The Gaston Labat Award Committee annually seeks nominations from the ASRA Pain Medicine membership for individuals who have demonstrated outstanding contributions to the development, teaching, and practice of regional anesthesia in the tradition of Louis Gaston Labat, MD (1876-1934). The Gaston Labat Lecture is presented each spring at the ASRA Pain Medicine Annual Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Meeting. Members are asked to nominate qualified anesthesiologists who have distinguished themselves in two of the following areas of regional anesthesia: research, teaching, or clinical practice. The emphasis of the award is to recognize those who have fostered the art and science of regional anesthesia in the tradition of Louis Gaston Labat by contribution to the performance of research that has furthered the specialty, innovative teaching traditions, organizational contributions, or simply exemplary clinical practice of regional anesthesia that has encouraged its expanded application.
Dr. Labat and his colleagues founded the original American Society of Regional Anesthesia in 1923, shortly after the publication of his landmark textbook of regional techniques. It should be noted that his colleagues wanted to honor Dr. Labat by calling the fledging organization the Labat Society. The first ASRA merged with the American Society of Anesthesiologists in 1939 and dissolved after the merger. The records of the early society are preserved at the Wood Library - Museum of Anesthesiology at the ASA office in Park Ridge, Illinois. The present-day ASRA Pain Medicine was refounded in 1975.
Nominees should be nationally recognized and their contributions to the subspecialty duly noted by a broad audience. The individual need not be a member of ASRA Pain Medicine, and the receipt of previous awards from ASRA Pain Medicine does not disqualify him or her. Current members of the Board of Directors are not eligible (see full list here). Nominations must be made using the Gaston Labat Award Nomination Form. Nominations are open through July 15th.
Dr. Louis Gaston Labat
Christopher L. Wu, MD
2024 Gaston Labat Award Recipient
Past Winners
| 1977 | John J. Bonica, MD, & Daniel C. Moore, MD |
| 1978 | Sir Robert Macintosh |
| 1979 | Torsten Gordh, MD |
| 1980 | John Adriani, MD |
| 1981 | Robert Hingson, MD |
| 1982 | Alon P. Winnie, MD |
| 1983 | Peere C. Lund, MD |
| 1984 | Philip R. Bromage, MB, FFARCS, FFARCA |
| 1985 | J. Alfred Lee, MD |
| 1986 | Benjamin G. Covino, MD, PhD |
| 1987 | Nicholas Greene, MD |
| 1988 | D. Bruce Scott, MD |
| 1989 | Ronald Melzack, PhD & Patrick Wall, MD |
| 1990 | P. Prithvi Raj, MD |
| 1991 | Bertil Lofstrom, MD |
| 1992 | B. Raymond Fink, MD |
| 1993 | Sol M. Shnider, MD |
| 1994 | Phillip O. Bridenbaugh, MD |
| 1995 | Rudolph H. DeJong MD |
| 1996 | Michael J. Cousins, MD, FANZCA |
| 1997 | Gale E. Thompson, MD |
| 1998 | Stefano Ischia, MD |
| 1999 | L. Brian Ready, MD |
| 2000 | Gary R. Strichartz, PhD |
| 2001 | Cosmo A. DiFazio, MD, PhD |
| 2002 | John A.W. Wildsmith, MD, FRCA |
| 2003 | Brendan T. Finucane, MD |
| 2004 | David L. Brown, MD |
| 2005 | Henrik Kehlet, MD, PhD |
| 2006 | Dag E. Selander, MD, PhD |
| 2007 | Michael F. Mulroy, MD |
| 2008 | James C. Eisenach, MD |
| 2009 | Quinn H. Hogan, MD |
| 2010 | Narinder Rawal, MD |
| 2011 | Terese Toddie Horlocker, MD |
| 2012 | Denise J. Wedel, MD |
| 2013 | Admir Hadzic, MD, PhD |
| 2014 | Per H. Rosenberg, MD |
| 2015 | John C. Rowlingson, MD |
| 2016 | Vincent W.S. Chan, MD, FRCPC |
| 2017 | Nigel E. Sharrock, MB, ChB |
| 2018 | Alain Borgeat, MD |
| 2019 | Joseph M. Neal, MD |
| 2020 | Guy L. Weinberg, MD |
| 2021 | F. Kayser Enneking, MD |
| 2022 | Brian Ilfeld, MD |
| 2023 | Santhanam Suresh, MD, MBA, FAAP, FASA |
| 2024 | Christopher L. Wu, MD |