Dr. Jason Butler, assistant professor of genetic medicine in the Ansary Stem Cell Institute, received a 2014 Scholar Award from the American Society of Hematology. The award provides monetary support for fellows and junior faculty pursuing research careers to assist them during the critical period in which they must complete their training and achieve status as an individual investigator. The society is the world's largest professional society concerned with the causes and treatment of blood disorders.
Dr. Ronald Crystal, chairman of the Department of Genetic Medicine, the Bruce Webster Professor of Internal Medicine, professor of genetic medicine and professor of medicine, was named the 2014 American Thoracic Society Amberson Lecturer, and will receive his award during the society's annual meeting slated for May 16-21 in San Diego. The most prestigious award in the lung field, the award is named after James Burns Amberson, a renowned clinician and grandfather of Dr. Catherine Hajjar. The society is an international society that seeks to improve health worldwide by advancing research, clinical care and public health in respiratory disease, critical illness and sleep disorders.
Dr. Joseph Fins, chief of the Division of Medical Ethics, the E. William Davis Jr., MD Professor of Medical Ethics, professor of medicine, public health and medicine in psychiatry, received the 37th Annual John S. Young Lectureship, for which he spoke at Denver's Craig Hospital, a rehabilitation facility for patients with spinal cord and brain injuries. This lectureship highlights the Craig Hospital's tradition of not viewing those with traumatic spinal cord and brain jury as "lost causes."
Dr. Jeffrey Laurence, professor of medicine, appeared in the documentary "The Battle of Amfar," which aired Dec. 2 on HBO. This documentary chronicles the work of Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor and research scientist Dr. Mathilde Krim to create the American Foundation for AIDS Research, American's first AIDS research foundation. The film had been selected for the Sundance Film Festival in December 2012.