he annual ASA Award for Excellence in Research recognizes an individual for outstanding achievement in research that has or is likely to have an important impact on the practice of anesthesiology.

The individual’s work must represent a body of original, mature and sustained contribution to the advancement of the science of anesthesiology. The nominee need not be a physician, an anesthesiologist or a member of ASA, but must be presently engaged in research related to anesthesiology, academically accomplished with peer-reviewed publications and funded research, and nominated in response to a call for nominations. The completed application must include the nominee’s current curriculum vitae, a letter of nomination and a seconding letter from two individuals with an understanding of the research contributions of the individual.

The 2007 Award for Excellence in Research was presented to Debra A. Schwinn, M.D., at the ASA Annual Meeting in San Francisco, on Monday, October 15, 2007. Dr. Schwinn is Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Washington, Seattle.

The deadline for nominations for the 2008 Award for Excellence in Research is March 31, 2008. Please submit nominations or any questions regarding this award to Anne M. Watterson, Managing Editor, Anesthesiology, Department of Anesthesiology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157; e-mail: managing-editor@anesthesiology.org.

Call for Candidates for Presidential Scholar Award
The ASA Presidential Scholar Award recognizes colleagues who dedicate their formative careers to research.

The recipient of the 2007 Presidential Scholar Award was Marcos Francisco Vidal Melo, M.D., Ph.D., who received his award at the ASA Annual Meeting in San Francisco on Monday, October 15, 2007. Dr. Melo is an Assistant Professor of Anesthesia in the Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston.

The deadline for nominations for the 2008 Presidential Scholar Award is March 31, 2008. Anesthesiologists who are within seven years of their first appointment to a department of anesthesiology, who are board-certified, ASA members and who spend at least two days per week in clinical practice are eligible for the award. Nominees must be academically accomplished with peer-reviewed publications and funded research. Candidates should be nominated by their department chair or by the Committee on Research after review of the current year’s grant applicants of the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research. The nominee’s department chair should submit a letter of support and the nominee’s current curriculum vitae as well as a seconding letter from a senior faculty member. Only one nominee per department will be accepted.

Please submit nominations or any questions regarding this award to Anne M. Watterson, Managing Editor, Anesthesiology, Department of Anesthesiology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157; e-mail: managing-editor@anesthesiology.org.

James C. Eisenach, M.D., is F.M. James III Professor of Anesthesiology and Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.