Leading the Way

“We are the harbingers of patient safety. We have advanced patient safety perioperatively and in the ICUs over decades and continue to push that boundary.”

Meet ABA Director John E. Fiadjoe, M.D., MBA

John E. Fiadjoe, M.D., MBA, is chair of anesthesiology, critical care and pain medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He serves on the Board of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia and was a founding member and previous chair of the pediatric difficult intubation collaborative group. Learn about Dr. Fiadjoe’s research interests and his service on ABA committees here.

Why did you want to become a member of the ABA Board of Directors?

My interest in the ABA Board of Directors started during my certifying exam experience, which was incredibly positive. The examiners were so professional, and I thought the ABA was the best-run anesthesia organization I had encountered. The teams that supported the exams were fantastic. I wanted to learn more and explore how I could contribute to their mission in the future.

As I advanced in my career and leadership experiences, I also came to value the impact of the ABA on our specialty and our patients, particularly in terms of shaping the programs that teach. As the ABA began to assess various topics, the programs subsequently placed greater emphasis on training in those areas.

Why are you passionate about anesthesiology?

For me, it’s about the small things. Anesthesiologists often work in the background, but I find my interactions with families to be quite rewarding, especially working in the pediatrics subspecialty. I really enjoy getting to speak with families and children who may start out anxious, then make them laugh and feel more at ease by the end of our conversation.

Pediatric anesthesiology also requires a high level of precision, as the margin for error is incredibly small. I appreciate that the work demands such a rigorous attention to detail.

What do you think the biggest misconception about the ABA and board certification is?

Many people value our assessments and the exam process. Still, they often do not understand the breadth of what the ABA does: the amount of work required to create, standardize and maintain consistency and fairness of the exams, as well as to review credentials. Our exceptional staff helps facilitate those aspects of the work, and we are deeply fortunate to have them.

What unique role do anesthesiologists play in encouraging or owning patient safety?

We are the harbingers of patient safety. We have advanced patient safety perioperatively and in intensive care units over decades and continue to push that boundary. Over time, incremental progress becomes increasingly difficult, but many board-certified anesthesiologists continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in anesthesiology and patient safety.

How has the field of anesthesiology evolved since you began practicing and what do you think the future of anesthesiology will look like?

Numerous technological advances have made the practice of anesthesia even safer. When I started practicing, there was no electronic medical record. With electronic medical records, we can now combine large datasets to answer questions about patient outcomes. This is just one example of the technology that has transformed practice.

Looking to the future, I believe that artificial intelligence will play a significant role in our endeavors. We often work with large datasets and need a data analyst to help us parse that data. With the introduction of large language models, the ability to ask questions of large datasets and present the results in an actionable, understandable way will be transformative.

What is the value of board certification and what qualities set apart board-certified anesthesiologists?

A board-certified anesthesiologist has a higher standard that must be met, a stamp of approval that demonstrates achievement with a certain level of knowledge and practice. The value of that is clear from the number of graduates who actively strive to become board certified. We implement a rigorous process to evaluate our candidates across board certification and continuing certification.

How do you use MOCA Minute?

MOCA Minute keeps me thinking about my practice and ensures I remain up to date on the latest advances in other subspecialties, which is essential to me as I primarily work in pediatrics. I appreciate the rationales provided when I miss a question, as well as being able to review the data and articles that support the correct answers.

What value has volunteering for the ABA brought you both personally and professionally?

I have had the opportunity to meet some truly wonderful people dedicated to our specialty, and building those relationships and bonds has meant a great deal to me. Professionally, I have undergone significant leadership development through my engagement with the ABA, particularly as we focused on strategic planning for the future. As part of our 2025-2030 strategic planning process, we participated in various exercises to identify our organizational core values, which were insightful and helpful when thinking about both the organization’s future and how we interact with board-certified anesthesiologists.

What ABA project or initiative are you most looking forward to as we launch our new strategic plan?

The advancements we plan to make in our technology and innovations for continuing certification hold tremendous promise for the future. I firmly believe in making the right thing the easy thing to do, so our focus on seamlessly integrating continuing certification into the workflows of our board-certified anesthesiologists is essential.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not practicing anesthesiology?

I’m a big chess player, and I enjoy getting outside, whether mountain biking, road biking, jogging or playing tennis. Connecting with the outdoors is important, and it’s where I draw my energy. Sporting activities serve as a training ground for anesthesiology because a certain level of presence is required for many of these sports, which comes into play when caring for a critically ill patient. We need to be able to focus precisely on what’s going on with the patient and act accordingly.