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Perelman School of Medicine Awards of Excellence |
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November 19, 2013, Volume 60, No. 14
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Related: Honors & Other Things
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Dr. J. Kevin Foskett, Isaac Ott Professor and chair of physiology, is the recipient of the Stanley N. Cohen Biomedical Research Award, which recognizes a faculty member for a body of work with an emphasis on biomedical research. His pioneering studies of the molecular mechanisms of calcium signaling have resulted in groundbreaking contributions to the understanding of cellular bioenergetics, programmed cell death and Alzheimer’s disease. Another main focus has been the biophysics, cell biology and physiology of the normal and disease-causing cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and its roles in regulating lung salt and water homeostasis. A third focus has been his identification and characterization of a new family of ion channels and the demonstration that one member plays an essential role in taste perception. His work has addressed challenges of great importance, as evidenced in his publication record over the past five years of more than 30 peer-reviewed and 9 invited review articles, including three in Cell, three in Nature and Nature Cell Biology and others, including the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Neuron, PNAS and Science Signaling, and the more than 3,700 citations of his work. Dr. Foskett’s originality, innovativeness and curiosity have resulted in multiple seminal contributions to a variety of areas of biomedical research.
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Dr. Muredach P. Reilly, associate professor of medicine, is the recipient of the William Osler Patient Oriented Research Award, which is granted to a faculty member for a body of work with an emphasis on clinical research. He is a nationally recognized leader in patient-oriented research, examining the pathophysiology and genetic basis of atherosclerosis and cardio-metabolic diseases. Dr. Reilly is a cardiologist who has established himself as a leader in translational and genomic studies in cardio-metabolic disorder. He is recognized internationally for his novel work linking adipose biology with atherosclerosis, and his adoption and application of innovative research technologies is cutting-edge. Dr. Reilly is considered by his colleagues to be a physician scientist who looks to his patients to define the research question, uses all the modern tools of biomedical science to explore the mechanisms and then returns to human subjects to prove the importance of the laboratory observations. Dr. Reilly is one of the most accomplished physician scientists engaged in clinical and translational research, spanning basic laboratory research through human investigation in the field of atherosclerosis, in the world.
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Dr. Sean Hennessy, associate professor of epidemiology in biostatistics and epidemiology, associate professor of pharmacology and director of Penn’s Center for Pharmacoepidemiology Research and Training, is the recipient of the Samuel Martin Health Evaluation Sciences Award. This award is granted to a faculty member for a body of work with an emphasis on health services research. Dr. Hennessy is recognized internationally as an expert in pharmacoepidemiology, which is the use of population research methods to study the effects of drugs and other medical products. His work embodies the health evaluation sciences and has improved our understanding of the treatment and prevention of disease. His research has had a remarkable impact on improving health and elucidating pharmacological action over a wide range of therapeutic areas, including studies of the cardiovascular safety of medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and of the effects of potential drug-drug interactions. He serves in numerous key leadership roles within Penn, nationally and internationally and his research program has exceptional impact.
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Dr. Ben Z. Stanger, assistant professor of medicine and cell & developmental biology, is the recipient of the Michael S. Brown New Investigator Research Award, which recognizes emerging faculty investigators engaged in innovative discoveries. Dr. Stanger is recognized nationally and internationally in understanding the normal development of the gastrointestinal tract and applying this knowledge to problems of regenerative medicine and cancer. Since joining the Penn faculty in 2006, Dr. Stanger has achieved elite status, reflected in his grant funding and his high-impact, widely cited publications. His recent work applied techniques across disciplines to address an important problem in cancer biology. This work has received widespread attention because of its implications regarding early systemic spread of malignancy. Current efforts in Dr. Stanger’s laboratory are aimed at translating this discovery into practice for patients with suspected pre-malignant lesions in the pancreas in an effort to develop an early diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer. Dr. Stanger is also an outstanding teacher of students, residents and fellows and has been heavily involved in the MD-PhD program at Penn. He epitomizes the ideal of the Penn Medicine physician-scientist.
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Dr. Eline Tjetske Luning Prak, associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, is the recipient of the Lady Barbara Colyton Autoimmune Research Award that recognizes a faculty member who has been engaged in innovative discoveries and outstanding research in the area of autoimmune diseases. Dr. Luning Prak has made significant contributions to the field of B cell autoimmunity. B cells produce antibodies that can inappropriately target the body in autoimmunity (such self-reactive antibodies are called autoantibodies). Ordinarily, B cells that express autoantibodies can revise the specificities of those antibodies by undergoing further gene rearrangement, a process called receptor editing. Her work reveals that receptor editing is an important mechanism of B cell tolerance and that it is defective in some patients with conditions such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and Type 1 Diabetes. Understanding how the antibody repertoire is selected lies at the heart of the functional and clinical heterogeneity within diseases such as SLE. Being able to distinguish different disease variants in humans with autoimmunity will open new avenues for individualized therapy and prognostication. Her work has relevance not only for autoimmune conditions, but also for neoplastic disorders of B cells. It will also reveal insights into how the immune system functions in immune responses to medically relevant pathogens.
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Dr. Gregory P. Bisson, assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology, is the recipient of the Marjorie A. Bowman New Investigator Research Award, which recognizes a junior faculty member whose research has illuminated a fundamental clinical problem or improved the organization and delivery of health care. Dr. Bisson’s research mission is to improve health outcomes among patients with HIV and HIV-associated conditions, with a focus on opportunistic infections such as tuberculosis. From the earliest stages of his career, he displayed both an unwavering commitment to global health and an exceptional ability to use rigorous epidemiological methods to test innovative clinical research hypotheses of great public health importance. His scientific achievements have occurred while simultaneously leading the establishment of Penn’s research efforts in the sub-Saharan African country of Botswana, now the primary site for numerous NIH and private foundation research grants, many of which he has led. His work building his own scientific career and the research program in Botswana has resulted in a deep passion for mentoring others in infectious disease and global health research. Yet his program building and mentoring have not impeded his own outstanding research success, illustrated in his peer-reviewed publications and significant grant support from both the NIH and the Doris Duke Foundation. His unique combination of creativity, methodologic expertise and passion for clinical research make him the epitome of a deserving young investigator.
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Dr. Brian Litt, is the recipient of the Luigi Mastroianni, Jr., Clinical Innovator Award that recognizes a clinician who has pioneered the invention and development of new techniques, procedures and approaches which change medical practice. Dr. Litt is unique to Penn and has been breaking ground since being recruited 12 years ago. A world-renowned specialist in epilepsy, Dr. Litt’s clinical focus is on caring for the most difficult seizure patients. He has combined his extensive clinical experience in epilepsy management with a background in engineering and computer science to develop devices and computational approaches for treating neurological disease; his work has been described as “game changing.” He has made advances in understanding the pathophysiology of epilepsy and has contributed technology to several implantable devices recently approved or obtaining approval to treat patients. His pioneering work has helped enable closed loop devices to treat epilepsy, implantable devices to predict seizures, and a new cloud-based approach to managing nervous system disorders. His lab has also helped produce a new class of high-resolution, flexible, active devices to map and modulate brain function. His steady, prominent, innovative clinical and scientific contributions hold potential, not only for treatment of epilepsy, but in fields such as cardiology and nervous system disorders. A professor in both neurology and bioengineering, his research, educational and entrepreneurial programs will ensure the growth and proliferation of this kind of work for years to come.
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Dr. Michael A. Acker, William Maul Measey Professor of Surgery, vice chair of the department of surgery, chief of the division of cardiothoracic surgery, and director of the Heart and Vascular Center for the Penn Health System, is the recipient of the Alfred Stengel Health System Champion Award. This award is granted to a physician who has contributed significantly to the clinical integration of UPHS. He has worked to increase the number of patients in the system, to enhance collaboration between different providers to deliver the best possible care for patients and to leverage new ideas in the organization of UPHS to further efforts at quality, access and patient-centered care. He is passionate about having UPHS provide the best care for patients with heart disease, and he has successfully worked across hospitals and across traditional departmental structures to achieve this goal. He has provided visionary and innovative ideas to maintain a high standard of clinical excellence in patient care. He has promoted disease-focused centers, incorporating many transformational ideas for reorganizing Penn Medicine for patient-centered care, including clinical, financial and operational models. His focus is on optimizing and enhancing the patient experience, including improved quality outcome, development of lifetime care plans and collocation of services based around diseases. Dr. Acker is regarded by his colleagues as “a Penn champion in every sense.”
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Dr. Anne F. Reilly, professor of clinical pediatrics and medical director of the division of oncology at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, is the recipient of the I.S. Ravdin Master Clinician Award. This award recognizes an active clinician who is regarded by her colleagues as a masterful practitioner. Dr. Reilly is the consummate physician. In the clinic, she is known to be calm, compassionate, thoughtful and insightful, with a remarkable fund of knowledge and an evidence-based approach to patient care. She has shaped a clinical operation that has been emulated by pediatric cancer units across the country, and her ability to lead highly functional, fully integrated teams is remarkable. She is also an outstanding mentor and role model for junior clinicians and has found ways to effectively and comfortably incorporate students, residents and fellows into the rhythm of the floor. As a pediatric physician, she is tireless, effective and exacting, but she is also regarded as sympathetic, patient, kind and endlessly helpful. She is a superb clinical oncologist who has championed not only patient safety, but has also been a vocal advocate for physicians in general and women in particular. She has set the standard as an outstanding leader and educator, as well as a compassionate physician.
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Dr. Craig S. Wynne is the recipient of the Sylvan Eisman Outstanding Primary Care Physician Award. This award recognizes a Health System primary care physician who goes beyond the norm and exemplifies the Health System’s excellent care. Dr. Wynne is regarded as the consummate primary care provider, compassionate, thorough and dedicated to both the individual patient and the population of patients his practice serves. He is constantly seeking ways to improve the quality and safety of medical care and has worked with his colleagues to improve access and enhance the triage of patient care issues. He was instrumental in the implementation of the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) within UPHS, and has worked to use EMR in the coordination of complex care, including individuals with multiple chronic diseases. His leadership in practice management is second only to his extraordinary performance in the direct delivery of medical care. He is respected for his knowledge, compassion, clinical judgment and a passion for doing what is right and caring for those who are most vulnerable. Colleagues remark on his “tremendous judgment when it comes to balancing the complex and sometimes conflicting medical needs of his patients.” He is the type of primary care provider who epitomizes the overarching importance of putting the patient first.
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Dr. Noel N. Williams is the recipient of the Louis Duhring Outstanding Clinical Specialist Award that goes to a teaching and practicing physician in a clinical or ancillary department who combined biomedical research with clinical insight and knowledge to provide leading-edge service and creative care to patients and colleagues. Dr. Williams has led the administrative evolution of bariatric surgery at Penn. He has developed multiple collaborative teams to deal with specialized clinical issues, including plastic surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, renal transplant surgeons, sleep medicine experts and the specialists at the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders. He is an extraordinary practitioner, whose technical expertise is matched by his compassion and personal concern for his patients. He takes responsibility for his patients’ total outcomes, not just their technical procedures. He has played a critical role in leading efforts to establish a common pre-operative and post-operative care path delivered to all patients at the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, a program that has improved quality of care while reducing costs. He is the highest volume bariatric surgeon in the region, and the most sought after expert opinion and referral destination for complex cases and complications. His colleagues greatly admire his surgical expertise, intellectual rigor and his dedication to his work.
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Dr. Michael S. Parmacek, Herbert C. Rorer Professor in Medical Sciences, is a nationally recognized expert in cardiovascular biology and medicine. He is the recipient of the Arthur Asbury Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award. Established in 2004, it recognizes a faculty member who has fostered professional development of other faculty members by providing inspiring and effective counsel and opportunities for achievement. The mentor establishes a supportive and nurturing relationship with younger faculty members and helps them to negotiate the complex demands of academic life, improve their skills and opportunities, and reconcile the competing claims of work and home life. He has distinguished himself in a number of leadership roles, including the Advisory Council of the NIH/NHLBI, division chief of cardiovascular medicine, founding director of Penn Medicine’s Cardiovascular Institute and interim chair of the department of medicine. Described as an inspiring and compassionate leader and mentor and an outstanding role model for “celebrating family while pursuing a rigorous academic career.” His mentees, comment on his ability to mentor over the course of a career and to work closely with them on plans for strategic career development. Known for his “beguiling charm, dry wit and disarming frankness,” a number of mentees note his ability to be straightforward and honest “even when the conversation is difficult” and to provide criticism without offense. Described as selfless, as one who tenaciously seeks out resources to provide a supportive environment for his mentees to thrive, he is able to identify potential in his mentees and inspires them to “take risks and to move outside their comfort zones” and to create their own opportunities. A number of his mentees have moved into leadership positions and credit him and his mentoring with helping them to develop the skill sets to advance their careers. He is described as a great listener, a trusted advisor, a tireless advocate and one who “always delivers on what he promises.”
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Related: Honors & Other Things |
Almanac -
November 19, 2013, Volume 60, No. 14
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