ASA continues
to defy the odds. With the events of September 11,
2001 still greatly impacting the travel industry,
the economy and our general feeling of security, the
2002 ASA Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, bucked
convention and drew the fourth largest attendance
in ASA history.
Despite the fact that almost all major medical societies
in the United States are losing convention attendees
at an alarming rate, ASA continues to gain attendees
each year and an impressive 16,837 came to Orlando
this year. Coincidences do not happen so consistently
and in such large numbers: through the hard work of
ASA staff, the knowledge and guidance of ASA officers
and the selflessness of countless volunteers, the
Annual Meeting simply offers the best educational,
informational and recreational value in organized
medicine. The numbers speak for themselves.
Highlights of the meeting included installation of
ASA President James E. Cottrell, M.D.
Dr. Cottrell has served as President-Elect (2002),
First Vice-President (2001), Vice-President for Scientific
Affairs (1998-2000), Chair and Vice-Chair of the Section
on Annual Meeting and Chair of four ASA committees.
He is Professor and Chair, Department of Anesthesiology
and Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Practice, State
University of New York Health Sciences Center at Brooklyn,
New York; Regional Chair, Department of Anesthesiology,
Long Island College Hospital, Brooklyn; Chief of Anesthesiology,
Kings County Hospital Center, Brooklyn; and Consultant,
Department of Anesthesiology, Brookdale Hospital Medical
Center, Brooklyn, New York.
Election of Officers
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ASA 2003 Officers
The
2003 ASA officers are (front row from
left): Barry M. Glazer, M.D.; ASA President
James E. Cottrell, M.D.; Roger W. Litwiller,
M.D.; Eugene P. Sinclair, M.D.; (middle
row) Gregory K. Unruh, M.D.; Candace E.
Keller, M.D.; Roger A. Moore, M.D.; Bruce
F. Cullen, M.D.; (back row) John P. Abenstein,
M.D.; Orin F. Guidry, M.D.; and Peter
L. Hendricks, M.D. |
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Roger W. Litwiller, M.D., was installed
as President-Elect. He has served as First Vice-President
(2002), as Delegate, House of Delegates (2001), Board
of Directors (1990-present), District 28 Director
(2001) and Chair of the committees on Finance (1998-00),
Governmental Affairs (2001) and Physician Resources
(1997-99). He also served as Chair of the ASAPAC Executive
Board (1991-97) and is a member of several ASA committees.
Dr. Litwiller is in private practice in Roanoke, Virginia.
Eugene P. Sinclair, M.D., was elected
to the First Vice-President position. Dr. Sinclair
has served as Speaker of the House of Delegates (2000-02),
Vice-Speaker (1994-99), Director (1987-94) and Alternate
Director (1984-86). Dr. Sinclair is a graduate of
the Marquette University School of Medicine (now the
Medical College of Wisconsin). He completed his anesthesiology
residency training at Milwaukee County General Hospital,
Milwaukee, and the Veterans’ Administration
Hospital, Wood, Wisconsin.
Bruce F. Cullen, M.D., retained his
seat as Vice-President for Scientific Affairs. Dr.
Cullen has served as Chair, Committee on Scientific
Exhibits (1983-85), Committee on Refresher Courses
(1989, 1990), Committee on Scientific Papers (1991),
Section on Annual Meeting (1993); Vice-Chair, Section
on Annual Meeting (1992), and Section on Education
and Research (1995-present); and has been a member
of numerous ASA committees. Dr. Cullen is currently
a staff member in the Department of Anesthesiology,
University of Washington, Harborview Medical Center,
Seattle, Washington.
Gregory K. Unruh, M.D., was elected
to the position of Assistant Secretary. Dr. Unruh
has been the Chair of the committees on Clinical Forum,
Physician Resources and the Board of Directors Committee
on Scientific Affairs and is a member of numerous
other ASA committees. He was District 17 Director.
He is Associate Professor and Director, Anesthesiology
Resident Education, University of Kansas Medical Center,
Kansas City, Kansas.
Roger A. Moore, M.D., was re-elected
as Assistant Treasurer. He has served as Assistant
Treasurer (1999-present); Director (1995-98); Alternate
Director (1992-95); Member, Board Committee on Scientific
Affairs (1996-98); Secretary-Treasurer (1996-99) and
Member, ASAPAC Board of Trustees (1991-99); and as
a member of three ASA committees. He is Director of
Pediatric Anesthesia and Attending Anesthesiologist,
Deborah Heart and Lung Center, Browns Mills, New Jersey.
Candice E. Keller, M.D., moved into
the Speaker of the House of Delegates position. She
has served as Vice-Speaker of the House of Delegates
(2000-01), Alternate Director (1991-99); Member, committees
on Quality Improvement, Membership, Physician Resources,
Professional Diversity, and Anesthesia Care Team;
Chair, Young Physicians Liaison Committee to AMA (1989-91);
and Chair, House of Delegates Reference Committees
(1997-99). Dr. Keller is Staff Anesthesiologist, Wesley
Medical Center and Forrest General Hospital, Hattiesburg,
and Mississippi Baptist Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi.
She is also Assistant Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology,
University of Mississippi School of Medicine, Jackson,
Mississippi.
John P. Abenstein, M.D., was elected
as Vice-Speaker of the House of Delegates. Dr. Abenstein
has served as Alternate District Director (1998-02),
Delegate (1996-02), was a Reference Committee member
(1998, 2000, 2001) and is a member of the committees
on Governmental Affairs and Equipment and Facilities.
He is active on several committees at the Mayo Clinic
and is Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at the
Mayo Medical School, a faculty member of the Biomedical
Engineering Program, Mayo Graduate School, and a consultant
for the Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Anesthesiology,
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
Awards and Honors
The 2002 ASA Award for Excellence in Research was
presented to Daniel I. Sessler, M.D., who is Associate
Dean for Research, Distinguished University Research
Chair, Lolita and Samuel Weakley Professor of Anesthesiology
at the University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky.
Dr. Sessler is widely regarded as the world’s
leading researcher in temperature monitoring and thermal
management.
The coveted Distinguished Service Award, the highest
tribute paid by the Society to an individual anesthesiologist,
was presented to Alan D. Sessler, M.D., long-time
ASA advocate and a seminal figure in anesthesiology
and medicine during his entire tenure at Mayo Clinic.
Although retired from practice, Dr. Sessler is still
Executive Director of the Foundation for Anesthesia
Education and Research.
The 2002 Emery A. Rovenstine Memorial Lecture, “ASA’s
Efforts in Developing Guidelines for Sedation and
Analgesia for Nonanesthesiologists,” was given
by Burton S. Epstein, M.D., Professor Emeritus in
Anesthesiology and Pediatrics, George Washington University
School of Medicine, Washington, D.C. Dr. Epstein is
one of a handful of truly transcendent figures in
the specialty and was awarded the ASA Distinguished
Service Award in 1999 for his enormous contributions
to medicine.
The ASA Media Award was shared among three notable
works. NBC correspondent Jim Avila, Chicago, Illinois,
was honored for his television segment, “The
Silent Doctors — Anesthesiologists,” which
aired on August 15, 2001, on NBC Nightly News. Radio
producer Chris Newbold, Mobile, Alabama, was given
the award for a radio program, “Anesthesia Shortage
in Alabama,” which aired on October 19-21, 2001,
on Alabama Public Radio. Reporter Andis Robeznieks,
Chicago, Illinois, received the ASA Media Award for
his article “Controlled Chaos,” which
explored patient simulator training and was published
in the February 25, 2002, issue of the American
Medical News.
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