Lauren Berkow, M.D., FASA, professor of anesthesiology and director of anesthesia supplies and equipment for UF Health Shands Hospital, has been selected to receive a spring 2026 Faculty Enhancement Opportunity (FEO) award. She will use the funding to attend an annual meeting for the Technical Council (TC) 121 Committee of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which will take place this May on Jeju Island, South Korea.
During this 4-day international meeting, Berkow will represent the United States as a clinical expert. She will have the chance to collaborate with other committee members and discuss airway equipment standards and sustainability efforts. Through this meeting and other committee events, she will learn how international standards are created for medical devices related to anesthesia, which will strengthen her knowledge and expertise on the subject
ISO is an organization that develops and sets international standards and guidelines for the creation of products, services, and systems. Experts from around the world come together to set these specifications, striving to ensure goods and services are safe, consistent, and high-quality.
The organization has numerous committees and subcommittees for different types of equipment and supplies. Berkow was invited to participate as a clinical expert in the TC 121 Committee, which covers anesthetic devices and related equipment, as well as its second subcommittee and its advisory group on sustainability.
The TC 121 Subcommittee #2 specifically focuses on airway devices and related equipment, a subject that Berkow dives into quite frequently as she specializes in the knowledge of video laryngoscopy. The laryngoscope is a video-assisted device for intubation during anesthesia, which provides an excellent solution to difficult airways.
Berkow has already contributed to many publications and discussions on video laryngoscopy. With the help of the FEO award, she hopes to play a major role in the creation and publication of ISO standards for video laryngoscopes.
Congratulations, Dr. Berkow!