Newswise — Honorio T. Benzon, MD, has been named the 2016 John J. Bonica Award recipient by the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA). The award is named for John J. Bonica, MD, who championed the collaboration of multidisciplinary specialists in the evaluation and treatment of patients with pain. Awardees embody the ideals of John Bonica and his passion for pain medicine as manifested through their contributions to research, teaching, and clinical practice.
Dr. Benzon is a Professor of Anesthesiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and is on the medical staff at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He was chief of the Division of Pain Medicine for 20 years, Pain Medicine Fellowship Program Director for 12 years, Senior Associate Chair for Academic Affairs for 10 years, and Chair of the Medical School Admissions Committee for the Midwest Region for three years.
Nominator Khalid M. Malik, MD, FRCS, describes Dr. Benzon as “an exemplary educator and a role model” who “epitomizes care with compassion.”
“He works closely with neurologists, psychiatrists, and physiatrists and has spearheaded an exemplary multidisciplinary Pain Medicine program for many decades. Dr. Benzon’s adherence to ethical and professional standards is, without a doubt, superb,” Malik writes.
Dr. Benzon is chief editor of two premier textbooks in the specialty: Essentials of Pain Medicine, which is a favorite resource for pain medicine fellows and anesthesiology residents rotating through pain medicine, and Raj’s Practical Management of Pain. Dr. Benzon served as Senior Editor for Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Deputy Editor-in-Chief for Pain Practice, and is presently the Executive Section Editor of Chronic Pain Medicine for Anesthesia and Analgesia. He served with distinction on ASRA’s Board of Directors from 2010 to 2015 and was elected Chair of the USA Section of the World Institute of Pain in 2015.
Dr. Benzon’s accomplishments have been recognized around the world. He has received ASRA’s Distinguished Service Award, the Department of Anesthesiology Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence at Northwestern. He was recognized as the “Most Outstanding Alumnus” of the Far Eastern University Medical School and “Most Distinguished Physician” from the Philippine Medical Association in Chicago. He was recently elected to Alpha Omega Alpha in the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Steven P. Cohen, MD, writes in his nomination that many of Dr. Benzon’s contributions have occurred “behind the scenes.”
“Nory’s accomplishments have never come in the selfish pursuit of glory or ambition, but rather in the context of facilitating the advancement of other people’s careers and helping the major pain organizations in the world achieve their strategic goals,” Cohen says. Benzon will present the John J. Bonica Lecture at the Excellence in ASRA Awards Luncheon held November 19th, 2016, in San Diego, CA. ASRA’s 15th Annual Pain Medicine Meeting will be held November 17-19, 2016. Nominations for the John J. Bonica Award are accepted each spring for the subsequent year.
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