The Academy, founded in 1954, is dedicated to foster, encourage, and promote the advancement of the art and science of anesthesiology. Dr. Benson was invited to join the Academy in 1991 and has served as chair of the Education Committee and completed a five-year term on the Academy Board of Directors. He will begin his term as President of the Academy in February, 2001. The parent organization of the Academy of Anesthesiology was the Anesthetists' Travel Club, organized in 1929 at the Mayo Clinic by Dr. John Lundy, a pioneer in Anesthesiology. As the membership grew the group reorganized as the Academy of Anesthesiolgy in 1954.
Membership is by invitation only and remains limited in the number of active members.