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ATLANTA – The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) will recognize the recipients of its 2020 Master of the ACR designation and the Awards of Distinction during the College’s Business Meeting & Awards Ceremony. The Distinguished Fellow Award recipients will be honored at the Fellows-in-Training reception. These recognitions are given annually to members who exhibit outstanding contributions to the ACR and the field of rheumatology.
Master of the ACR Designation
Recognition as a Master is one of the highest honors that the College bestows on its distinguished members. The designation of Master is conferred on ACR members, age 65 or older, who have made outstanding contributions to the field of rheumatology through scholarly achievement and/or service to their patients, students, and the rheumatology profession. These honorees have devoted their long careers to furthering rheumatology research and improving clinical standards in the treatment of rheumatic diseases.
The 2020 recipients of the Masters of the ACR designation are:
- Abby Abelson, MD, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
- Martin Jan Bergman, MD, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Michael B. Brenner, MD, Harvard Medical School, Newton, Massachusetts
- Edward K. L. Chan, PhD, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
- Ciarán M. Duffy, MB, BCh, MSc, Children’s Hospital of Easter Ontario / University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Bernardo Antonio Pons-Estel, MD, Oroño Group-Regional Center for Autoimmune and Rheumatic Diseases (GO-CREAR), Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina
- Norman T. Ilowite, MD, Retired, Roslyn Heights, New York
- Emily Isaacs, MD, USMD Health System, Fort Worth, Texas
- Nancy E. Lane, MD, U.C. Davis Health and UC Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, California
- Brian F. Mandell, MD, PhD, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
- Pierre Miossec, MD, PhD, University of Lyon, Lyon, France
- Kathleen M. O’Neil, MD, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Andras Perl, MD, PhD, SUNY Upstate University Hospital, Syracuse, New York
- James R. Seibold, MD, Scleroderma Research Consultants LLC, Aiken, South Carolina
- Leonard H. Sigal, MD, Berkshire Health Systems, Pittsfield, Massachusetts
- Sheldon D. Solomon, MD, Arthritis, Rheumatic & Back Disease Associates, Voorhees, New Jersey
- Angela Tincani, MD, ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia Rheumatology Unit, Brescia, BS, Italia
- James Peter Witter, MD, PhD, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland
ACR Awards of Distinction
The ACR also recognizes leading researchers, clinicians, mentors, and other professionals exhibiting superior commitment to the advancement of the field of rheumatology with the Awards of Distinction honors. Winners of this year’s awards are as follows:
Presidential Gold Medal:
James R. O’Dell, MD, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
The highest award that the ACR can bestow, the Presidential Gold Medal is awarded in recognition of outstanding achievements in rheumatology over an entire career. Established by the past presidents of the ACR, candidates will have made important contributions in multiple areas such as clinical medicine, research, education or administration. Funding support for this award of distinction is provided by the Rheumatology Research Foundation.
Distinguished Basic/Translational Investigator Award:
- Virginia Pascual, MD, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City, New York
The Distinguished Basic/Translational Investigator Award is awarded to a basic or translational investigator making outstanding contributions to the field of rheumatology.
Distinguished Clinician Scholar Award:
Robert W. Warren, MD, PhD, MPH, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
The Distinguished Clinician Scholar Award is awarded to a rheumatologist who has made outstanding contributions in clinical medicine, clinical scholarship or education.
Henry Kunkel Early Career Investigator Award:
- Ami Aalok Shah, MD, MHS, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
- Pamela F. Weiss, MD, MSCE, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Henry Kunkel Early Career Investigator Award is awarded to an early career physician scientist, who is 12 years post Rheumatology certifying examination eligibility, who has made outstanding and promising independent contributions to basic, translational or clinical research in the field of rheumatology.
Distinguished Clinical Investigator Award:
Joanne M. Jordan, MD, MPH, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
The Distinguished Clinical Investigator Award is awarded to a clinical scientist making outstanding contributions to the field of rheumatology. This award was known as the Clinical Research Award prior to 2006.
Paulding Phelps Award:
Kara Petersen, MD, Avera Medical Group Rheumatology, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
The Paulding Phelps Award is awarded to a clinical rheumatologist for outstanding service to patients, community and the practice of medicine.
Distinguished Service Award:
Stuart S. Kassan, MD, MACR, University of Colorado School of Medicine and Colorado Arthritis Associates, Lakewood, Colorado
The Distinguished Service Award is awarded to an ACR member for outstanding and sustained service to the ACR.
Distinguished Fellowship Program Director Award:
Carlos J. Lozada, MD, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida
The Distinguished Fellowship Program Director Award is awarded to a current or former rheumatology program director that has made outstanding contributions in the mentoring and training of future rheumatologists.
Excellence in Investigative Mentoring Award:
Daniel Solomon, MD, MPH, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
The Excellence in Investigative Mentoring Award recognizes the importance of the mentor/mentee relationship. A dedicated mentor can significantly influence the successful development and career of a mentee. This award honors an active ACR or ARHP member for their contributions to the rheumatology profession through outstanding and ongoing mentoring. Funding support for this award of distinction is provided by the Rheumatology Research Foundation.
Distinguished Fellow Award
The Distinguished Fellow Award recognizes clinical and research fellows who are in a rheumatology fellowship training program and who have performed meritoriously.
The 2020 recipients of the Distinguished Fellow Award are:
- Christine Anastasiou, MD, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
- Sarah K. Baxter, MD, PhD, University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, Washington
- Nicole Bitencourt, MD, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
- Andrea Fava, MD, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
- Ruth Fernandez Ruiz, MD, NYU Langone Health, New York City, New York
- Sarah Diane French, MD, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
- Isaac Thomas West Harley, MD, PhD, MS, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
- Rosemary Peterson, MD, MSCE, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Stefanie D. Wade, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Chio Yokose, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
For more information on each of these awards, and to view past recipients, please visit www.rheumatology.org/Get-Involved/Awards.
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About ACR Convergence
ACR Convergence, the ACR’s annual meeting, is where rheumatology meets to collaborate, celebrate, congregate, and learn. Join ACR for an all-encompassing experience designed for the entire rheumatology community. ACR Convergence is not just another meeting – it’s where inspiration and opportunity unite to create an unmatched educational experience. For more information about the meeting, visit https://www.rheumatology.org/Annual-Meeting, or join the conversation on Twitter by following the official hashtag (#ACR20).
About the American College of Rheumatology
The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) is an international medical society representing over 7,700 rheumatologists and rheumatology health professionals with a mission to empower rheumatology professionals to excel in their specialty. In doing so, the ACR offers education, research, advocacy and practice management support to help its members continue their innovative work and provide quality patient care. Rheumatologists are experts in the diagnosis, management and treatment of more than 100 different types of arthritis and rheumatic diseases.
