This article has been reprinted in its entirety from the October issue of the journal Anesthesiology, Volume 127, Issue No. 4.

THE American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Excellence in Research Award is the most prestigious research award in our specialty. First awarded in 1986, recipients of the Excellence in Research Award include names that can be found in every textbook of anesthesiology, including John Severinghaus (1986), Raymond Fink (1987), Francis Foldes (1988), and Edmond (Ted) I. Eger II (1989). In accordance with the philosophy that science knows no borders, the ASA wisely stipulated that the Excellence in Research Award may be awarded to any researcher whose research had a major impact on the specialty of anesthesiology. The nominee need not be a physician, an anesthesiologist, a member of ASA, or practice in the United States. The ASA Excellence in Research Award is thus truly international and based solely on the merits of academic accomplishment and scientific impact.