Dr. Vishal Uppal Named Presidential Scholar Award Recipient

Newswise — Vishal Uppal, MBBS, FRCA, is named an American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine Presidential Scholar recipient. Dr. Uppal will be recognized for this honor at the 49th Annual Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Meeting, held March 21-23, 2024, in San Diego, CA. The Presidential Scholar Award recognizes members who have demonstrated exceptional scientific and sustained contributions to regional anesthesia, acute, or chronic pain medicine that have had or will have a meaningful impact on the clinical practice or scientific direction of regional anesthesia and/or pain medicine.

Dr. Uppal is an associate professor in the Department of Anesthesia, Pain Management, and Perioperative Medicine and is also the director of the regional anesthesia fellowship program at Dalhousie University, located in Halifax, Canada.

After receiving his bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery at India’s Karnatak University in 2000, Dr. Uppal began a residency at Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi until 2003. He received his Fellowship of the Royal College of Anaesthetists (FRCA) credentials while being in residency with the National Health Services (NHS) of Scotland. Following FRCA completion in 2006, Dr. Uppal continued to London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and earned a masters of science for clinical trials in 2020. Postgraduate training includes residencies and fellowships at Scotland’s University of Glasgow, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Western University in Ontario, Canada, and Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, where Dr. Uppal serves as faculty.

In 2019, Dr. Uppal became the director of the anesthesia journal club at Dalhousie University, before joining the Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine journal and the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia as an associate editor. In 2022, Dr. Uppal was named chair of the Canadian Anesthesiologists Society Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain section. In 2024, he joined the ASRA Pain Medicine Board of Directors.Having authored more than 60 peer-reviewed papers and six book chapters, Dr. Uppal is heavily involved with multiple professional societies while continuing to educate the future generations of anesthesiologists and/or pain medicine physicians.

Dr. Uppal teaches workshops and cadaver courses and is a frequently invited speaker to deliver presentations at scientific meetings. Dr. Uppal is the meeting chair for the upcoming 50th Annual Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Meeting which will be held May 1-3, 2025, in Orlando, FL.

The Presidential Scholar Award is presented biannually at the Annual Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Meeting in the spring or the Annual Pain Medicine Meeting in the fall.