Distinguished Service Award

The Distinguished Service Award (DSA) is the highest tribute the Society can pay to an ASA member. It may be given for outstanding clinical, educational or scientific achievement, contribution to the specialty and/or exemplary service to the Society. 

The House of Delegates has established policies governing the selection of a recipient. Procedures for the submission of nominations and selection of a candidate are as follows:

• Any member of ASA or a component society may submit the names of individuals for consideration for this award.
• No current officer of ASA shall be eligible for nomination.
• Should the Committee on Distinguished Service Award select a candidate to enter into nomination in the House of Delegates, the name of the candidate shall not be disclosed until placed in nomination before the House of Delegates.
• Final selection of the DSA recipient shall be made by the House of Delegates by secret ballot and shall require a two-thirds vote of those seated in the House of Delegates.  

2026 ASA DSA Nomination Form (.docx)

Completed forms and nominee's current curriculum vitae (CV) may be submitted to the attention of the DSA committee chair by May 15 annually. Please direct all nominations and questions to governance@asahq.org.

Recipients

2025   Robert E. Johnstone, MD, FASA
2024   John M. Zerwas, MD, FASA
2023   Mary Dale Peterson, MD, MPH, FACHE, FASA
2022   Stanley W. Stead, MD, MBA, FASA
2021   James D. Grant, MD, MBA, FASA
2020   Daniel J. Cole, MD, FASA
2019   Patricia Kapur, MD
2018   Mark Warner, MD
2017   Jerry Cohen, MD
2016   Norman A. Cohen, MD
2015   Alexander Hannenberg, MD
2014   Henry Rosenberg, MD
2013   John Neeld, Jr., MD
2012   Jeffrey Cooper, PhD
2011   Jeffrey Apfelbaum, MD
2010   Mark Lema, MD, PhD
2009   James Cottrell, MD
2008   Eugene Sinclair, MD
2007   Ronald Miller, MD
2006   Carl Hug, Jr., MD, PhD
2005   Jerome Modell, MD
2004   William Owens, MD
2003   Robert Stoelting, MD
2002   Bernard Wetchler, MD
2001   Alan Sessler, MD
2000   Betty Stephenson, MD
1999   Burton Epstein, MD
1998   Harry Bird, MD
1997   James Arens, MD
1996   Ellison Pierce, Jr., MD
1995   Martin Helrich, MD
1994   Jess Weiss, MD
1993   B. Raymond Fink, MD
1992   John Hattox, MD
1991   Edmond Eger, II, MD
1990   John Michenfelder, MD
1989   Nicholas Greene, MD
1988   Gertie Marx, MD
1987   Robert Smith, MD
1986   William Hamilton, MD
1985   Richard Ament, MD
1984   Arthur Keats, MD
1983   E.S. Siker, MD
1982   John Steinhaus, MD
1981   C.R. Stephen, MD
1980   James Eckenhoff, MD
1979   David Little, Jr., MD
1978   M.T. Pepper Jenkins, MD
1977   Leroy Vandam, MD
1976   Daniel Moore, MD
1975   Albert Betcher, MD
1974   Perry Volpitto, MD
1973   John Bonica, MD
1972   Francis Foldes, MD
1971   E.M. Papper, MD
1970   Henry Beecher, MD
1969   Forrest Leffingwell, MD
1967   Frederick Haugen, MD
1966   Joseph Failing, MD
1965   Robert Dripps, MD
1964   Stuart Cullen, MD
1963   Dennis Jackson, MD
1962   George Thomas, MD
1961   Virginia Apgar, MD
1960   Ralph Knight, MD
1959   Harold Griffith, MD
1958   C. Walter Metz, MD
1957   E.A. Rovenstine, MD
1956   Rolland Whitacre, MD
1955   Lewis Wright, MD
1954   Moses Krakow, MD
1953   Charles McCuskey, MD
1952   Henry Ruth, MD
1951   Ralph Tovell, MD
1950   Arthur Guedel, MD
1949   John Adriani, MD
1948   John Lundy, MD
1947   Adolph Erdmann, MD
1946   Ralph Waters, MD
1945   Paul Wood, MD