American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine

*Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine*
Discipline	Regional anesthesia; Pain medicine;
Language	English
Edited by	Brian D. Sites
Publication details
History	1976–present
Publisher	BMJ
Frequency	monthly
Impact factor	5.1 (2024)
Standard abbreviations;
ISO 4	Reg. Anesth. Pain Med.
Indexing;
CODEN	RAPMFX
ISSN	1098-7339 (print); 1532-8651 (web);
OCLC no.	45496086
Links
	Journal homepage;

American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
	Logo of the society
	Emblem of the society
Abbreviation	ASRA
Formation	Initial (1923-1940) Reestablished (1975)
Purpose	To advance the science and practice of regional anesthesia and pain medicine to improve patient outcomes through research, education, and advocacy.
Headquarters	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Fields	Anesthesia, Regional Anesthesia, Pain Medicine
Key people	Gaston Labat, Alon P. Winnie, L. Donald Bridenbaugh Jr, Harold Carron, P. Prithvi Raj, Jordan Katz
Website	https://asra.com/
Formerly called	American Society of Regional Anesthesia

The American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA) is a professional medical society dedicated to advancing the practice of regional anesthesia and pain medicine through education, research, and advocacy. Founded in 1923 and reestablished in 1975, it is one of the largest subspecialty societies in anesthesiology.^[1]

History

Founding and early years (1923–1940)

The original ASRA was founded in 1923 by Gaston Labat, a Seychellois physician often called the "father of regional anesthesia and pain medicine" in the United States.^[2] Labat, who collaborated with Mayo Clinic co-founder Charles Mayo, developed a regional anesthesia training program at Bellevue Hospital through New York University. The society initially focused on advancing local, regional, and spinal anesthesia techniques for surgical procedures.^[3]

In 1930, Philip Woodbridge presented at an ASRA meeting on therapeutic nerve blocks for chronic pain, marking a shift toward incorporating pain management into the society’s scope. Despite innovations in the 1930s, ASRA declined in activity by the end of the decade, leading to its dissolution in 1940. Members were encouraged to join the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).^[4]

Reestablishment (1975–present)

In 1973, Alon Winnie proposed reviving ASRA as an educational organization. With collaborators Harold Carron, Jordan Katz, Donald Bridenbaugh, and P. Prithvi Raj, the society was reestablished in 1975. The first official meeting in 1978 attracted over 300 members.^[5]

Inclusion of pain medicine

In November 2021, ASRA updated its abbreviated name to ASRA Pain Medicine, accompanied by a refreshed logo and visual identity. The change reflected the society’s expanded interdisciplinary focus on the full spectrum of pain medicine, including acute, perioperative, and chronic pain, as well as its growing membership of specialists across anesthesiology, physiatry, neurology, and psychiatry.^[6]

Journal

Since 1976, the monthly academic journal Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine has served as the society's official publication, as well as the official publication of the European Society of Regional Anaesthesia and Pain Therapy, the Asian and Oceanic Society of Regional Anesthesia, the Latin American Society of Regional Anesthesia, and the African Society for Regional Anesthesia.^[7] The current editor is Brian D. Sites.^[8]

References

^ "About Us". ASRA Pain Medicine. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
^ Côté, Annie V.; Vachon, Claude A.; Horlocker, Terese T.; Bacon, Douglas R. (April 2003). "From Victor Pauchet to Gaston Labat: the transformation of regional anesthesia from a surgeon's practice to the physician anesthesiologist". Anesthesia and Analgesia. 96 (4): 1193–1200. doi:10.1213/01.ANE.0000049823.67729.1D. ISSN 0003-2999. PMID 12651684.
^ "American Society of Regional Anesthesia (ASRA I)". Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
^ Angaramo, Gustavo; Savage, James; Arcella, David; Desai, Manisha S. (September 18, 2019). "A Comprehensive Curriculum of The History of Regional Anesthesia". UMass Chan Faculty and Researcher Publications.
^ "History". ASRA Pain Medicine. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
^ "ASRA Changes Name to ASRA Pain Medicine | Newswise". www.newswise.com. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
^ "About". Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. BMJ. Archived from the original on June 13, 2025. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
^ "Editorial board". Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. BMJ. Archived from the original on June 13, 2025. Retrieved June 13, 2025.

[1] "About Us". ASRA Pain Medicine. Retrieved June 4, 2025.

[2] Côté, Annie V.; Vachon, Claude A.; Horlocker, Terese T.; Bacon, Douglas R. (April 2003). "From Victor Pauchet to Gaston Labat: the transformation of regional anesthesia from a surgeon's practice to the physician anesthesiologist". Anesthesia and Analgesia. 96 (4): 1193–1200. doi:10.1213/01.ANE.0000049823.67729.1D. ISSN 0003-2999. PMID 12651684.

[3] "American Society of Regional Anesthesia (ASRA I)". Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology. Retrieved June 4, 2025.

[4] Angaramo, Gustavo; Savage, James; Arcella, David; Desai, Manisha S. (September 18, 2019). "A Comprehensive Curriculum of The History of Regional Anesthesia". UMass Chan Faculty and Researcher Publications.

[5] "History". ASRA Pain Medicine. Retrieved June 4, 2025.

[6] "ASRA Changes Name to ASRA Pain Medicine | Newswise". www.newswise.com. Retrieved June 4, 2025.

[Journal_webite_about_page-7] "About". Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. BMJ. Archived from the original on June 13, 2025. Retrieved June 13, 2025.

[Journal_website_editorial_board-8] "Editorial board". Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. BMJ. Archived from the original on June 13, 2025. Retrieved June 13, 2025.

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