2025 Honour Award Recipients

Gold Medal

Dr Sugantha Ganapathy

London, ON

Dr. Sugantha (Su) Ganapathy qualified for her medical degree from Jawaharlal Institute of Post-graduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry, India and obtained early training in anesthesia from the University of Bombay. She was awarded the President of India Gold Medal in 1972. She later moved to Kenya where she worked with the Kenyatta National Hospital, initially as a medical officer and later as Assistant Professor with the University of Nairobi.

By 1981 she had completed both the British and Irish fellowships in Anesthesiology. Her move to Canada was facilitated by the Grenfell Mission at St Anthony, Newfoundland. She later came to the University of Western Ontario where she obtained Canadian FRCPC in Anesthesia. Dr. Ganapathy focused her career in the subspecialty of regional anesthesia, and completed a fellowship at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard University, Boston Mass in 1993. This training with world class leaders in regional anesthesia enabled her to transfer the knowledge and clinical skills she acquired, into a Canadian environment.  She was later invited to take the position of Professor of Anesthesia and Director of Regional Anesthesia at Cleveland Clinic, University of Iowa and Duke University. She accepted the position at Duke University and served them from 2002-2003.

Dr. Ganapathy established a Block Room at St Joseph's Health Care, London, Ontario to facilitate regional anesthesia, clinical delivery, research and education. She introduced ultrasonography for regional anesthesia and conducted annual workshops bringing in world experts to educate local clinical faculty as well as faculty and students from all over the world on the technical aspects of ultrasound guided regional anesthesia. In 2009, she was chosen to receive the London YMCA Woman of Excellence Award for Health Science and Technology. Through her leadership, the practice of regional anesthesia extended into cardiac surgery which included thoracic epidural analgesia for cardiac surgery and paravertebral block for minimally invasive surgery. Her work on inflammatory response and stress response following cardiopulmonary bypass formed the basis for further research, resulting in several publications in this area, one of them judged as the best clinical paper by International Society of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery (ISMICS) in Paris, France. Research in the area of orthopaedic surgery involved continuous peripheral nerve blocks and Periarticular infiltration for orthopaedic analgesia for the first time in Canada was initiated by Dr. Ganapathy resulting in early discharge of patients following surgery.  In the early nineties, Dr. Ganapathy and her colleagues pioneered Ambulatory Regional Analgesia. She has been actively involved with the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, evaluating the anatomical basis of several newer ultrasound guided blocks. She established new anatomy teaching for the residents and fellows in Regional Anesthesia, which is much appreciated by the learners. With collaboration of the Robarts Research Institute, she has been involved with needle tracking for spinal anesthesia and blocks. Dr. Ganapathy has mentored over 20 Clinical Fellows in Regional Anesthesia who now hold leadership roles in several institutions across the world. She has been awarded the annual Best Fellowship Teacher of the Year three times in the Department of Anesthesia & Perioperative Medicine. She has chaired sessions in Regional Anesthesia and conducted workshops at annual meetings of Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society (CAS), American Society of Regional Anesthesia (ASRA) and the World Congress of Anesthesia. She retired in 2016 from Western University and is still actively in contact with her colleagues.

The Gold Medal is the highest award of the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society. It is an inscribed medal given in recognition of excellence in a career in service to anesthesiology. 

Clinical Practitioner Award

Dr Anita Rao

Toronto, ON

Dr. Rao has led the Ontario’s Anesthesiologists Environmental Sustainability Working Group since its founding in 2022. She actively contributes to several organizations, including the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society, CASCADES, the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care, Choosing Wisely Climate Action, and the Ontario Medical Association, advocating for the decarbonization of health systems.
 
Dr. Rao earned her medical degree from McGill University in 1995 and completed a residency in family practice at the University of Toronto. After a decade of primary care practice, she retrained as an anesthesiologist at the University of Toronto and has since been practicing at Trillium Health Partners in Mississauga. Additionally, she serves as the Physician Lead for Environmental Sustainability at Trillium Health Partners, where she leads and collaborates on initiatives to reduce the environmental impact of hospital operations, energy use, and clinical care.

Given in recognition of excellence in clinical anesthesia practice. 

Clinical Teacher Award

Dr Jacobo Moreno

Toronto, ON

Dr. Moreno's medical journey began at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain, where he completed his training in Anesthesia and Emergency Medicine. His pursuit of excellence led him to the University of Toronto, where over three years, he honed his skills through fellowships in Critical Care Medicine, Cardio-Vascular, and Thoracic Anesthesia.

In February 2015, Dr. Moreno's expertise and dedication were recognized with his appointment as a full-time Clinician-Investigator in the Department of Anesthesia at the University of Toronto. For a decade, he served as a cardio-thoracic Staff in the Department of Anesthesia and Pain Management at the Toronto General Hospital, part of the University Health Network. In January 2022, Dr. Moreno took on new challenges as he transitioned to the Sunnybrook Health Science Centre.

A specialist in the clinical applications of Focused Cardiac Ultrasound (FOCUS) and transesophageal echocardiography, Dr. Moreno is nationally accredited with advanced perioperative transesophageal echocardiography certification from the National Board of Echocardiography. His leadership extends to directing the innovative 3D TEE perioperative course in both Barcelona and Toronto and as a WINFOCUS instructor, he brings a wealth of knowledge to his students. Dr. Moreno's expertise is further amplified by his proficiency in lung ultrasound.

Currently, Dr. Moreno is a Staff Cardiovascular Anesthesiologist at the Department of Anesthesia, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and a Clinician-Investigator with the Department of Anesthesia and Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine at the University of Toronto. His educational journey includes completing clinical fellowships in Critical Care Medicine (2008-2009), Cardiovascular Anesthesia (2013), and Thoracic Anesthesia (2014) at Toronto General Hospital.

He holds the Advanced PTEeXAM certification from the National Board of Echocardiography and is a Fellow of the American Society of Echocardiography (FASE). He is a dynamic associate investigator at the Lynn & Arnold Irwin Advanced Perioperative Imaging Lab (APIL) at Toronto General Hospital. In addition to this, he is involved in The Resuscitative TEE project and the Perioperative Echocardiography Group, combining his expertise in these fields.

Dr. Moreno continues to guide the medical community as the Director of the Toronto and Barcelona 3D Perioperative Echocardiography TEE courses. His commitment to the field is also evident in his long-standing membership on the planning committee of the Toronto Perioperative Echo Symposium. Dr. Moreno's career is marked by a steadfast dedication to advancing the field of anesthesia and critical care through clinical excellence, innovative research, and leading education.

Given in recognition of excellence in the teaching of clinical anesthesia.

John Bradley Young Educator Award

Dr Farrukh Munshey

Toronto, ON

Dr. Farrukh Munshey is an Anesthesiologist at The Hospital for Sick Children and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Toronto. He is the current Director of Regional Anesthesia at The Hospital for Sick Children. Dr. Munshey has consistently demonstrated an unparalleled commitment to education, both in his clinical practice and as an innovative educator.
 
Dr. Munshey spends most of his clinical days working with trainees providing intra-operative and didactic teaching on all aspects of pediatric anesthesia. He is committed to getting to know trainees personally and understanding their unique educational needs. He creates a learning environment that instills confidence, encourages discussion, and is inclusive. He routinely gives pediatric anesthesia written and oral exam review sessions to residents which have been described as extremely high yield. In the operating room, he helps fellows and residents gain experience and learn skills to become comfortable with regional anesthesia in children.
 
Trainees have given Dr. Munshey stellar evaluations and describe him as having an extraordinary passion for his craft and teaching. Since joining the faculty at Sick Kids, Dr. Munshey has received 11 teaching awards. He is a 4-time recipient of The Robert Crieghton Award for Excellence in Resident Clinical Teaching, a 3-time recipient of the Excellence in Fellowship Teaching Award, a recipient of the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award and a recipient of the Postgraduate Teaching Award all from the Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children. In 2022, Dr. Munshey received the New Faculty Clinical Excellence Teaching award at the annual Shield’s Day from The Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Toronto. In 2024, Dr. Munshey received The Excellence in Education Award at the annual ASRA society meeting.
 
Dr. Munshey has mentored over 50 trainees offering insights into career choices and connecting them with resources to help achieve their academic goals. He also co-authored 5 papers with trainees and continues to be involved in collaborative clinical research with current trainees.
 
Given in recognition of excellence and effectiveness in education in anesthesia.

 

Humanitarian Award

Dr Jason McVicar

Kamloops, BC

Jason McVicar, MD, FRCPC is Métis from the Red River Settlement in Manitoba. He was born in the Northwest Territories and raised in western Manitoba. He pursued his medical studies at the University of Manitoba and anesthesia residency at Queen’s University, followed by a fellowship in regional anesthesia and pain medicine in Toronto. He practiced at The Ottawa Hospital for the past decade and is now an anesthesiologist at the Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, British Columbia.

Jason has worked for Médecins Sans Frontières, has been a trustee of the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society International Education Foundation, and completed a public policy fellowship with Action Canada. Dr. McVicar was lead author on two CMAJ publications on surgical outcomes for Indigenous Peoples in Canada. He was awarded the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine Social Accountability Award in 2022.
Dr. McVicar’s current appointments include membership on the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists Pain Committee, co-chair of the Indigenous Peoples Advisory Circle at The Ottawa Hospital, co-chair of the Collaborative Advisory Group for Rural Anesthesia for the Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society, and chair of the Global and Rural Health Committee with the Academic Canadian Universities Departments of Anesthesia.

Jason is the proud father of two loud children who has selfishly taught downhill skiing so he can return to the slopes after a decade hiatus. He perpetually pesters his kids by over photographing them with long lenses and can be occasionally found taking pictures of other slower moving things.

Given in recognition of excellence in global anesthesiology.

 

CAS Outstanding Volunteer Award

Dr Kathryn Sparrow

St. John's, NL

Dr. Kathryn Sparrow is an Associate Professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland's Discipline of Anesthesia. She is an anesthesiologist at St. Clare's Mercy Hospital in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Following her Anesthesiology training at Memorial University of Newfoundland, she completed an Airway Fellowship at Dalhousie University in 2016 and an MScHQ at Queen's University in 2018. 
 
Dr. Sparrow is the current Canadian Journal of Anesthesia Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Editor and Chair of the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society (CAS) CPD Modules Planning Subcommittee. She is a PACT Steering Committee member, member of the CAS Standards Committee, and the former Chair of the Canadian Anesthetic Incident Reporting System (CAIRS). She serves as the Memorial University Faculty of Medicine Postgraduate Medical Education QI/QA Educational Director, and is a Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Anesthesiology Exam Board examiner. She has previously served as a member of the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society Research Advisory Committee and CAIRS Representative to the CAS Quality and Patient Safety Committee.
 
Her areas of interest include healthcare and quality improvement, patient safety, quality metrics, and airway management. Her continued goal is to promote excellence and advance care through social accountability, leadership, and education.  

This award is given in recognition of excellence in supporting CAS through volunteering and is awarded to a CAS member who has made a significant and sustained contribution to the Society and has helped improve its image as a volunteer.  

Research Recognition Award

Dr Alexis Turgeon

Quebec, QC

Dr Turgeon is Professor and Director of Research in the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Université Laval, Québec City, Québec, Canada. He is a scientist at the CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center and practices anesthesia and critical care medicine at l’Hôpital de l’Enfant-Jésus of the CHU de Québec-Université Laval. He leads extensive collaborative research programs in neurocritical care medicine including BRAINapt, a newly funded international adaptive platform trial in critically ill patients with traumatic brain injury. In the last years, he led the HEMOTION trial, a multicenter international trial on red blood cell transfusion thresholds in traumatic brain injury recently published in the NEJM. His research is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).  Dr Turgeon is the chairholder of the Canada Research Chair in Critical Care Neurology and Trauma.

Presented by the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society to honour a senior investigator who has made major contributions to anesthesia research in Canada.