Newswise — NEW ORLEANS – Oct. 15, 2014 – The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA®) today installed J.P. Abenstein, M.S.E.E., M.D., as its president during the ANESTHESIOLOGY™ 2014 annual meeting.
“It is with pleasure that I accept this position during such a critical time in the history of the medical specialty of anesthesiology,” said Dr. Abenstein. “I am honored to serve ASA in this capacity and I look forward to connecting with patients, colleagues and policymakers on key initiatives to improve the quality and safety of the care we deliver to our patients and help move the specialty forward.”
Dr. Abenstein has served ASA in numerous positions. He just completed two years on its Executive Committee, first as vice president and most recently as president-elect. Dr. Abenstein previously served as the ASA Speaker of the House of Delegates. He has served on many ASA Committees throughout his membership including the Committee on Governmental Affairs and the Committee on Equipment and Facilities. Dr. Abenstein currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Minnesota Society of Anesthesiologists (MSA) and was MSA’s President from 1997-1998.
Currently he is a consultant in the Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Anesthesiology and an associate professor of anesthesiology at Mayo College of Medicine in Rochester, Minn. He also serves on the faculty in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Mayo Graduate School. Prior to joining the staff at Mayo Clinic, Dr. Abenstein was a U.S. Navy physician anesthesiologist and was deployed on the USS Tarawa on Surgical Team 9 in 1986.
Dr. Abenstein has also contributed to various activities outside of organized medicine. He has been a long-standing member of the MN Blue Cross Blue Shield Medical Policy Committee and the State of Minnesota’s Medical Education and Research Costs Committee. He also chaired Minnesota’s Health Technology Advisory Committee. He received his engineering degrees from Duke University and the University of Wisconsin.
He received his medical degree from Loyola Stritch School of Medicine in Maywood, Ill., and completed his residency and fellowship in cardiac anesthesiology at Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago. He is board certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology.
“Dr. Abenstein’s contributions to ASA thus far have been invaluable,” said ASA Immediate Past President Jane C.K. Fitch, M.D. “He will bring a strong leadership background and many years of experience to his presidency, and will no doubt influence the Society in a positive way for years to come.”
Dr. Abenstein and his wife, Sandra, live in Oronoco, Minn., and have two children.
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS®Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA®) is an educational, research and scientific society with more than 52,000 members organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology. ASA is committed to ensuring that physician anesthesiologists evaluate and supervise the medical care of patients before, during, and after surgery to provide the highest quality and safest care that 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™ 2014 social conversation today. Like ASA on Facebook, follow ASALifeline on Twitter and use the hashtag #ANES2014.
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