Dr. Antoun Nader to Receive 2025 Distinguished Service Award
Dr. Antoun Nader
Antoun Nader, MD, has been selected to receive the 2025 Distinguished Service Award at the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA Pain Medicine) 24th Annual Pain Medicine Meeting on November 15, 2025, in Austin, TX. The award celebrates individuals who have made broad contributions to regional anesthesiology and/or pain medicine through scholarly activity, clinical teaching, and service to ASRA Pain Medicine or related scientific and medical specialties.
Dr. Nader is a professor of anesthesiology and orthopedics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and serves as medical director of acute pain medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He also serves as the associate chair for research in the department of anesthesiology at Northwestern Medicine.
“As a teacher, he stands out amongst his peers,” wrote nominator Jessica Weeks, MD, assistant professor and fellowship program director at Feinberg School of Medicine. “He has passionately taught regional anesthesiology and acute and chronic pain medicine to trainees and graduates for over twenty years. He is a dedicated teacher, and I can speak personally to his impact on my career.”
Dr. Nader earned his medical degree from Lebanese University in Beirut and completed residencies at the American University of Beirut and Cook County Hospital, where he was chief resident. He went on to complete a pain management fellowship at Cook County Hospital. Dr. Nader has been a member of ASRA Pain Medicine since 1997 and is also a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the Illinois Society of Anesthesiologists.
“He has passionately taught regional anesthesiology and acute and chronic pain medicine to trainees and graduates for over twenty years."
Another nominator, Honorio Benzon, MD, professor emeritus of anesthesiology at the Feinberg School of Medicine, noted the Dr. Nader’s longstanding role in ASRA Pain Medicine education and urged recognition of his hard work “behind the scenes.” Dr. Nader coordinated ASRA Pain Medicine’s ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia cadaver courses at Northwestern Simulation Center for 20 years. “Technically, he is one of the better experts in ultrasound-assisted nerve blocks, especially in the head.”
Additionally, Dr. Nader has authored or co-authored 50 original articles, 15 book chapters, 13 case reports, 69 abstracts, and 160 presentations at regional and national meetings. Through his scholarship, mentorship, and leadership, Dr. Nader has helped shape the specialty and train generations of physicians in regional anesthesia and pain medicine.
As Dr. Weeks concluded, “Our specialty and subspecialty are better because of Dr. Nader. I am better because of him. I am so grateful to him for what he has done for me and regional anesthesiology and pain medicine.”