PNA Indiana
UNITY. GROWTH. SERVICE.
PHILIPPINE NURSES ASSOCIATION OF INDIANA
DR. GOPAL KRISHNA, SAGAMORE OF THE WABASH AWARDEE & PNA-IN ALLY
The Sagamore of the Wabash Award dates back to Indiana Governor Ralph Gates, who served from 1945 to 1949. Governor Gates was to attend a tri- state meeting in Louisville with officials from the states of Ohio and Kentucky. Aides to the governor discovered that the governor of Kentucky was preparing a Kentucky Colonel certificates for Governor Gates and Senator Robert A. Taft, who were to represent the State of Ohio. Thus, the Hoosiers decided that Indiana should have an appropriate award to present in return.
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“Sagamore” was the term used by the American Indian Tribes of the northeastern United States to describe a lesser chief or a great man among the tribe to whom the true chief would look for wisdom and advice.
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Governors since Gates have presented the certificates in their own way. The award is the highest honor, which the Governor of Indiana bestows. It is a personal tribute usually given to those who have rendered a distinguished service to the state or to the governor.
By Matilde delos Santos Upano, MSN-FNP, RN
Sagamore of the Wabash Award presented to Dr. Gopal Krishna by Dr. William McNiece
What better tribute than to bestow the honor and prestige to Dr. Gopal Krishna who exemplifies all the attributes of the Sagamore of the Wabash! Dr. Krishna, an immigrant from India, educated and trained in West Berlin, West Germany and a naturalized citizen of the United States has led an exemplary medical professional and personal life. He has devoted his lifetime in caring for the people of the State of Indiana and in educating and training world-class front-line anesthesiologists.
After finishing his anesthesiology residency at the Indiana University School of Medicine in 1971, he was immediately appointed as an Instructor in Anesthesia, progressively rising through the ranks and becoming the first Director of the Section of Pediatric Anesthesia at the James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children, IU Medical Center in Indianapolis, Indiana as well as Associate Medical Director of the Department of Respiratory Therapy, Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM). He became Co- Medical Director of Riley Day Surgery in 1987 until 2007 and Vice Chair of the Department of Anesthesia from 1989 – 2007, upon reaching IU’s mandatory age of retirement for tenured department chief positions. Dr. Krishna continued to practice as an anesthesiologist until 2018.
Dr. Gopal Krishna with family: L - R: Daughter Kumud, wife Dr. Lillie-Mae Padilla, plus presenter Dr. William McNiece, (Not pictured daughter Kavita)
Dr. Krishna’s crowning achievement is in educating and training thousands of medical students, anesthesiology residents at IU who have since returned to their native country such as Ecuador, India, Thailand, Philippines, etc. and others who have moved on to outstanding and distinguished careers in anesthesiology globally and in the US, one of whom became the immediate past US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams. Dr. Krishna is a world-renowned lecturer and author of multiple topics in anesthesiology. Patients from all over the world especially from the State of Indiana have benefited from the knowledge and expertise he has imparted to the anesthesiologists in practice.
The infrastructure achievements at IU Medical Center is evident as a result of his dynamic leadership and vision. He was a member of the Riley Master Program Planning Committee Task Force on Outpatient Surgery from 1977 – 1986, Riley Surgical Suite Design Team 1981 -1986, Riley Operating Room Committee 1984 – 2007, Ambulatory Care Committee 1980 – 1984, Craniofacial Anomaly Team 1984 – 1986 and Consultant Riley Hospital Emergency/Trauma Center Planning Committee.
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He has a laser vision in recognizing and hiring professional talents and expertise, achieving his mission of producing outstanding health care and medical professionals at Riley Hospital for Children and IU Residency in Anesthesiology. He added a Post Residency Fellowship Training in Pediatric Anesthesiology in 1996.
Dr. Krishna is a lifelong supporter of the Asian American Community, India Community and the Filipino-American Community in Indiana. The Philippine Nurses Association of Indiana (PNA-IN), Inc. is especially grateful for his continued support by not only participating in its Induction Galas and other events since its inception 21 years ago but, especially for his financial support of their Scholarship Program through the years.
We salute Dr. Gopal Krishna for achieving the “Sagamore of the Wabash Award” from Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb. On behalf of the Governor, the Award was presented to him by Dr. William McNiece, Board of Director of the Indiana Society of Anesthesiologists at its Annual American Society of Anesthesiologists Meeting at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Noblesville, Indiana on September 18, 2021.
PNA-IN represented by Redd Knotts, Executive Director and Mattie Upano, President