American Society of Anesthesiologists recognizes Hannah Wunsch, M.D., with its 2016 Presidential Scholar Award

CHICAGO – The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) today presented Hannah Wunsch, M.D., M.Sc., with its 2016 Presidential Scholar Award in recognition of her outstanding career in research.  Dr. Wunsch is a leading academic physician anesthesiologist with numerous contributions to anesthesia research and critical care medicine.

Dr. Wunsch is associate professor of anesthesiology at the University of Toronto in Ontario and a visiting assistant professor of anesthesiology at Columbia University in New York. She is also a physician in the Department of Critical Care Medicine at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and a senior scientist at the Sunnybrook Research Institute in Toronto. 

After receiving a fellowship grant from the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER), Dr. Wunsch had her research on long-term outcomes after critical illness published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Her work highlighted the high mortality of the elderly and focused attention on the importance of identifying risk factors and appropriate interventions to improve outcomes. Dr. Wunsch has published more than 80 peer-reviewed studies, as well as 27 reviews and nine book chapters.

In addition to her research accomplishments, Dr. Wunsch is an excellent mentor. Her mentees have developed successful research careers under her guidance and have received numerous awards and scholarships. 

“I congratulate Dr. Wunsch on this well-deserved achievement,” said ASA President Daniel J. Cole, M.D. “Her research on the organization and delivery of critical care has increased our understanding of long-term outcomes after critical illness.”

After graduating from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Dr. Wunsch received her master’s degree in epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in London. She then completed her medical degree at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and her residency in anesthesiology and fellowship in critical care medicine at Columbia University Medical Center in New York.

Dr. Wunsch is actively involved in numerous professional associations. She is chair-elect of the American Thoracic Society Critical Care Planning Committee and serves on the THRIVE taskforce for the Society of Critical Care Medicine. Dr. Wunsch is an associate editor of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine and is on the editorial boards of Anesthesiology, the official medical journal of ASA, and Intensive Care Medicine.


THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS
Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific society with more than 52,000 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® 2016 social conversation today. Like ASA on Facebook, follow ASALifeline on Twitter and use the hashtag #ANES16.

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