Clearwater, Florida -- The Florida Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (FANA) has announced its 2022-2023 president and leadership team along with newly elected board members. The new members were sworn in at FANA’s Annual Meeting which was held in Clearwater, Florida.  FANA is Florida’s 86-year-old professional association representing the State’s more than 5,400 nurse anesthesiology professionals.

Michelle Canale, DNP, CRNA, APRN, FAANA who is also the director of the University of South Florida’s Nurse Anesthesiology Program will serve as president of the association.  Dr. Canale has served as a FANA board member for 4 years and has tirelessly advocated to modernize Florida laws regarding independent practice on behalf of FANA’s highly sought after Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists.

“I am humbled and honored to have been elected to represent CRNAs and my colleagues in the nursing profession,” said Dr. Canale. “As we head into the 2023 legislative session, I am committed to working diligently to modernize Florida laws to allow highly skilled CRNAs to work to the full extent of their education and training. This has been a multi-year effort and I want to especially thank the immediate past President William L. Self and the past Board for all their hard work in getting us to where we are today.”

CRNAs practice in every setting in which anesthesia is delivered. They are also primary providers of anesthesia care in rural and medically underserved areas and on the battlefield in forward surgical teams, military ships, and forward operating bases. As expert clinicians with specialized skills in advanced airway and ventilator management, advanced hemodynamic monitoring, and advanced patient assessment, CRNAs also expanded the nation’s critical care workforce, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Dr. Canale was elected by the FANA membership and will serve a one-year term.

Other board members elected include Karla Maldonado, DrAP, CRNA, APRN, assistant program director at the University of South Florida’s Nurse Anesthesiology Program, who will serve as president-elect, Laura Molina, DNP, CRNA, APRN, as vice-president and Jorge Valdes, DNP, CRNA, APRN, FAANA and Chair/Associate Professor, Department of Nurse Anesthesiology, Florida International University as secretary/treasurer.

Dr. Canale and Dr. Valdes recently received the designation of Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology, a recognized hallmark of leadership and outstanding achievements in the profession and science of nurse anesthesiology.

Additionally, the following CRNAs were elected to the FANA Board Directors: Jena Hill, DNP, CRNA, Tatyana La Torres, DNP CRNA. Gregory Buck, MS, CRNA.  Directors Ryan Shores, DNP CRNA, Director, University of North Florida Nurse Anesthesiology program and Sabrina Nelson-Winters, DNP, CRNA were appointed to fill two positions on the Board while immediate Past-President William L. Self, DNP, CRNA, APRN will also continue to serve. Justin Otis, Resident Registered Nurse Anesthetist (RRNA) will also serve on the board as the student president of the Florida Association of Student Nurse Anesthetists.

Dr. Canale added, “I am thrilled to be working alongside so many enthusiastic professionals who have volunteered their time to serve, and I am grateful for their commitment to modernizing our state statutes.”

The three-day FANA Annual Meeting gave CRNAs and RRNAs from across Florida the opportunity to showcase their profession and to hear from experts in the field who talked about new medical breakthroughs or techniques being used in the administration of anesthesiology and therapeutics.  Attendees also participated in American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology approved programs which offered CRNAs required Continuing Education credits in their field.

The new FANA Board also met and set the association’s forward-looking legislative agenda in preparation for the 2023 Legislative Session set to commence in March next year.

About FANA

Founded in 1936, The Florida Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (FANA) represents more than 5,400 nurse anesthesiology professionals.FANA advocates for its patients and members in legislative and governmental affairs and serves as a resource for CRNAs, the nursing and medical professions, hospitals, health care facilities, and others interested in anesthesia care. For more information visit www.fana.org.