Newswise — April 7, 2015 – The International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS) is pleased to announce that one of its Trustees, Davy Cheng, MD, is the recipient of the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society 2015 Gold Medal Award. The Gold Medal Award is the highest award of the CAS and recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to anesthesia in Canada through teaching, research, professional practice or related administration and personal leadership.

Dr. Cheng is currently the Distinguished University Professor and Chair, Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Western University, Ontario. Since 2001, Dr. Cheng has led and transformed the department into one of the top academic anesthesia departments in the world. He has doubled the faculty to 80 consultants, 47 residents, and 12 fellows. Dr. Cheng is recognized as a world expert in perioperative outcomes and resource utilization in the areas of cardiac surgery, blood management, minimally invasive and robotic cardiac surgery, and perioperative evidence-based medicine. He established the Evidence-Based Perioperative Clinical Outcomes Research Group (EPiCOR) and the Medical Evidence, Decision Integrity, Clinical Impact (MEDICI) Centre at Western and London teaching hospitals and is also responsible for a number of pivotal publications that direct evidence-based clinical and surgical practice. Dr. Cheng is a recognized health care leader at the forefront of research, practice, and policy. As principal investigator and co-investigator, he has been awarded over $5.8 million in peer-reviewed grants and over $1.7 million in non-peer reviewed grants. He has published over 140 peer-reviewed scientific papers in high-impact journals and 45 books or chapters. He has led international multicenter clinical trials and consensus conferences in practice guideline development.

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About the IARSThe International Anesthesia Research Society is a nonpolitical, not-for-profit medical society founded in 1922 to advance and support scientific research and education related to anesthesia, and to improve patient care through basic research. The IARS contributes nearly $1 million annually to fund anesthesia research; provides a forum for anesthesiology leaders to share information and ideas; maintains a worldwide membership of more than 15,000 physicians, physician residents, and others with doctoral degrees, as well as health professionals in anesthesia related practice; sponsors the SmartTots initiative in partnership with the FDA; supports the OpenAnesthesia resident education website; and publishes the monthly journal Anesthesia & Analgesia and semi-monthly journal A&A Case Reports.