Phillip O. Bridenbaugh, M.D., a world-renowned pioneer in regional anesthesiology and a leading figure in ASA’s global humanitarian outreach programs, passed away on December 21, 2019 at age 87.
Phillip Bridenbaugh was born on December 17, 1932, in Sioux City, Iowa, the youngest of eight children, and grew up on a farm in northeastern Nebraska. Dr. Bridenbaugh’s father forsook engineering school during WWI to run the family farm. His mother was the fourth woman to graduate from the University of Nebraska’s College of Pharmacy. His brother Don, born nine years earlier, was both lifetime friend and sibling rival.
Phil received his undergraduate degree in 1954 from the University of Nebraska before serving in the Army in Korea from 1955-57. He went on to receive his M.D. in 1960 at Nebraska. He served his internship at King County Hospital in Seattle and his residency at Virginia Mason Hospital. In 1964-65, he...