Maria van Pelt Named to ASATT Board of Directors as AANA Liaison

Maria van Pelt, PhD, CRNA, CNE, CPPS, FAAN, FAANA, has been named to the Board of Directors of the American Society of Anesthesia Technologists and Technicians (ASATT) as the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) Liaison.

She is a Clinical Professor and Director of Wellness for the DNP Nurse Anesthesia Program at Northeastern University and brings nearly 30 years of clinical and patient safety leadership experience to the role.

“Being selected to serve on the ASATT Board of Directors as the AANA Liaison is an honor and deeply meaningful professionally,” van Pelt said. “It reflects an opportunity to contribute to an organization already doing critical work and to strengthen the bridge between our professional communities around our shared commitment to patient safety and education.”

ASATT represents anesthesia technologists and technicians who play a critical role in safe anesthesia delivery.

“ASATT’s mission aligns seamlessly with what CRNAs care about most: patient safety and providing quality anesthesia care,” she said. “Quality anesthesia care is a team effort. When the anesthesia care team is strong, patients are safer.”

van Pelt has been involved in national patient safety efforts through the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) for 19 years. She has served on the APSF Board of Directors and Executive Committee and currently serves as co-chair of the APSF Committee on Education and Training, which advances safety and collaborative practice across the anesthesia care team.

Her interest in serving on the ASATT Board is rooted in years of interprofessional collaboration. While practicing at Massachusetts General Hospital and Pennsylvania Hospital, she worked closely with anesthesia technologists and technicians and developed an appreciation for their expertise.

“When the opportunity arose to serve as the AANA Liaison to the ASATT Board, I didn’t hesitate,” she said. “It was a natural extension of the clinical relationships and external partnerships that have been central to my practice.”

Through her service, van Pelt will help strengthen collaboration between CRNAs and anesthesia technologists and technicians, advancing shared goals of patient safety, education, and excellence in anesthesia care.