Component Society News

Fourth $500,000
IARS Frontiers in Anesthesia Research Award

The Board of Trustees of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS) announced the fourth recipient of the $500,000 IARS Frontiers in Anesthesia Research Award at the 75th Clinical and Scientific Congress on March 17, 2001, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The award was established by IARS in 1994 to “foster innovation and creativity by an individual scientist in the field of anesthesiology.” The fourth recipient is Mark A. Schumacher, Ph.D., M.D., University of California-San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, California. Dr. Schumacher’s research project is titled “Stretch-Inactivated Channels in Pain Transduction.” He is Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care at the UCSF School of Medicine.

National Leadership Award From the Federation of State Medical Boards

The Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States, Inc., Dallas, Texas, has named Thomas A. Joas, M.D., recipient of its 2001 John H. Clark, M.D., Leadership Award. The award was established in 1986 in memory of the Federation’s 61st president. This annual award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, a commitment to advancing the public good and dedication to the field of medical licensure and discipline at the state and national level. Dr. Joas will accept this prestigious award at a special ceremony during the Federation’s Annual Meeting on April 21 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Joas will be recognized for his outstanding leadership and service to the medical regulatory community and the Federation of State Medical Boards. As a member of the Committee to Review The Elements of a Modern State Medical Board, his participation was invaluable in the outlining of a foundation for medical board structure. He also served as a member of the Program, Finance, Telemedicine and Nominating Committees and the Special Committee on Professional Conduct and Ethics.

On the state level, Dr. Joas has served in many leadership roles. He is a past president of the Medical Board of California, the California Society of Anesthesiologists, the San Diego Society of Anesthesiologists and the San Diego Surgical Society. He also is the past chair of the Board of Governors of the American College of Anesthesiology and the ASA Peer Review Committee. Currently, Dr. Joas serves as president of the Division of Licensing for the Medical Board of California and is proud of the legislative initiatives he has developed for office-based surgery.

As an educator, Dr. Joas was an assistant clinical professor at the University of California-San Diego, for 14 years. He has served on the teaching staff of Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in San Diego since 1974.

Dr. Joas received his medical degree from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, and completed his residency at the University of California’s Department of Anesthesiology in San Francisco.