January 2026

Support your residents and showcase your program 

AANA offers several programs that support, recognize, and elevate nurse anesthesia residents. As faculty and program administrators, you play a key role in helping your residents make the most of these experiences – by encouraging participation and submitting nominations. 

Upcoming opportunities and deadlines: 

• Resident Excellence Award: Honors leadership, professionalism, and service (Nominate by March 6) 

• Resident Mentoring Program at Mid-Year Assembly: Connect with a mentor CRNA/nurse anesthesiologist (Nominate by March 8) 

• Anesthesia College Bowl at Annual Congress: Jeopardy®-style competition where residents face off against CRNAs to test clinical knowledge (Nominate by April 1) 

• AANA Foundation Resident Scholarships: Financial support for residents (Opening soon through March 1) 

Honor a leader in nurse anesthesia education

The Helen Lamb Outstanding Educator Award, one of AANA’s Lifetime Achievement Awards, recognizes a CRNA/nurse anesthesiologist whose leadership and dedication have advanced nurse anesthesia education. 

Celebrate an educator who exemplifies excellence and carries forward the legacy of Helen Lamb, a pioneer in nurse anesthesia education, by submitting your nomination today. 

Nomination deadline: March 15 

Faculty wellness matters: A new conversation for nurse anesthesia educators

Faculty are the backbone of nurse anesthesia education—but their wellness is often overlooked. In the first of a three-episode podcast series, hosts Louisa Martin, PhD, CRNA, and Erin Martin, DNP, APRN, CRNA, speak with AANA Wellness Committee leaders Leigh Taylor, DNP, MS, CRNA, and Crystal Hunnicutt, DNAP, CRNA, about burnout, boundaries, and the real pressures facing CRNA educators today. 

Discover strategies for managing workload, modeling well-being for residents, and how the Wellness Ambassador Micro-credential can support you and your program. 

Take the next step in your development

as an educator

The Didactic Educator Micro-credential helps nurse anesthesia educators strengthen core teaching skills that bridge theory and practice. By building competencies in adult learning, curriculum development, accreditation standards, mentorship, and cultural competency, the program equips educators to better prepare residents to deliver safe, high-quality anesthesia care. Participants earn a digital badge to recognize completion and professional growth. 

Upcoming important dates and deadlines 

Deadline 

Feb. 2 

AANA Fellows Application deadline 

Event 
Feb. 4–7 | Louisville, KY 
EDGE 2026: Educate. Develop. Grow. Engage. 

Webinar 

Feb. 5 | 6–7 p.m. CT 
CRNA Contracts and Compensation: What You Don’t Know Will Cost You 

Deadline 

March 1 

AANA Foundation Resident Scholarship deadline 

Deadline 
March 2 
Poster Presentations for Congress open 

Important date 
March 2 
Abstracts for EDGE 2027 open 

Deadline 

March 6 

Resident Excellence Award deadline 

Deadline 

March 8 

AANA Resident Mentoring Program deadline 

Deadline 
March 15 
Lifetime Achievement Award nominations 

Virtual Event 
March 23 | 7–8 p.m. CT 
Resident Roundtable: Recognize. Respond. Recover: Navigating Substance Use Disorder in Your Anesthesia Journey 

Deadline 
April 1 
Anesthesia College Bowl nominations due 

Educator Resource Hub 

• Educator Hub 

• Program Administrator Hub 

• Resident Hub 

• Resident Newsletters 

• Educator Network online community 

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As a nurse anesthesia educator, you play a vital role in shaping the next generation of CRNAs/nurse anesthesiologists. Each issue of Educator Insights delivers curated resources, essential practice updates, and professional development to support both your teaching and your residents' success. 

Stay connected. Stay informed. Empower the future of nurse anesthesiology.