News

2020 ASRA Trailblazer Award Recipient - Magdalena Anitescu, MD, PhD

American Society Regional Anesthesia (ASRA) Trailblazer Awards Recognize Women in Regional Anesthesia, Acute and Chronic Pain

Professor Magdalena Anitescu is among the group of distinguished award winners.

ASRA President Eugene Viscusi, MD, announced in the November ASRA News and at the 18th Annual Pain Medicine Meeting last month that ASRA has designated 2020 as the Year of Women in ASRA. This action was made for a number of reasons, including a renewed commitment to inclusivity following the development of ASRA's Value Statements (Integrity, Innovation, Inclusiveness, Service, Compassion, and Wellness) earlier this year. It is also designed for our Society and our members to take an honest and critical look at our history and identify areas where women should perhaps have been better represented.

According to figures in Dr. Viscusi's article,  anywhere from a quarter to a third of anesthesiologists are female, with the proportion of females rising in the younger ranks. About 25% of current ASRA members are female, yet in our organization's history, only 3 of the 35 Distinguished Service Award winners, 2 of the 33 John Bonica Award winners, and 3 of 36 Gaston Labat Award recipients have been women.

We encourage you to look back at the history of these awards and ask yourself if some worthy candidates may have been overlooked. Consider nominating these individuals for a collection of "Trailblazer Awards," a special awards program for 2020 only. Nominators will additionally be asked to consider the nomination of these same individuals to our annual awards (Distinguished Service, John Bonica, and Gaston Labat).

Trailblazer Awards recipients will be recognized at the 44th Annual Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Meeting in the spring and the 19th Annual Pain Medicine meeting next fall.