The 38th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Surgical Research: Summary of Presentations, Labs, and Workshops, Focusing on Experimental Surgery, La Jolla, CA, USA, 14–16 September 2022

The 38th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Surgical Research took place in La Jolla, CA, USA, on 14–16 September 2022. For more than 40 years, the Academy has promoted the advancement of professional and academic standards in education and research in the arts and sciences of experimental surgery. The diverse membership includes technicians, veterinarians, medical doctors, and biomedical researchers from industry, academia, and complementary disciplines supporting discovery and translational research. At the annual meeting, this experimental surgery community shared the latest in research and surgical techniques, along with professional development that included cutting-edge lectures, hands-on training, and qualification exams for certifications. Over 130 participants from 26 different states and 3 countries were in attendance for the scientific program and social events. Two scientific tracks featuring three keynotes were presented together with a poster session. Participants could practice hands-on surgical techniques in dry and wet labs that ranged from applied surgical anesthesia to minimally invasive surgical skills, followed by in-depth discussion roundtables focused on improving study design and best practices in anesthesia and analgesia. The social program provided participants the opportunity to connect in person with potential mentors and collaborators. We present the highlights from this meeting in this report, together with selected abstracts that illustrate the diverse scientific expertise of the Academy and promising new surgical research.