Anthony S. Fauci Awarded the Highest Honor of
the Association of American Physicians
Immunologist and AIDS researcher Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director
of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has been awarded the
2007 George M. Kober Medal of the Association of American Physicians
(AAP) for his outstanding contributions to academic medicine.
The Kober Medal is among the highest honors conferred upon physician-scientists
in the United States. Dr. Fauci, a longtime AAP member and former
AAP president, will be presented with the medal on April 15, 2007
at the joint meeting of The American Society for Clinical Investigation
and the AAP in Chicago.
“Tony Fauci is the consummate physician-scientist leader,” says
NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D. “His contributions to medicine,
public health and science are profound.”
“Dr. Fauci is a superb clinician who has made signal contributions
to the fields of immunoregulation, rheumatology and HIV/AIDS,” says
John I. Gallin, M.D., an AAP member and director of the NIH Clinical
Center, who will present the medal to Dr. Fauci. “In addition,
he has been a mentor and friend to a legion of younger investigators,
many of whom have become top physician-scientists in their own
right. Dr. Fauci also has been a leading scientific spokesman who
has cogently informed the public about numerous public health challenges
including HIV/AIDS, SARS, bioterrorism, and the threat of pandemic
influenza.”
The Kober Medal is named after George M. Kober, M.D., a pioneer
in public health reform in the late 19th century and the early
20th century. It recognizes physicians acknowledged as leaders
in internal medicine. The AAP (http://www.aap-online.org)
is a nonprofit professional organization founded in 1885 by seven
physicians, including the renowned William Osler, for “the advancement
of scientific and practical medicine.” The association has about
1,000 active members and approximately 550 emeritus and honorary
members from the United States, Canada and other countries.
Dr. Fauci’s tenure as NIAID director began in 1984. He oversees
an extensive research portfolio of basic and applied research to
prevent, diagnose and treat infectious and immunologic diseases.
He also serves as one of the key advisors to the White House and
the Department of Health and Human Services on global HIV/AIDS
issues, and on initiatives to bolster medical and public health
preparedness against emerging infectious disease threats such as
pandemic influenza.
Dr. Fauci received his M.D. from Cornell University Medical College
and then completed an internship and residency at The New York
Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. He came to NIH in 1968 as a clinical
associate in the NIAID Laboratory of Clinical Investigation. In
1974, he became head of the lab’s Clinical Physiology Section,
and in 1980 was appointed chief of the Laboratory of Immunoregulation
(http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/labs/aboutlabs/lir/default.htm),
a position he still holds.
Dr. Fauci, a pioneer in the field of human immunoregulation, has
received acclaim for developing effective therapies for the formerly
fatal rheumatological diseases polyarteritis nodosa and Wegener’s
granulomatosis. With the recognition of AIDS nearly 26 years ago,
he switched his laboratory’s focus to the new disease, and since
then has made numerous significant contributions to the understanding
of AIDS pathogenesis. A ScienceWatch survey indicated that Dr.
Fauci was the 13th most-cited scientist in the world in the 20-year
period from 1983 to 2002 (http://www.sciencewatch.com/sept-oct2003/sw_sept-oct2003_page2.htm),
and he was the world’s 10th most-cited HIV/AIDS researcher in the
period 1996 to 2006 (http://www.esi-topics.com/hiv-aids/interviews/AnthonyFauci.html).
The recipient of 31 honorary doctorates, Dr. Fauci is a member
of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts
and Sciences, the Institute of Medicine (Council Member), the American
Philosophical Society, and the Royal Danish Academy of Science
and Letters, as well as a number of other professional societies
including the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the
Association of American Physicians, the Infectious Diseases Society
of America, the American Association of Immunologists, and the
American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology. He serves on
the editorial boards of many scientific journals; as an editor
of Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine; and as author, coauthor
or editor of more than 1,100 scientific publications, including
several textbooks.
NIAID is a component of the National Institutes of Health. NIAID
supports basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose and treat
infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted
infections, influenza, tuberculosis, malaria and illness from potential
agents of bioterrorism. NIAID also supports research on basic immunology,
transplantation and immune-related disorders, including autoimmune
diseases, asthma and allergies. News releases, fact sheets and
other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID website
at http://www.niaid.nih.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's
Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and
Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting
and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research,
and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both
common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and
its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
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