The AUA Leadership Advisory Board: Building Leaders, Building Communityby James P. Rathmell, MD and Elizabeth Duggan, MD As we begin our terms as Chair and Vice Chair of the AUA Leadership Advisory Board (LAB), we have been reflecting on the Board's mission and asking a simple question: What unique role can the LAB play for academic anesthesiology? The LAB was established to support the professional development of AUA members by fostering leadership, mentorship, and an equitable and inclusive academic community. Through educational programming, networking, mentorship, and leadership development, the LAB seeks to help academic anesthesiologists at every career stage develop the skills and relationships needed to lead successful departments and programs. We are fortunate to inherit a strong foundation. We would like to thank Dr. Tetsuro (Ted) Sakai for his outstanding leadership as Chair. Under Ted's direction, the LAB expanded its educational mission through Annual Meeting programming, webinars, mentorship initiatives, leadership awards, and regular contributions to the AUA Update. His thoughtful transition and continued service as Immediate Past Chair provide continuity as the Board enters its next chapter. One of the Board's recent successes has been the development of year-round leadership programming. This year's webinars on Digital Communication for Career Advancement and Workplace Justice, together with plans for structured mentor–mentee networking, demonstrate the LAB's commitment to providing practical leadership education beyond the Annual Meeting. As we think about the future, one opportunity continues to emerge in conversations across academic medicine. Nearly every department is working to strengthen faculty development, mentorship, promotion, leadership training, wellness, and institutional culture. Yet many of us are doing this work independently, often recreating programs that already exist elsewhere and without a forum for sharing ideas or learning from one another. As Elizabeth recently observed, colleagues repeatedly ask, "Who else is doing this work, and where can we connect?" We believe the LAB is uniquely positioned to help answer those questions. Over the coming year, we hope to explore the creation of a national community of practice for academic professional development — a community that brings together faculty development leaders and others engaged in professional development across academic anesthesiology departments. Through quarterly virtual meetings and shared resources, such a collaborative could provide a venue to exchange successful programs, discuss common challenges, and learn from one another. Rather than each department working in isolation, we envision a community that accelerates innovation through collaboration while strengthening the professional infrastructure of academic anesthesiology. This vision aligns naturally with what we believe should be the enduring mission of the LAB: to develop leaders, connect leaders, and sustain leaders throughout their academic careers. The Leadership Advisory Board includes faculty leaders from academic anesthesiology departments across North America who bring expertise in education, research, faculty development, mentorship, and departmental leadership. We look forward to introducing individual Board members and highlighting their work in future newsletters. The success of the LAB will ultimately depend on the engagement of AUA members. We welcome your ideas for future programming, mentorship initiatives, and opportunities to strengthen leadership development across our community. We look forward to working with you as we continue building a vibrant network of current and future leaders in academic anesthesiology. Author James P. Rathmell, MD  Elizabeth Duggan, MD, MA |