational Track Subcommittee on Ambulatory Anesthesia.

Michael Presta, DO, FASA
Maywood, IL

Michael Presta, DO, FASA is an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at Loyola University Medical Center and a staff anesthesiologist at Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital. Dr. Presta received his medical degree from Midwestern University and then completed his residency at Loyola University Medical Center where he stayed on as faculty. Since then, he has been active in clinical research, teaching, and leadership positions within the institution. He is currently the Medical Director of the Gastroenterology Lab and the Non-Operating Room Anesthesia (NORA) rotation at his institution.

As a SAMBA member since 2015, Dr. Presta has served as a member of both the NORA and Continuing Medical Education (CME) Committees. Currently, he serves as the chair of the NORA Committee and has been elected to be on the SAMBA Board of Directors. Dr. Presta has presented and been published nationally on a variety of topics related to NORA. His work with SAMBA includes national presentations focusing on nil per os (NPO) requirements, split dose preps, and anesthesia techniques for therapeutic cases in the gastroenterology lab. Presently, he is involved in the ongoing research of residual gastric volume as related to bowel preps. Outside of work, Dr. Presta enjoys spending time with his wife and three daughters, doing anything that involves traveling, cooking and sports.

Megan C. Valach, MD
Chicago, IL

Dr. Meghan Valach MD is the Anesthesiologist-in-Chief for Mobile Anesthesiologists in Chicago, IL. She completed a residency in the department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at The Johns Hopkins University in 2007. Dr. Valach then joined the faculty at Northwestern Memorial Hospital where she coordinated the OR schedule and was the first anesthesia medical director of the Preoperative Assessment Clinic. For the last 11 years, Dr. Valach has done all ambulatory anesthesia, mostly in the office-based setting with Mobile Anesthesiologists where she has served as the Medical Director and is now Anesthesiologist-in-Chief of the practice. As the Anesthesiologist-in-Chief for Mobile Anesthesiologists, it is her mission to improve patient access to safe, cost-effective anesthesia care outside the hospital for a wide variety of surgeries and procedures. Dr. Valach currently serves as the Vice-Chair for the Society for Ambulatory (SAMBA) Anesthesia Office-Based Anesthesia Committee and is the Vice-Chair for the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Committee on Ambulatory Surgical Care.