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THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF TRANSPLANTATION ANNOUNCES
2012 ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS AND GRANT RECIPIENTS

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. – June 15, 2012 – The American Society of Transplantation (AST) announced the recipients of its 2012 Achievement Awards and Faculty & Fellowship Grants at the recent American Transplant Congress (ATC) in Boston. The recipients were selected for the originality, innovation and commitment they bring to AST and the field of transplantation.

“This year’s award recipients are an exceptional group of transplant professionals, and they have been selected by their peers for the unique and transformative role they have each played in our field,” said AST President Dr. Roslyn Mannon. “10 individuals are honored for their significant contributions to transplantation, and 12 others are celebrated and awarded grant funding for their research in the field. We congratulate them all, and thank our selection committees and sponsors for their tireless efforts and support.”

AST Achievement Awards

AST Senior Achievement Award in Clinical Transplantation – Dr. Patty Adams, Wake Forest University
Dr. Adams has contributed more than three decades of service to the field of transplantation and nephrology. She is a world-renowned transplant physician who has made significant contributions to the field through her patient care, education and mentoring.

AST Mentoring Award – Dr. Terry Strom, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Dr. Strom has been a pioneer and an enduring figure in the field of transplant immunology since its inception. As a principle investigator in a transplant immunology lab for over 17 years, he has mentored 44 advisees and trainees that have continued their research and fellowships to hold prestigious positions and leadership roles in academic institutions around the world.

AST Transplant Advocacy Award – David Foster, the David Foster Foundation
As founder and chairman of the David Foster Foundation, Mr. Foster is incredibly hands-on, staying involved in all initiatives and board meetings and even visiting children and their families in hospitals. David is a true example of a transplant advocate.

AST Clinician of Distinction Award – Linda Ohler, Georgetown University
Since beginning her career in transplantation in 1988, Ms. Ohler has been an outstanding leader in the field, teaching and lecturing extensively on numerous transplant-related topics. In the past eighteen years, Ms. Ohler has been a valuable contributor to many transplant-related organizations.

AST Basic Science Established Investigator Award – Dr. Ronald Gill, University of Colorado
Dr. Gill has played a key role in the literature of experimental transplantation for over 25 years, with a research focus on pancreatic islet transplantation as a treatment for insulin-dependent diabetes.

AST Clinical Science Established Investigator Award – Dr. Steven Webber, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
Dr. Webber is a distinguished clinical scientist who has greatly contributed to the field of pediatric heart transplantation. He has played a pivotal leadership role in the development of the pediatric heart transplant study, a multi-institutional registry established in 1993.

AST Basic Science Investigator Award – Dr. Andrew Wells, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Dr. Wells has been involved with groundbreaking work in transplant immunology, including demonstration of the importance of clonal deletion and foxp3 in transplant tolerance. Even though Dr. Wells’ career is still evolving, he has already authored or co-authored over 40 major publications in prestigious journals.

AST Clinical Science Investigator Award – Dr. Vikas Dharnidharka, University of Florida
Dr. Dharnidharka has made significant contributions to the field of pediatric kidney transplantation, specifically as an active investigator and thought-leader in post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders.

AST Basic Science Career Development Award – Dr. Jonathan Maltzman, University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Maltzman has added to our understanding of t-cell signaling and the immunology of kidney disease through his active practice in transplant nephrology and superb research in transplant immunology.

AST Clinical Science Career Development Award – Dr. Lara Danziger-Isakov, Cleveland Clinic
Dr. Danziger-Isakov is a leader in the field of pediatric infectious diseases, specifically pertaining to transplantation. She has completed remarkable research in a short amount of time, publishing over 40 reviews and articles, five book chapters and 35 abstract presentations.

AST Faculty and Fellowship Grants

AST/ESOT Joint Fellowship Grant – Dr. Dàlia Raïch-Regué, University of Pittsburgh
Dr. Raïch-Regué’s studies will center around the investigation of the novel mTORC1/2 inhibitors on dendritic cell function and their potential for tolerance induction in organ transplantation.

AST Allied Health Professionals Grant (Funded by the AST Endowment Fund) – Dr. Patricia Scott, Indiana University
Dr. Scott’s research will focus on the first transplanted year and predicting patterns of recovery post-liver transplant.

AST Clinical Science Faculty Development Grant (Funded by the AST Endowment Fund) – Dr. Cynthia Gries, University of Pittsburgh
Dr. Gries’ will study the impact of health literacy on adherence and long-term outcomes in lung transplant recipients.

AST/Astellas Basic Science Fellowship Grant – Dr. Pallavi Banerjee, Children’s Hospital Boston
Dr. Banerjee’s research will study the role of novel regulatory molecules of the mTOR pathway in post-transplantation renal injury.

AST/Astellas Clinical Science Fellowship Grant – Dr. Lisa Boyette, University of Pittsburgh
Dr. Boyette will analyze monocyte subsets in human renal transplantation

AST/Astellas Basic Science Fellowship Grant – Dr. Partha Dutta, Massachusetts General Hospital
Dr. Dutta’s research will study how regulatory T cells reduce IL-1 beta-driven myelopiesis in allograft transplantation.

AST/Bristol-Myers Squibb Basic Science Fellowship Grant – Dr. Tiago Machuca, University of Toronto
Dr. Machuca’s research will focus on ex vivo perfusion and adenoviral human IL-10 gene therapy in a large animal lung transplantation survival model.

AST/ Genentech Basic Science Fellowship Grant – Dr. David Leonard, Massachusetts General Hospital
Dr. Leonard will focus on induction of tolerance for vascularized composite allotransplantation during his research study.

AST/ Genentech Basic Science Fellowship Grant – Dr. Jin Yuan, Molecular Cardiology Research Institute.
Dr. Yuan will examine micro-RNA in cold ischemia and transplantation.

AST/ Pfizer Clinical Science Fellowship Grant – Dr. Ibrahim Batal, Brigham & Women’s Hospital
Dr. Batal’s research will reassess the classification of acute transplant glomerulitis and characterize acute transplant glomerulitis.

AST/ Pfizer Basic Science Faculty Development Grant – Dr. Heth Turnquist, University of Pittsburgh
Dr. Turnquist’s research will examine the prognostic and therapeutic capacity of IL-33 and its’ receptor in pediatric heart transplantation.

AST/ Pfizer Basic Science Fellowship Grant – Dr. Hong Zhang, University of Pittsburgh
Dr. Zhang’s research will study the negative regulation of liver DC maturation/activation and liver transplant tolerance.

For more information on AST, please visit: www.a-s-t.org.

About AST
The American Society of Transplantation (AST) is an international organization of transplant professionals who are dedicated to advancing the field of transplantation and improving patient care by promoting research, education, advocacy, and organ donation. The Society comprises more than 3,100 transplant physicians, surgeons, scientists and allied health professionals. For more information about the Society, go to www.a-s-t.org.