WFSA Council

Adnane Berdai is an obstetric and pediatric anaesthesiologist and intensivist, Professor of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine at Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Fes, Morocco and at University Hospital Hassan 2, Fes. He also holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in neurosciences with eclampsia as main research field.

Professor Berdai is member of the WFSA obstetric anaesthesia committee, board member of the Moroccan society of anaesthesia, Analgesia and intensive care (SMAAR) and president of the Moroccan club of anesthesiologists and intensivists practicing obstetrics (CARPO).

Professor Berdai is Author of many scientific publications. His areas of interest include obstetrics, pediatrics, transfusion and hemostasis. He has been a speaker in many international meetings in Africa, Middle East and North America.

Dr Patricia Yazbeck is a Lebanese Anesthesiologist and Critical Care specialist at the Hotel-Dieu University Hospital of the “Saint Joseph University’s School of Medicine” in Beirut. She holds a teaching position as Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care.

She completed her Anesthesia and intensive Care training and gained her diploma from the “René-Descartes University” in Paris-France and later obtained a Diploma in Ethics from the “Saint Joseph University” in Beirut and an Executive Master in Health Management both from the “Ecole Superieure des Affaires” in Beirut and from the “Universite de Paris”.

She held for many years the position of Head of the Anesthesia and Critical Care Department and Head of the Academic Department at the Saint Joseph University.

She is a Former President of the Lebanese Society of Anesthesiologists, the Lebanese Society of Critical Care Medicine and the Pan Arab Federation of the Societies of Anesthesiologists where she remains an Active Advisory Board Member.

She was elected in 2020 and 2024 as a WFSA Council member and a Regional Representative of Middle East and Africa. She contributed in many WFSA committees: Education, Equipment and DEI…. and in many WFSA activities and publications.

She speaks fluently French and English in addition to Arabic.

Dr Kumudini Ranatunga, after completion of her training and FRCA in the UK, has worked as the senior consultant cardio-thoracic anesthesiologist and intensivist at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka for 30 years. She is a past president of the College of Anesthesiologists and Intensivists of Sri Lanka. She has been a postgraduate trainer in Anesthesiology, Critical Care, Emergency Medicine and Clinical Nutrition for doctors, nurses and paramedics for over 25 years. She has functioned as an examiner in Final MD Anesthesiology examinations since 1996 and was the chief examiner from 2017-2023. She also functioned as the clinical coordinator and examiner in Final MD Emergency Medicine. She was a past external examiner in the Final Fellowship of Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons (FCPS) in Anesthesiology.

She was the General Secretary of the Asian-Australasian Regional Section of the WFSA from 2014-2018 and 2018-2022. During this period, she has worked to organize several training fellowships and scholarships for the young Anaesthesiologists in the AARS region. She was a member of the Education Committee of the WFSA from 2016 -2020 and 2020- 2024. She also functioned as the regional lead for the Global Anesthesia Workforce Survey of the WFSA. She has been a regular invited speaker in many global anaesthesia forums over the years.

Dr Chris Bowden has worked as a consultant anaesthetist in Australia for the last 20 years and is currently Deputy Director of the Anaesthetic Department at the Gold Coast University Hospital in Queensland, Australia.

He has worked and taught throughout the Pacific region and has held academic roles at the Fiji National University, including Adjunct Professor in Anaesthesia. He is the immediate Past Chair of the Australian Society of Anaesthetists Overseas Development and Education Committee and is a Final Examiner of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists.

He is the current Chair of the Asian Australasian Regional Section of the WFSA and was a WFSA Education Committee member between 2016-2024. Areas of interest include leadership development, professional wellbeing and education, and he has presented at many national and international Anaesthesia meetings.

Carlos Tornero is an anesthesiologist specialized in Regional Anesthesia and Pain.
He is a professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Valencia.
He directs the Pain Chair of the Vithas Foundation.
And currently he directs the IMEDAR (Mediterranean Institute of Pain and Regional Anesthesia) and is president of the Spanish Neuromodulation Society (INS Spain).
His main work focuses on the interventional treatment of both chronic and acute pain.
He has been an active examiner for the European Diploma of Anesthesia and Intensive Care (EDAIC).
He coordinates the Autonomous Pain Plan of the Valencian Community.
He is the author of different publications on pain and regional anesthesia as well as scientific articles in important journals.
He has been a speaker at numerous national and international conferences

Dr Else-Marie Ringvold is a general anaesthesiologist who is Head of Department in Akershus University Hospital in Norway. She holds a Master of Health Management and also has extensive education and experience in the field of Disaster Management. She is the current president of the Norwegian Society of Disaster Medicine and Traumatology. She holds a teaching position at the University of South-East Norway, teaching in various master’s programmes for specialist nurses.

She has been an active examiner for the European Diploma of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care(EDAIC) for almost twenty years. She has spent 8 years on the Examination Committee of ESAIC(formerly ESA). She has served 5 years as a council member of ESAIC, and 2 years on the ESAIC Board of Directors. She is currently the Secretary of ESAIC. Dr Ringvold has a special interest in medical education programmes, quality management and patient safety and was the main author of the document “Norwegian Standards of the Safe Practice of Anaesthesia” in 2016.

Dr. Nicolas Sergi, a seasoned Anesthesiologist from Buenos Aires, brings over a decade of expertise in high-complexity surgeries. As Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Buenos Aires since 1998, he shapes future medical professionals. Dr. Sergi coordinates Pharmacology courses at the Association of Anesthesia, Analgesia, and Resuscitation of Buenos Aires, showcasing his commitment to medical education. He holds leadership roles in various boards, advocating for colleague welfare and promoting unity in Latin American anesthesiology. Dr. Sergi envisions international exchange programs to enrich education and collaboration. His dedication to excellence and innovation propels him to shape the future of anesthesiology globally.

Dr Fauzia Khan is a Professor of Anaesthesiology at the Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan .She completed her anaesthesia training and Fellowship from UK and was one of the founding members of the Department of Anaesthesiology, Aga Khan University, in Pakistan. She chaired the department between 2002 and 2010.She has published more than 200  articles in peer reviewed journals and received the Research Productivity Award of Pakistan Council of Science and Technology and mention in the Directory of Productive Scientists of Pakistan. Her current clinical and research interests are pediatric and neurosurgical anesthesia, and quality and safety . She chaired the Safety and Quality of Practice (SQP) Committee of World Federation of the Societies of Anaesthesia (WFSA) (2016 – 2020), and was a member of both SQP and Diversity, Inclusion and Equity ( DEI) committee (2020-2024). She has now taken over as Chair of DEI committee ( 2024-) of WFSA.

Before becoming chair, Sonia served as an education committee member for four years, collaboratively leading and supporting multiple WFSA global education and research activities. She leads a partnership between the Royal College of Anaesthetists (UK) and the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons anaesthetic faculty, focusing on anaesthesia training programme development and fostering a support community for training program leads across sub-Saharan Africa. Sonia is also a program lead for INSPIRE through Clinical Teaching. Having also served as a director of the Zambia Anaesthesia Development Program and a Founding Trustee of Global Anaesthesia Development Partnerships (2017-2024), Sonia demonstrates her dedication to advancing medical education and safe surgical care globally. Currently pursuing a PhD in Medical Education, she holds a Masters in Clinical Education and practices as an anaesthesiologist in the UK.

Professor Sheila Myatra has worked in the Department of Anaesthesia and Critical Care at the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai for over 20 years. She is a Professor of Intensive Care at the Homi Bhabha National Institute University. She is the President and founder member of the “All India Difficult Airway Association” (AIDAA) and is the Vice Chancellor of the Indian College of Critical Care Medicine (ISCCM).She is one among the 13 international airway experts who is working on the Project for the Universal Management of the Airway (PUMA) guidelines and the next American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) difficult airway guidelines. She has also developed a new test in hemodynamic monitoring, called the “tidal volume challenge” (Critical Care Medicine 2017).She was recently appointed on the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) steering committee, working on updating the SSC COVID Guidelines. She is also on the steering committee of several ongoing international studies including the COVID Steroid 2, HOPE, IntubateCOVID, Unite COVID, SANDMAN Study and the InPUT Study. She is presently on the editorial board of Anaesthesia (Impact factor 5.739), Journal of Critical Care (Impact factor 2.78), and Trends in Anaesthesia and Critical Care (1.81).Previously, Intensive Care Medicine, the journal of the ESICM (Impact factor 17.679).

Emilia Guasch is an obstetric anaesthesiologist, and she currently works at Quirón-Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez Díaz. Madrid. She is also Honorary Professor of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Spain. 

Dr Guasch is current member of ESAIC Board as non-officer member, and Vicepresident of European Board of Anesthesia-UEMS. She has held responsibilities in the obstetric committee of ESAIC, as WFSA Council European representative (2020-24) and in her National Society (SEDAR), as Vice-president (2013-21). 

Dr Guasch´s main research interests include labour analgesia and anesthesia, postpartum haemorrhage and obstetric patient safety. She is author of the European Minimum standards in obstetric anesthesia and analgesia departments in Europe, among other papers.  

She currently chairs WFSA obstetric anesthesia committee. 

Dr Ustalar Özgen, is working as an anesthesiologist at the Altunizade Hospital of Acibadem Health Group and as an associate professor at the department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation and at the Vocational School of Anesthesia Technicians in the University of Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar, in Istanbul Türkiye. She has worked at the pediatric anesthesia Department of Queen’s Medical Center, Nottingham, UK after completing her residency at the Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, University of Marmara, Istanbul Türkiye.

She is a member of several professional societies including ESPA, SPA, ASA, ESRA and ASPA. She has been a member of the executive committee of ASPA, served as general secretary, and is serving as the President of ASPA for 2023-2025. She has coordinated, organized and taught on several national and international meetings and workshops, including Perioperative Pediatric Life Support Courses of ASPA. She is a member of the educational committee of ASPA. She serves as the Chair of the Scientific Committee of Pediatric Anesthesia of Turkish Society of Anesthesiology and Reanimation and country coordinator of Perioperative Pediatric Life Support Courses in Türkiye. She is the founder member of the Association of Anesthesia Technicians in Türkiye and now serves as the Honarary President of the Association. She has worked as the country representative in Pediatric Anesthesia Committee of WFSA, and from 2024, she will serve as the Chair of the Pediatric Anesthesia Committee.

Sean Chetty is the Executive Head of the Department of Anaesthesiology & Critical Care at Tygerberg Hospital and Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, South Africa  After completing his post-graduate specialist training in Anaesthesiology he went on to complete his Sub-specialist fellowship in Critical Care, before branching out into the field of Pain Medicine.  He subsequently completed his PhD addressing the management of acute post-operative pain in women after caesarean section surgery.

Professor Chetty is a previous recipient of the prestigious Discovery Foundation MGH Scholarship, which afforded him the opportunity to complete a research fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University in Boston, USA   During his time at MGH he has gained valuable experience within the field of Pain medicine and is working with colleagues in sub-saharan Africa to incorporate appropriate practices into the regional healthcare setting. 

He has a passion for expanding medical education and is regularly involved in knowledge expansion initiatives for health care professionals internationally.

Professor Chetty has served on numerous professional committees during his career.  He is the current president of the South African Society of Anaesthesiologists and has served as a member of the Pain committee of the WFSA prior to taking on the role of chair of this committee in 2024    

Jodi Sherman, MD, is Associate Professor of Anesthesiology of the Yale School of Medicine, Associate Professor of Epidemiology in Environmental Health Sciences, and founding director of the Yale Program on Healthcare Environmental Sustainability in the Yale Center on Climate Change and Health. 

Dr. Sherman also serves as the Medical Director for Yale New Haven Health Center for Sustainable Healthcare. She is inaugural and former chair of the American Society of Anesthesiologists Committee on Environmental Health, and inaugural chair of the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists Sustainability Committee.

Dr Susan Nicoll is a specialist anaesthetist at Te Whatu Ora-Waitaha, Health NZ-Christchurch. She is Chair of WFSA Workforce well-being committee, a member of the tripartite well-being special interest group of ANZCA, ASA, NZSA and founding coordinator of the Well-being Advocates for Anaesthesia Aotearoa/ New Zealand (WAANZ) network and a Well-being Advocate in her own department.

Currently, she is also completing a Public Health Master’s thesis on the impact of patient complaint on hospital doctors and their preparedness for restorative justice practise for complaint resolution. In her own time, she enjoys family and friends, knitting, swimming and practising spoken French.