International teaching award caps a year of educational leadership for vice chair of faculty affairs and development
The Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine is celebrating Dr. Deepak Sharma for recent professional milestones recognizing his leadership in neuroanesthesiology and medical education.
This September, Sharma received the Society for Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care (SNACC) Teacher of the Year/Lifetime Educator Award during the organization’s annual meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Setting the standard for innovation worldwide
An international organization, SNACC brings together anesthesiologists, intensivists and neuroscientists focused on advancing care for patients with neurologic disease. The award honors sustained excellence in teaching, mentorship, professionalism, inclusivity and innovation in perioperative neurosciences education.
“It’s very humbling,” Sharma said. “You never teach or mentor with the intention of being recognized. More than anything, it creates a greater sense of responsibility to continue supporting junior colleagues in their careers.”
Peers who nominated Sharma noted his role in developing the world’s first transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) simulator, his efforts both nationally and internationally to train others in TCD ultrasonography, and his extensive academic writing.
For Sharma, SNACC has long served as both a professional and academic home. He first became involved with SNACC as a trainee presenting research and later served in leadership roles including committee chair, board member and president.
Over the course of his involvement, Sharma has helped lead educational initiatives, clinical guideline development, and mentorship programs that also have supported the growth of UW Medicine’s Division of Neuroanesthesiology and Perioperative Neurosciences.
“As SNACC developed initiatives and guidelines nationally, we were able to pilot and implement them here at UW first,” Sharma said. “That connection between academic societies and departmental growth has been tremendously valuable.”
Among the initiatives he is most proud of is the WINNER program—Women in Neuroanesthesia and Neurosciences Education and Research—which was created to support mentorship and leadership development for women in the specialty.
Strengthening networks across Washington State
In parallel with his national and international work, Sharma will conclude his term as president of the Washington State Society of Anesthesiologists (WSSA) this October, where he has worked to strengthen collaboration between academic medicine and private practice anesthesiologists across the state, modernizing bylaws and communications, and spearheading the society’s first in-person annual meeting in several years, to be held in March of 2027 and hosted by our department on campus.
“The future of the specialty depends on engagement early in training,” he said. “Professional societies create opportunities to learn, collaborate and improve patient care together.”
Please join us on congratulating Dr. Sharma for SNACC’s Teacher of the Year/Lifetime Educator Award and thanking him for his tenure as WSSA President! We are proud that his influence extends well beyond the operating rooms at UW Medicine, elevating both the department’s national profile and opportunities for our team.