Monica Kraft, MD (right), ATS 2012-13 president, presents Julie Ledford, PhD,  (left) with the Jo Rae Wright Award for Outstanding Science, one of seven awards presented during an awards ceremony Sunday evening. The first recipient of this newly established award, Dr. Ledford is an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine at Duke University, Durham, N.C. She joined the lab of the late Jo Rae Wright, PhD, at Duke as a postdoctoral fellow. The award recognizes demonstrated potential for significant scientific achievement and contributions. Dr. Ledford’s studies, which were supported by a Ruth Kirschstein National Research Service Award, examined the role of Surfactant Protein-A in Mycoplasma infection. Throughout her career Dr. Wright, a former ATS president who died of breast cancer early this year, mentored and supported promising young scientists in a variety of disciplines, which is why the award recognizes a rising generation of individuals with the promise of becoming tomorrow’s leaders in science.