Roswell Park Anesthesiology Chair To Receive ASA Distinguished Service Award

BUFFALO, NY — Mark J. Lema, MD, PhD, Professor, Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care & Pain Medicine and Medical Director of Surgical Services at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center (Roswell Park), will receive the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Distinguished Service Award (DSA) at the Society’s annual meeting October 17. The DSA is the highest award given by the Society for meritorious service and achievement.

“It is the pinnacle of any physician’s career to be recognized for meritorious service by an organization as well-respected as the ASA,” said Dr. Lema. “To be selected for this honor among 46,000 peers is deeply humbling, and I’m extremely grateful for this recognition.”

Dr. Lema, who in May took office as President of the Medical Society of Erie County, served as the 71st president of ASA in 2007, and was named Treasurer of the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists in 2010. He also serves as Professor and Chair of Anesthesiology at the University at Buffalo (UB) School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and Associate Research Professor of Experimental Pathology in the Roswell Park Graduate Division of UB. 

Dr. Lema completed his medical training at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine in Brooklyn. He completed an internship at Staten Island Hospital and a residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Mass. He holds a PhD in physiology from UB.

A Diplomate of both the National Board of Medical Examiners and the American Board of Anesthesiology, Dr. Lema holds board certifications in anesthesiology and pain medicine from the American Board of Anesthesiology and is a member of the American Medical Association, the Medical Society of the State of New York, the International Anesthesia Research Society, the American Pain Society, the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine and the New York State Society of Anesthesiologists.

The mission of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is to understand, prevent and cure cancer. Roswell Park, founded in 1898, was one of the first cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and remains the only facility with this designation in Upstate New York. The Institute is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers; maintains affiliate sites; and is a partner in national and international collaborative programs. For more information, visit Roswell Park’s website at http://www.roswellpark.org, call 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or email AskRoswell@Roswellpark.org.