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CHICAGO – The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) today presented Albert J. Varon, M.D., MHPE, FCCM, FASA, with its 2020 Excellence in Education Award in recognition of his exemplary educational initiatives and programs that have been adopted into anesthesiology training programs at the state and national level. The award is presented annually to an ASA member who has made significant contributions to the specialty through excellence in teaching, development of new teaching methods, or the implementation of innovative educational programs.
Dr. Varon has led numerous educational initiatives in his current role as professor and vice chair for education in the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Medicine and Pain Management at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Florida. He redesigned the curriculum of their anesthesiology training program, one of the largest in the nation, during which the performance, board certification rates, and quality of the graduates improved exponentially. More than 500 residents have successfully completed the redesigned curriculum and it has become a very popular program among applicants.
Early in his career, Dr. Varon created one of the first accredited anesthesiology critical care training programs in the nation at the University of Miami/Jackson Health System. He was the program’s director for 16 years and also created the University of Miami Division of Trauma Anesthesiology. Dr Varon has a passion for advancing anesthesia care for injured patients and has served as chief of anesthesiology at the Ryder Trauma Center in Miami since it was created in 1992.
“Dr. Varon is an exceptional educator who deserves this award for his outstanding contributions to help train the next generation of physician anesthesiologists,” said ASA President Mary Dale Peterson, M.D., MSHCA, FACHE, FASA. “His passion and compassion for his patients serves as a great example to the residents he educates. He also serves as a mentor to faculty, ensuring that there will be future education leaders in the specialty. Congratulations on an award so well deserved!”
Dr. Varon developed a curriculum for trauma anesthesiology training that has become a national model published on ASA’s website and by the Society for Education in Anesthesia. Additionally, in 2009, he completed a Master of Health Professions Education program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. This advanced training and lifetime experience in graduate medical education not only facilitated the redesign of the University of Miami/Jackson Health System’s anesthesiology training program but allowed Dr. Varon to serve as a mentor to junior faculty educators and program directors. Several of his educational initiatives have had implications at the national level and other institutions have used the anesthesiology core program curriculum as the basis for their own training.
Dr. Varon is a member of ASA’s COVID-19 Council and chair of the ASA Committee on Trauma and Emergency Preparedness. He is a founding member and currently on the board of directors of the Trauma Anesthesiology Society and a full examiner for the American Board of Anesthesiology.
Dr. Varon completed his medical degree from Universidad La Salle in Mexico City. He completed his residency in anesthesiology at the University of Miami/Jackson Health System, where he also completed an internship in internal medicine and a fellowship in critical care medicine.
A leading educator throughout his career, Dr. Varon has received numerous awards, including the Miller Professorship, bestowed in recognition of significant contributions to the mission of the Department of Anesthesiology and the University of Miami’s Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. Additionally, he was inducted into the Iron Arrow Honor Society, the University of Miami’s highest honor.
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS
Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific society with more than 54,000 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® 2020 social conversation today. Like ASA on Facebook, follow ASALifeline on Twitter and use the hashtag #ANES20.
