Karla Maldonado DrAP, CRNA, APRN earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan; her Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesiology degree at the University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, Michigan; and her Doctor of Anesthesia Practice degree at the University of Michigan. Dr. Maldonado is the Assistant Program Director and Director of Clinical Education at the University of South Florida DNP in Nurse Anesthesiology Program. She has been involved in nurse anesthesia education for 15 years. Prior to completing her doctorate, she was in clinical practice in the Detroit area for 12 years and was adjunct faculty at the University of Detroit Mercy. Dr. Maldonado is President and Founder of the San Lucas Foundation (501c3) which provides humanitarian aid surgery and anesthesia care to underprivileged and underserved communities in Central America. She has a strong interest in access to care and health disparities in the underserved. She administers and organizes a team of anesthesia providers, surgeons and nurses to perform annual surgical missions to rural Guatemala in partnership with a local non-governmental organization. During the mission trips, Dr. Maldonado's organization has provided surgery and anesthesia care to people who would otherwise not have access to surgery and anesthesia care. In addition to surgical and anesthesia care, her team provides perioperative education including airway management, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation to an interprofessional group of local physicians, nurses, ancillary nurses, and community health promoters via didactic lecture and low fidelity simulation. Education provided allows local providers to work alongside the surgical team in the OR and in the perioperative area. She is the proud recipient of the AANA Foundation 2020 Janice Drake Humanitarian of the Year Award. She is currently serving as President Elect of the Florida Association of Nurse Anesthesiology and is passionate about professional advocacy and development.