CHICAGO – The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) today presented Patricia A. Kapur, M.D., with its 2019 Distinguished Service Award in recognition of her long and highly distinguished career as a physician anesthesiologist, administrator and educator. The award is the highest honor ASA bestows and is presented annually to a member who has transformed the specialty of anesthesiology.
Dr. Kapur is a clinical professor of anesthesiology and critical care at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia. Previously, she spent 17 years as chair of the department of anesthesiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) before rising to the role of executive vice president of the UCLA Health System, and CEO of the UCLA Faculty Practice Group.
During her 36 years as a member of ASA, Dr. Kapur has made countless contributions, including serving as chair of the Section on Education & Research for nine years, chairing the 2008 ASA annual meeting and delivering the Rovenstine Lecture in 2011. She also was a longtime delegate to the ASA for the California Society of Anesthesiologists (CSA), where she was a member of the board of directors and took on roles including chair of the Educational Programs Division, assistant secretary and secretary. Dr. Kapur delivered the CSA’s Leffingwell Lecture in 2015 and was awarded the CSA Distinguished Service Award in 2017.
A true leader in anesthesiology, she served as president of the American Board of Anesthesiology and the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research; vice president of the Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia; on the board of directors and executive committee of the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation; as chair of the board of trustees of the International Anesthesia Research Society; and on the editorial board and as section editor of the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia.
Dr. Kapur’s academic contributions have been far-reaching, delivering 227 invited lectures nationally and internationally, teaching 47 visiting professorships, and serving on the governing councils of the Association of University Anesthesiologists, the Society of Academic Associations of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, and the Association of Academic Anesthesiology Chairs.
“I would like to thank Dr. Kapur for her exceptional record of service and leadership at the local, national, and international level,” said ASA President Mary Dale Peterson, M.D., MSHCA, FACHE, FASA. “In addition, the countless hours she’s spent mentoring and providing career development for faculty, fellows, residents and medical students, and for colleagues within professional organizations, has advanced and touched the lives of many in our specialty.”
Dr. Kapur received her medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and completed her residency in anesthesiology at Stanford University Medical Center in California.
THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
The Distinguished Service Award is the highest honor ASA bestows. It is presented annually for outstanding clinical, educational or scientific achievement, contribution to the specialty and/or exemplary service to the Society. ASA’s House of Delegates establishes policies governing the selection of a recipient for the Distinguished Service Award.
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS
Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific society with more than 54,000 members organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology. ASA is committed to ensuring physician anesthesiologists evaluate and supervise the medical care of patients before, during and after surgery to provide the highest quality and safest care every patient deserves.
For more information on the field of anesthesiology, visit the American Society of Anesthesiologists online at asahq.org. To learn more about the role physician anesthesiologists play in ensuring patient safety, visit asahq.org/WhenSecondsCount. Join the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2020 social conversation today. Like ASA on Facebook, follow ASALifeline on Twitter and use the hashtag #ANES20.
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