WEST ORANGE, N.J., Oct. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The highest award bestowed upon an individual by the American Society of Anesthesiologists -- the Distinguished Service Award -- will be presented to Henry Rosenberg, M.D., at its annual meeting in San Diego, California, on October 26, 2015. Dr. Rosenberg is the Director of the Department of Medical Education and Clinical Research at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, N.J., a Barnabas Health facility, and Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology, Rutgers New Jersey College of Medicine.
The prestigious honor by the 52,000-member organization is presented annually for outstanding clinical, educational and/or scientific achievement that advances and transforms the specialty of anesthesiology.
Dr. Rosenberg is widely recognized as a pioneer in the research, education and treatment of malignant hyperthermia (MH). MH is an uncommon, inherited and potentially fatal disorder triggered by certain commonly-used anesthetic agents in genetically susceptible individuals. The disorder is characterized by high body temperature and muscle breakdown. Prompt recognition and treatment with the antidote drug, dantrolene, has led to a dramatic reduction in deaths from the syndrome.
Dr. Rosenberg's early interest in MH began in the 1970s, at which time mortality from the little-known syndrome was approximately 80 percent. In 1981, Dr. Rosenberg helped create the Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States (MHAUS), to share knowledge concerning MH with physicians, nurses, clinicians, patients and families and to provide guidance for diagnosis and treatment. He has served as its President since 1998.
Dr. Rosenberg's leadership of MHAUS was critical in starting the MH hotline, enabling immediate consultation with expert volunteers available 24/7. Anesthesia providers and other clinicians know the hotline as a source of help during an MH crisis. It is of exceptional importance to the survival of countless individuals, and has helped to reduce the mortality from MH to below 10 percent.
"Henry Rosenberg is the personification of the physicians' physician," said Barry H. Ostrowsky, President and Chief Executive Officer of Barnabas Health. "He has devoted much of his professional career to enriching the understanding and treatment of the lethal malignant hyperthermia syndrome. His leadership has led to remarkable achievements in this field, greatly influencing the practice of anesthesiology and heightening patient safety throughout the world."
"I am very honored to have been selected by the American Society of Anesthesiologists to receive the Distinguished Service Award," stated Dr. Rosenberg. "From the time that I first learned of malignant hyperthermia, I decided to devote my academic efforts to better understand the syndrome. In addition to working in the laboratory and the clinic, I helped establish a patient advocacy organization and, together with physicians, scientists, nurses, clinicians and patients, we helped raise awareness of MH and promoted education, research and optimum patient care. Undoubtedly, these efforts have saved many lives. However, as the many calls to the Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the US indicate, there remains a great deal more to learn about MH."
Dr. Rosenberg was appointed Director of Medical Education at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in 2002. He currently is clinical professor of Anesthesiology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, NJ; adjunct professor of Anesthesiology at Columbia University School of Medicine in New York; and holds academic appointments at NY Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine and Saint Georges University School of Medicine.
Prior positions include professor of Anesthesiology at Thomas Jefferson University in Pennsylvania, chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology at Hahnemann University Hospital of Drexel University School of Medicine and membership on many local and national medical organizations. He has authored more than 150 publications and is a frequent lecturer and visiting professor.
Dr. Rosenberg received his B.A. cum laude, from Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, and his medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and served as an Intern in medicine at the Medical College of Pennsylvania, and a Resident and Fellow in anesthesia at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He received a Certification Physician Executive from the American College of Physician Executives in 2004.
About Barnabas Health
Barnabas Health is the largest not-for-profit integrated health care delivery system in New Jersey and one of the largest in the region, with more than two million patient visits and delivery of more than 20,000 babies annually. The system includes seven acute care hospitals, two children's hospitals, a trauma center, a freestanding behavioral health center, ambulatory care centers, geriatric centers, the state's largest behavioral health network, comprehensive home care and hospice programs, retail pharmacy services, a medical group, multi-site imaging centers and several accountable care organizations. As the second-largest private employer in New Jersey, Barnabas Health includes more than 20,000 employees and over 5,000 physicians – or one-fifth of the actively practicing physicians in New Jersey. For more information, visit www.BarnabasHealth.org.
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