2026 Honour Award Recipients

Gold Medal

Dr. André Denault

UNIVERSITÉ DE MONTRÉAL, MONTREAL, QC

Dr. André Denault is an academic-physician with special interests in ultrasound. His medical qualifications and specialties include internal medicine (1991), critical care medicine (1993) and anesthesia (1996). In 2010 he completed a PhD in biomedical Science at the University of Montreal. He has advanced certification in National Board in Echocardiography (NBE) in perioperative transesophageal echocardiography and critical care ultrasound. Dr Denault has written 370 peer-reviewed articles, 74 book chapters and 4 textbooks on perioperative transesophageal and critical care ultrasound. He has been invited as speaker in local, national and international meeting. He won several teaching awards including the Canadian Anesthesia Research Award in 2022 and the Toronto Perioperative Echo Symposium Award in 2026. He currently works as a cardiac anaesthesiologist at the Montreal Heart Institute. He is the director of education at the Montreal Heart Institute and co-director of research and the whole-body ultrasound fellowship program in the department of Anesthesia at the University of Montreal. Major interest includes right ventricular function, venous congestion, brain monitoring and whole-body ultrasound.

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. Hamed Umedaly

UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, VANCOUVER, BC

Dr. Umedaly has spanned a 30-year career in cardio-thoracic anesthesiology and cardiac surgery intensive care at Vancouver General Hospital. He is a Clinical Professor at the Faculty of Medicine at UBC. He trained in Vancouver with a fellowship in Australia. He is renowned for his clinical acumen, technical skills, and teaching, having received awards for clinical excellence and several master teacher awards and the Residents Doctors of BC Teaching Award.

Dr. Umedaly was a Royal College examiner for 6 years, a formative part of his career development. He has held several leadership roles, including serving as the head of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care at VGH for 10 years. He was thought to be a visionary leader in developing and improving perioperative care, which was always patient-centered.

He was pivotal in developing the training and advocating for operational funding for the Anesthesia Care Team in BC. He led partnerships with colleagues at UBC and other Canadian and European universities in supporting the successful residency program in Uganda. 

He served as the president of the UBC Medical Alumni Association and recently received the UBC Medical Alumni Builder Award. He strongly supports the importance of and value of the Canadian Anesthesiologists Society. He presently serves on the VGH UBC Foundation Board of Directors.

Given in recognition of excellence in clinical anesthesia practice. 

Clinical Teacher Award

Dr. Ahtsham Niazi

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO, TORONTO, ON

Dr. Ahtsham U. Niazi completed his medical education in Pakistan from Dow Medical College, Karachi, and has completed his training in Anesthesia in the Republic of Ireland. He has completed a Fellowship in Liver Transplant Anesthesia in Dublin, Ireland and a Fellowship in Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain in Toronto, Canada. He is currently a Staff Anesthetist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and an Associate Professor at the Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine at the University of Toronto. He is currently a clinician educator, Vice Chair of Education and the holder of the Vincent and Anne Chan Professorship in Faculty Leadership at the University of Toronto.
 
Dr. Niazi’s research interests include ultrasound guided regional anesthesia and training and assessment outside of the operating room with the help of simulation and virtual reality models. He is actively involved with the education of ultrasound guided regional anesthesia and the use of remote teaching and assessment of knowledge and skills required for ultrasound guided regional anesthesia.

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

John Bradley Young Educator Award

Dr. Pablo Perez d’Empaire

SUNNYBROOK HEALTH SCIENCES, TORONTO, ON

Dr. Pablo Pérez d’Empaire is a Cardiovascular Anesthesiologist and a transformative leader in medical education, specializing in Perioperative Echocardiography and Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS). Since joining the staff at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, he has become a vital link between complex clinical practice and the next generation of medical specialists.

His leadership in medical education is extensive. He leads the Sunnybrook Perioperative POCUS Fellowship Program and serves as the POCUS Coordinator for the University's Anesthesiology Residency Program.
Dr. Pérez d’Empaire, a graduate of the University of Zulia in Venezuela, has a lifelong dedication to the medical profession. He completed his residency in Anesthesiology and two fellowships at the University of Toronto: Critical Care Medicine and Cardiovascular Anesthesiology. His commitment to systemic healthcare improvement is further strengthened by certificates in Patient Safety from the University of Toronto and in Human Factors in Healthcare from Monash University.

Dr. Pérez d’Empaire is globally recognized as an educator and clinician, with advanced certifications in Perioperative and Critical Care Echocardiography. He is a Fellow of the American College of Critical Care Medicine (FCCM) and of the American Society of Echocardiography (FASE). A dedicated educator, he has served as invited faculty at more than forty national and international conferences, including major congresses hosted by the ASA, CAS, SCCM, and CHEST.

Beyond his technical accolades, Dr. Pérez d’Empaire is celebrated for a teaching style that is "continuous and embedded in clinical care." He fosters a "community of learning" through his daily, case-based POCUS forum, where real-time clinical cases serve as springboards for pattern recognition and decision-making. This dedication to trainee growth has earned multiple prestigious honours, including the Bob Mackenzie Clinical Teaching Award, the University of Toronto New Faculty Teaching Excellence Award, and the POCUS and TEE Best Teacher Award.

Beyond the hospital walls, Pablo is the lucky husband of a very supportive wife and the proud father of four children. He is a true enthusiast at heart; when he isn't in the operating room or the classroom, he can be found meticulously building LEGO sets, spinning rock vinyl albums, or refining his palate as an aspiring sommelier.

 
Given in recognition of excellence and effectiveness in education in anesthesia.

 

Humanitarian Award

Dr. Jonathan Bailey

DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY, HALIFAX, NS

Dr. Bailey is an anesthesiologist and associate professor at Dalhousie University.  He completed undergraduate training and medical school at the University of Saskatchewan before completing his anesthesia residency, masters in epidemiology and regional anesthesia fellowship at Dalhousie University. His clinical and research interests include acute pain, regional anesthesia, and healthcare in austere settings. Dr. Bailey is the Medical Director for Global Health and Community Engagement in the Department of Anesthesia and the Rwanda Lead for the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society International Education Foundation (CASIEF).
 
Dr. Bailey has been involved in global health initiatives throughout his medical training and early career. This includes establishment of student-run, multidisciplinary clinic in Regina’s inner city and the Global Surgery Office in the Dalhousie Department of Surgery.  He is a Vital Anaesthesia Simulation Training (VAST) instructor and co-author of VAST Wellbeing.  He is the past chair of the VAST Steering Committee.  He was the recipient of the Dr. John Savage Memorial Award for Faculty Leadership in Global Health from the Dalhousie Office of Community Partnerships and Global Health in 2023.

Given in recognition of excellence in global anesthesiology.

 

CAS Outstanding Volunteer Award

Dr. Gregory Dobson

DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY, HALIFAX, NS

Dr. Dobson grew up moving across Canada, which afforded him wonderful experiences and the opportunity to feel truly Canadian. He completed high school and attended Dalhousie University in Halifax, earning a degree in biochemistry. He then took a gap year to work in the ski industry, travel, and do some courses to improve his GPA, having set his sights on medicine.

He studied medicine at Dalhousie and then went on to complete his anesthesia residency at U of T. His initial vision was to stay in Toronto in an academic, tertiary care anesthesia practice, but a great community anesthesia job opportunity came up unexpectedly at Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga. He spent six valuable years there, gaining experience and making great, lasting professional connections that he cherishes to this day. It was there, in a new hospital with a small but growing anesthesia department, that he was asked to start a Quality Improvement program. It started small but developed into a robust, respected program. He did miss teaching and the challenge of complex cases and was very fortunate to receive an offer to return to Dalhousie. He loved Halifax but had not let himself believe the chance to go back would arrive. He had a new daughter and moved back to Halifax in 1998. Very soon after, he was invited to join and ultimately lead the Dalhousie Anesthesia QI and Patient Safety Team. His interest in clinical practice guidelines and their role in maintaining the highest standard of care developed through his quality work. In late 2014, he was invited to join the CAS Standards Committee, having been nominated by his chief at the time in Halifax, Dr. Romesh Shukla, who was ending his term on the committee. He will always be very grateful for his support. It led him into the most challenging and rewarding aspect of his career. Becoming the guardian of the CAS Guidelines to the Practice of Anesthesia has been an enormous honour. He received much encouragement and mentoring from the committee chair at that time, Dr. Richard Merchant. He became committee chair in 2016, co-authoring his first editorial to accompany the 2017 Revised Edition of the Guidelines. As he reflects on the work that has been accomplished over the past 10 years and the incredible people he has been fortunate to collaborate with and to call friends, it is emotional. He is humbled and has profound gratitude to have been given the opportunity.

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.