ORSIM is proud to acknowledge Sir Paul Baker’s recent recognition as a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to health. The honour reflects more than four decades of contribution to airway management, anaesthesia, patient safety and medical education. While many practitioners leave their mark through individual practice, Sir Paul's greatest contribution has been through his training of thousands of healthcare and airway professionals.
For those who know Sir Paul, this recognition is not simply an acknowledgement of an individual achievement. Throughout his career, he has consistently viewed advancements in patient safety and airway management as the result of collaboration, mentorship and the collective efforts of all anaesthesiology professionals. In that spirit, Sir Paul believes this honour recognises the thousands of anaesthetists, educators and students who have dedicated themselves every day, to advancing patient care through excellence in practice and education.
Early in his anaesthesiology and airway management career, Sir Paul became convinced that improving patient outcomes depends not only on clinical expertise, but on consistent education and skills preparation of those specialists whao are responsible for managing some of medicine's most critical moments. This belief led to the creation of AirwaySkills in 1996, the first dedicated difficult airway training programme in the Southern Hemisphere.
Through that programme alone, Sir Paul has personally trained thousands of anaesthetists, emergency physicians and intensive care specialists. The significance of this work extends well beyond those individuals, because many participants have gone on to become educators, department leaders and airway champions themselves. The result has been a multiplying effect, where yesterday's students are now today's teachers.
Sir Paul has significantly contributed to national airway safety standards, influenced international practice and supported professional collaboration across the global airway management community. He has chaired international forums, and served as President of the Society for AirwayManagement in the United States.
As part of his lifelong commitment to education, Sir Paul explored how realistic airway training could be made more accessible, repeatable and available, giving anaesthetists, and students, greater opportunities to build their proficiency before stepping into the operating theatre. This ultimately led him to develop ORSIM, a realistic digital bronchoscopy simulation tool that builds and maintains competence and confidence for learners and anaesthetists alike.
Today, ORSIM is used in hospitals, universities and training centres in more than 40 countries, continuing the educational mission that inspired its creation - helping healthcare professionals to develop the skills they need for safer patient care. At its heart, this honour recognises a life-long belief that excellence in healthcare begins with excellence in education.
We are enormously proud of Sir Paul and his achievements, and we remain committed to advancing the same principles of education, preparation and patient safety that have guided his entire career.
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