As the premier gathering of clinicians and scientists committed to advancing pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine, the ATS International Conference is an important venue for recognizing individuals who are leaders in these fields for the extraordinary contributions to and achievements in lung disease research, treatment, and prevention. The following individuals will be honored at an awards ceremony from 4:45 to 6:30 p.m. today in the Grand Ballroom in the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
AMBERSON LECTURER
David Schwartz, MD
Dr. Schwartz, chair of the University of Colorado Department of Medicine, will present “Genetic Determinants of Pulmonary Fibrosis.” Dr. Schwartz also serves as director of the Center for Genes, Environment and Health at NationalJewish Health® and a professor of medicine, pediatrics, and immunology. Individuals selected for this lecture possess a career of major lifetime contributions to clinical or basic pulmonary research and/or to clinical practice. This lecture is named for James Burns Amberson, MD, an international authority on chest disease and tuberculosis.
TRUDEAU MEDALIST (in honor of Edward Livingston Trudeau)
Jonathan M. Samet, MD, MS
Dr. Samet, Flora L. Thornton Chair for the Department of Preventive Medicine in the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California and director of the USC Institute for Global Health in Los Angeles, will receive this award for lifelong major contributions to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of lung disease through leadership in research, education, or clinical care. This award was established in 1926 by the American Lung Association and is given in honor of Edward Livingston Trudeau, MD, a founder and the first president of the ALA.
DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
Polly E. Parsons, MD
Alan L. Plummer, MD
Dr. Parsons is the E.L. Amidon Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of Vermont in Burlington. Dr. Plummer is a professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine; director of the Emory Clinic Pulmonary Function Laboratory; assistant director of the Emory University Hospital Pulmonary Function Laboratory; and medical director of the Emory University Hospital respiratory care department in Atlanta. These awards are given to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to fighting respiratory disease through research, education, patient care, and advocacy.
WORLD LUNG HEALTH AWARD
E. Jane Carter, MD
Dr. Carter is an associate professor of medicine at the Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University with dual appointments in the Division of Infectious Diseases as well as Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. This award is given to individuals who have made contributions to world lung health in the area of basic or clinical research, delivery of health care, continuing education, or care of patients with lung disease.
OUTSTANDING EDUCATOR AWARD
Leslie Zimmerman, MD
Dr. Zimmerman is professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, medical director of the Intensive Care Unit at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and director of bronchoscopy services at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. This award recognizes lifetime contributions to education and mentoring in the fields of pulmonary, critical care, or sleep medicine. It also honors excellence in clinical or research education as it relates to pulmonary disease.
OUTSTANDING CLINICIAN AWARD
Allen R. Thomas, MD
Dr. Thomas will receive this award for his substantial contributions to the clinical care of patients with lung disease and his recognition by patients and their families as a caring and dedicated health care provider. A pulmonologist, Dr. Thomas practices at the Carl T. Hayden Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Phoenix. Awardees are selected for spending a substantial part of their careers in the clinical care of patients with lung disease and making substantial contributions to the American Thoracic Society and American Lung Association on a local or national level.
JOE RAE WRIGHT AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING SCIENCE
Peter Chen, MD
Dr. Chen, assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care and an adjunct faculty member of the department of pathology at the University of Washington in Seattle, will receive the Jo Rae Wright Award for Outstanding Science. This award is based on demonstrated potential for significant scientific achievement and contributions, and is aimed at the rising generation of individuals who will be tomorrow’s leaders in science.
PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD
Kathleen Kreiss, MD
Best known for her contributions in occupational lung diseases, both in academia and in a public health agency, Dr. Kreiss is branch chief in the Division of Respiratory Disease Studies of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This award is presented for contributions in the public health arena related to respiratory disease and medicine.