Agenda-at-a-Glance
*Subject to Change

Friday, October 2, 2026  

11:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.        

Pre-Conference Board of Directors Meeting

2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.  

Registration Desk Open   

GENERAL SESSION
Bayshore 1-3
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. 

Preserving Humanism in a Digital Era: A Humanities-Based Approach to AI and VR in Nurse Anesthesia Curriculum

Speakers: Greta Mitzova-Vladinov, DNP, CRNA; Nicole Gomez, DNP, CRNA; and Marva Louisville, CRNA

STUDENT SESSION
Palma Ceia Ballroom
3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Journey to CRNA School: Qualifications and Strategies for Admission

Speakers: Marley Cain, RRNA Rebecca Fleetwood, RRNA and Taylor Blyseth, RRNA

GENERAL SESSION
Bayshore 1-3
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.  

Increasing Awareness of Stress-Induced Hyperalgesia in Anesthesia Practice: Implications for Reducing Pain Disparities

Speaker: April Grasty, DNAP, CRNA, CNE

GENERAL SESSION
Bayshore 1-3

5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Open Mic Presentations Featuring:

"Improving Perioperative Aspiration Risk Assessment Using Gastric Ultrasound"
Speaker: Christopher Lay, BSN, RN, CEN, TCRNA, CCRN, RRNA

"Expert Evaluation of a Preoperative Case Study Video for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities"

NETWORKING 
Bayshore 4-7
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.  

Welcome Reception With Exhibitors

 

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Saturday, October 3, 2026

7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 

Registration Desk Open

7:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Exhibit Hall Open

7:00 a.m. - 7:30 a.m. 

Posters Session

7:00 a.m. - 7:30 a.m. 

Breakfast With Exhibitors 

CONCURRENT SESSIONS

 

GENERAL SESSION
Bayshore 1-3
7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.

AANA Update

Speaker: Michelle Canale, DNP, CRNA, APRN, FAANA

STUDENT SESSION
Palma Ceia Ballroom
7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.

Refreshments With Residents: Peer Mentorship for RNs Considering CRNA School

Speaker: Marley Cain, RRNA

GENERAL SESSION
Bayshore 1-3
8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

The View from the Other Side of the Desk: A Legislator's Perspective on Healthcare Policy and Advocacy

Speakers: Representative Mike Redondo

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Posters Session

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Refreshment Break With Exhibitors

GENERAL SESSION
Bayshore 1-3
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Navigating Florida's Healthcare Policy Landscape: A Conversation with State Legislators

Panelists

  • Laura Molina, DNP, CRNA, Government Relations Committee Chair
  • Lindsey Bell, DNP, CRNA, Government Relations Committee Co-Chair
  • Samantha DeBee, M.Ed., FANA Director of Professional Advocacy
  • Invited Members of the Florida Legislature, currently confirmed: Rep. Mike Redondo, Sen. Barbara Sharief, Rep. Michelle Salzman

GENERAL SESSION
Bayshore 1-3
11:00  a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

The Conversation No One Has With You: Substance Use, Monitoring, and the Way Back

Speaker: Mary Ford, PhD, CRNA

STUDENT SESSION
Palma Ceia Ballroom
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

The Hidden Curriculum of Nurse Anesthesia Education: Unwritten Rules Everyone Is Expected to Learn

Speakers: Matthew Martin, CRNA, NorthStar Anesthesia and Mandy Spitzer, DNP, CRNA

LUNCHEON
Bayshore 1-3

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. 

FANA Annual Business Meeting (FANA Members Only) and Luncheon 

GENERAL SESSION
Bayshore 1-3
1:15 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. 

Burnout, Resilience, and Workforce Sustainability Among CRNAs Following the COVID-19 Pandemic

Speaker: Jose D. Castillo III, PhD, MSNA, CRNA

STUDENT SESSION
Palma Ceia Ballroom
1:15 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. 

Emerging Smoothly: The Leadership Habits That Shape Long-Term Success in Anesthesia Practice

Speakers: Matthew Martin, CRNA, NorthStar Anesthesia and Mandy Spitzer, DNP, CRNA

GENERAL SESSION
Bayshore 1-3
2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. 

Why Surgeons Prefer Opioid Free Anesthesia and the Reduction of Post-Op Complications When OFA is Used

Speaker: Jorge Marcet, MD

STUDENT SESSION
Palma Ceia Ballroom

2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.

Financing the Future: Navigating Student Loans and Financial Prep for CRNA School

Speaker: April Grasty, DNAP, CRNA, CNE

3:15 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. 

Refreshment Break and Prize Drawings With Exhibitors

GENERAL SESSION
Bayshore 1-3
3:45 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.

Caring Up and Down: Strategic, Comprehensive Planning for Multigenerational Families

Speaker: Victor Phillips, CFP, APMATM

STUDENT SESSION
Palma Ceia Ballroom
3:45 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. 

Clinical Growth Under Pressure: Building Confidence and Professionalism in the OR

Speakers: Lindsey Bell, DNP, CRNA, AGACNP-BC, FNP-BC, APRN and Marley Cain, RRNA

STUDENT SESSION
Palma Ceia Ballroom
4:45 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.

Peer Mentorship: Surviving the First Year of Anesthesia School

Speakers: Marley Cain, RRNA and Chelsea Patterson, RRNA

NETWORKING 
Bayshore 1-3
6:15 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.  

Annual Resident College Bowl

                                                                                   

NETWORKING
Franklin Terrace Patio
7:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. 

FANA PAC Party
*(Separate Ticket Purchase Required)


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Sunday, October 4, 2026

7:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.  

Registration Desk Open

7:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. 

Breakfast 

WORKSHOP

Precision Neuraxial Anesthesia: Integrating Spatial Problem-Solving and Ultrasound Guidance

Speakers: Robert Bland, DNP, CRNA, NSPM-C; Virginia Londahl-Ramsey, DNAP, CRNA, APRN, CHSE, FAANA; and Thomas Lansden, DNP, CRNA, APRN

GENERAL SESSION
Bayshore 1-3

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Opening a Modern-Day Pandora’s Box: Sevoflurane the Silent Trigger Behind the ND4 Mutation

Speakers: Richard Gonzalez, DNP, CRNA, APRN and Kailey Gonzalez, DNP, CRNA, APRN

GENERAL SESSION
Bayshore 1-3

9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Suzetrigine and Chill: A New Era of Analgesia

Speaker: Mayte Diaz, DNP, CRNA, CHSE

10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. 

Refreshment Break

GENERAL SESSION
Bayshore 1-3
10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Independent Dispute Resolution and Anesthesia Reimbursement: Navigating Commercial Payers, Government Benchmarks, and Workforce Economics

Speaker: Chad Bass, CRNA

GENERAL SESSION
Bayshore 1-3

11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Advancing a Just Culture in Nurse Anesthesia Education: A Student-Centered Response to a Sentinel or Near Miss Event

Speakers: Lori Tolson, DNP, CRNA, APRN and Barbara Gesenhues-Cabral, MSN, CRNA

12:30 p.m.

Meeting Adjourns

12:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Post-Conference Board of Directors Meeting

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