IDSA Honors Notable Leaders in Infectious Diseases at IDWeek 2022
The Infectious Diseases Society of America is honoring 12 of its members who are leaders in the field at IDWeek 2022. IDSA recognizes the following for excellence in the field of infectious diseases:
Alexander Fleming Award for Lifetime Achievement: Lawrence Corey, MD, FIDSA
Lawrence Corey, MD, FIDSA, an internationally renowned expert whose contributions to infectious diseases span more than four decades, is the recipient of IDSA’s 2022 Alexander Fleming Award for Lifetime Achievement. This award recognizes a career that reflects major contributions to the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge about infectious diseases.
Dr. Corey’s groundbreaking work in virology, immunology and vaccine development includes leading work to develop safe and effective antiviral therapies for herpes, HIV, hepatitis and infections in immunocompromised cancer patients. Most recently, he helped speed the development of COVID-19 vaccines.
A former president and director emeritus at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Dr. Corey is currently a professor in the divisions of Vaccines and Infectious Disease, Clinical Research and Public Health Sciences there.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Corey’s leadership contributed to emergency use authorization of mRNA vaccines within 11 months of starting the first COVID-19 vaccine trials. He developed the conceptual framework for the COVID-19 Prevention Network, the public-private partnership used in nationwide government-funded COVID-19 vaccine trials. He designed and championed the 30,000-person rapidly enrolling trials, built a national clinical trials program of academic and commercial clinical trial sites, established a national participant registry and developed a community outreach program that successfully enrolled the most affected racial and ethnic minority populations into the trials.
Dr. Corey’s field-shaping work began in the early 1980s, as he and his team were the first to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of long-term oral antiviral therapy in immunocompetent people at the AIDS Clinical Trial Group. These studies had a significant impact, leading to the antiviral revolution in treating HIV, hepatitis and respiratory viruses, and are still the basis for current CDC and WHO guidelines for treating herpes (HSV-2).
Dr. Corey also co-founded the HIV Vaccine Trials Network, the world’s largest publicly funded collaboration to develop vaccines for HIV/AIDS. Made up of more than 80 clinical trial sites in 16 countries on five continents, the network is known as an exemplary model for global, collaborative research.
As the president and director of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Dr. Corey oversaw the development of new immunotherapies to treat cancer, the discovery of an HIV/AIDS vaccine and improved cancer prevention, early detection and treatment services. He also founded two immunology companies, which highlighted the potential of using immunology to treat and prevent cancer and viral infections.
Dr. Corey’s breadth of knowledge is reflected in the more than 850 peer-reviewed published articles, 12 books and more than 200 book chapters and editorials. He holds 18 patents and has received continuous NIH funding since 1978. The Society is proud to honor this true leader in advancing knowledge in infectious diseases with the 2022 Alexander Fleming Award for Lifetime Achievement.
“Dr. Corey’s work to shape the domain of antiviral therapies and vaccines has not only made an imprint on our field, but it has also saved and will continue to save thousands of lives,” said Daniel P. McQuillen, MD, FIDSA, president of IDSA. “We congratulate him on his innovative and field-shaping work and are honored to award him with the 2022 Alexander Fleming Award for Lifetime Achievement.”
Other awards presented during IDWeek 2022 include:
D.A. Henderson Award for Outstanding Contributions to Public Health: Nimalie Stone, MD
This award — named to honor the memory of Donald Henderson, MD, who led the successful eradication of smallpox — recognizes a lifetime of achievement in public health. This year’s honoree is Nimalie Stone, MD.
Dr. Stone, senior advisor for the CDC’s Long-Term Care Partnerships, Prevention and Response Branch in the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, is a champion for the nation’s work to develop infection prevention and control standards and education in long-term and post-acute care settings. Dr. Stone established the CDC’s Core Elements for Antibiotic Stewardship in Nursing Homes, which is now part of federal policy. Because of her work to develop the CDC Nursing Home Infection Preventionist Training course, more than 80,000 learners have been trained on infection prevention in nursing homes since 2019. Dr. Stone’s leadership of the CDC team that enrolled nursing homes in the National Healthcare Safety Network — CDC’s electronic surveillance system — allowed CDC to facilitate a rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic by gathering nursing home impact data and allocating resources where they were most needed. Dr. Stone is an award-winning expert who has published nearly 60 articles in peer-reviewed journals and serves on the editorial board of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.
IDSA is proud to give Dr. Stone the 2022 D.A. Henderson Award for her work to advance the prevention and control of infections in long-term and post-acute care settings.
Watanakunakorn Clinician Award: Robin Dretler, MD, FIDSA and Patty Wright, MD, FIDSA
This award honors the memory of Chatrchai Watanakunakorn, MD, and recognizes an IDSA member for their outstanding achievement in the clinical practice of infectious diseases. This year’s recipients are Robin Dretler, MD, FIDSA and Patty Wright, MD, FIDSA
Dr. Dretler — an infectious diseases specialist and chair of the Professional Practice Evaluation Committee at Emory Decatur Hospital — has grown a significant infectious diseases practice in Atlanta, contributed to policies to improve the quality of hospital care and conducted research that has led to new treatments for HIV, hepatitis C virus and other infectious diseases. One of the few infectious diseases specialists in the Atlanta area in the early 1980s — in the early days of the AIDS epidemic — Dr. Dretler established the Infectious Disease Specialists of Atlanta, which is now the largest private practice in infectious diseases in the greater Atlanta area. He has served as president of the Infectious Disease Society of Georgia for more than 15 years. During his nearly 40-year career, Dr. Dretler has taught and mentored students, residents, clinical investigators and partners; he has also served as principal investigator on more than 100 clinical trials. His work has contributed to the development of nearly every approved HIV medication as well as many hepatitis C virus and antimicrobial drugs.
The Society is pleased to honor Dr. Dretler with a 2022 Watanakunakorn Award for his tireless work to improve the lives of patients with infectious diseases.
Dr. Patty Wright — a professor of medicine in the Department of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and chief of staff for Adult Ambulatory Services in Davidson County at Vanderbilt University Medical Center — is a leader in medical education and clinical care who focuses on both infectious diseases and key skills related to the practice of medicine. A role model for women in medicine who exemplifies professionalism and expertise in clinical practice, Dr. Wright is an award-winning teacher who is known for the practical ways in which she instructs medical students, residents and infectious diseases fellows. At IDWeek, Dr. Wright has directed and moderated the Vincent T. Andriole Infectious Diseases Board Review Course multiple times. She is a frequent presenter at IDWeek and other Society meetings and has served on various Society committees.
The Society is proud to add a 2022 Watanakunakorn Award to Dr. Wright’s other awards in recognition of her leadership in education and training.
Walter E. Stamm Mentor Award: Liise-anne Pirofski, MD, FIDSA
This award honoring late IDSA Past President Walter E. Stamm, MD, FIDSA, is presented to an IDSA member who has been exceptional in guiding the growth of ID professionals. This year’s winner is Liise-anne Pirofski, MD, FIDSA.
Dr. Pirofski is a physician-scientist who has helped shape the careers of trainees and faculty members in infectious diseases, especially of women and minorities. As a mentor, Dr. Pirofski’s respect for each mentee’s individuality instills confidence and empowers them to pursue their career goals while her knowledge and creativity enable her to provide practical guidance and support. In addition to serving as chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, she is also the Jacques and Selma Mitrani Professor of Biomedical Research and a professor of medicine, microbiology and immunology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Pirofski is an award-winning professional who has secured NIH funding for most of her research and involves mentees in that research, including work on Montefiore Medical Center’s monoclonal antibody program during the COVID-19 pandemic. During her 30-plus year career, Dr. Pirofski has had a profoundly positive impact on the lives and careers of nearly 50 doctoral trainees, post-graduate research trainees and faculty members. She has created many opportunities for her mentees to lead clinical trials, author papers and develop clinical programs. And even as chief, Dr. Pirofski dedicates much of her time and efforts to helping junior faculty achieve their career goals.
IDSA is proud to recognize Dr. Pirofski with the 2022 Walter E. Stamm Mentor Award for serving as a role model to physician-scientists and helping infectious diseases trainees and faculty shape their careers.
Oswald Avery Award for Early Achievement: Nadine Rouphael, MD, FIDSA
The Oswald Avery Award for Early Achievement recognizes outstanding achievement in infectious diseases by a member of IDSA who is 45 or younger. This year’s recipient is Nadine Rouphael, MD, FIDSA.
Dr. Rouphael — a professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Emory University School of Medicine and senior physician at Emory Healthcare — is a physician-scientist who has made key contributions to research on the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 and on vaccines for influenza. As executive director of the Emory Vaccine Center Hope Clinic, Dr. Rouphael directs on-site vaccine clinical trials and provides translation of pre-clinical vaccine research into clinical trials in humans. She has demonstrated exemplary leadership in several key COVID-19-related trials, and outside of COVID-19, Dr. Rouphael led a landmark study on a microneedle influenza vaccine patch and led translational research on innate immunity and systems biology using vaccines to probe the immune system. Dr. Rouphael has led or served as a principal investigator on more than 50 clinical trials, served as an investigator on more than 150 clinical trials and published more than 110 peer-reviewed research articles.
IDSA is pleased to recognize Dr. Rouphael’s swift and significant contributions to infectious diseases with the 2022 Oswald Avery Award for Early Achievement.
Clinical Practice Innovation Award: Nada Fadul, MD, FIDSA
The Clinical Practice Innovation Award recognizes IDSA members who devote the majority of their time to patient care and who have significantly advanced the clinical practice of infectious diseases within the last five years through innovation in clinical practice design or management or through advocacy on behalf of IDSA that fosters change to better recognize the value of ID practice. IDSA presents the 2022 award to Nada Fadul, MD, FIDSA.
Dr. Fadul — a professor of medicine at the Division of Infectious Diseases and the assistant dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Education Programs at the University of Nebraska Medical Center — is a leader in caring for people with HIV/AIDS, coordinating the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nebraska and Sudan and combatting health disparities. She is the medical director of the Specialty Care Center, an HIV clinic that improves the lives of patients through research, education and clinical care, as well as the principal investigator of the largest Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program in Nebraska. During the pandemic, Dr. Fadul worked with the Sudan Ministry of Health and neighborhood-based teams of health care professionals and students to develop a COVID-19 prevention and management course that has trained more than 200 volunteers in Sudan and facilitated the delivery of more than 20,000 doses of vaccine. She is the co-investigator for a CDC grant to develop a similar program in the United States focused on addressing COVID-19 disparities among high-risk and underserved populations.
The Society is delighted to recognize Dr. Fadul with the 2022 Clinical Practice Innovation Award for her clinical work related to HIV/AIDS and COVID-19.
Society Citation Award: John Brooks, MD; Martin S. Hirsch, MD, FIDSA; Matifadza Hlatshwayo Davis, MD; and H. Clifford Lane, MD, FIDSA
The Society Citation Award is a discretionary award given in recognition of exemplary contribution to IDSA, an outstanding discovery in the field of infectious diseases or a lifetime of outstanding achievement. This year, IDSA presents the award to four individuals: John Brooks, MD; Martin S. Hirsch, MD, FIDSA; Matifadza Hlatshwayo Davis, MD; and H. Clifford Lane, MD, FIDSA.
John Brooks, MD — chief medical officer for CDC’s COVID-19 Emergency Response — has been on the frontlines of the CDC and IDSA responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Brooks serves as a subject matter expert who assists leaders on the CDC response team in staying updated on the latest treatment and prevention science related to COVID-19. During the pandemic, Dr. Brooks also provided emerging information to help inform IDSA’s response, including information used in developing the Society’s COVID-19 guidelines. Dr. Brooks also serves as the chief medical officer of CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, where he advises division leaders on the medical aspects of HIV infection. He has also led or participated in CDC’s response to Ebola, Zika, Hurricane Katrina, SARS and anthrax. Dr. Brooks has received multiple commendations and awards, including five outstanding unit commendations from the Department of Health and Human Services, two awards for distinguished service and a distinguished service medal from CDC, and several awards for excellent or outstanding journal articles.
IDSA is pleased to recognize Dr. Brooks’ contributions to public health with a 2022 Society Citation Award.
Martin S. Hirsch, MD, FIDSA — a world-renowned and prolific virologist whose research on HIV helped transform a once fatal disease into a treatable condition — has expertly guided IDSA’s The Journal of Infectious Diseases as editor-in-chief for 20 years. He will be retiring as editor-in-chief as of Dec. 31, 2022. Dr. Hirsch was a faculty member at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health for 45 years and is now a senior physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and an associate member of the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT and Harvard. Dr. Hirsch has published nearly 250 peer-reviewed articles and co-authored 11 clinical guidelines and reports. He was the first investigator to test antiretroviral drug combinations in vitro, which underpinned the clinical trials that revolutionized HIV therapy. Also, he was the first to demonstrate that HIV could be isolated from both the male and female genital tracts. Throughout his career, Dr. Hirsch has trained many of today’s leaders in virology and HIV medicine and has given generously to trainees, faculty, the infectious diseases research world, JID and IDSA.
For his leadership of JID and his transformational research on HIV, IDSA is delighted to recognize Dr. Hirsch with a 2022 Society Citation Award.
Matifadza Hlatshwayo Davis, MD — director of health for the St. Louis Department of Health and a member of the infectious diseases faculty at the John Cochran VA Medical Center — is a public health leader and a clinician-educator who focuses on HIV and COVID-19 in marginalized populations. She is the lead HIV clinician at the John Cochran VA Medical Center and co-leads a global partnership in St. Louis, Missouri, to end the HIV epidemic. She has championed equity by developing COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment programs, coordinating mobile COVID-19 testing and vaccine units, and engaging local faith communities. As associate editor of the Disparities and Competent Care section of the COVID-19 Real-Time Learning Network — a CDC and IDSA repository for the latest guidance and tools on COVID-19 — she curates resources related to responding to health disparities in the management of COVID-19.
For her work in public health; HIV and COVID-19 in marginalized populations; and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, IDSA is proud to honor Dr. Hlatshwayo Davis with a 2022 Society Citation Award.
H. Clifford Lane, MD, FIDSA — director of the Division of Clinical Research and deputy director for Clinical Research and Special Projects at NIAID — is a physician-scientist at NIH who has made seminal contributions to the field of infectious diseases in HIV, emerging infectious diseases and COVID-19. He co-founded the NIH AIDS research program; led more than 30 clinical trials, including pivotal research that transformed HIV from a fatal infection into a manageable chronic disease; and contributed to the NIH Antiretroviral Treatment Guidelines, which are considered the gold standard for therapy. Dr. Lane has also facilitated emerging infectious diseases research — including work that helped identify the first two Ebola therapies to receive FDA approval — by forging partnerships across continents and helping other countries build their own research capacity and infrastructure. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Lane helped develop a coordinated research strategy for prioritizing and speeding development of the most promising treatments and vaccines. He also co-chaired the panel that developed the COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines used by clinicians worldwide. During his more than 40-year career, Dr. Lane has published more than 450 journal articles.
IDSA is pleased to honor Dr. Lane with a 2022 Society Citation Award for his work in HIV, emerging infectious diseases, COVID-19 and for his development of important clinical trials networks.
Clinical Teacher Award: Raymund Razonable, MD, FIDSA,
The Clinical Teacher Award honors a career dedicated to teaching clinical infectious diseases to fellows, residents and medical students, and recognizes excellence as a clinician and motivation to teach the next generation of physicians. This year the award goes to Raymund Razonable, MD, FIDSA, and Patty Wright, MD, FIDSA.
Dr. Razonable — a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and a consultant in the Department of Internal Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases at Mayo Clinic — is a highly sought-after teacher and mentor who has served as the primary mentor for more than 50 residents and infectious diseases fellows. His trainees have authored or co-authored more than 150 articles, and fellows who work with him publish an average of seven peer-reviewed publications by graduation. Dr. Razonable’s educational tweets have engaged thousands of medical students and residents and increased interest in and applications to Mayo Clinic’s Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program. His mini videos, featured in national conferences, have also raised interest among medical students and residents in infectious diseases. Dr. Razonable is an award-winning professional who has published more than 250 peer-reviewed articles and many book chapters. He co-authored the guidelines for management of herpes virus infections in transplant recipients and developed the Infectious Diseases Training Course for Mayo Clinic.
IDSA is pleased to award Dr. Razonable a 2022 Clinical Teacher Award for his training and mentoring of infectious diseases specialists and his promotion of the specialty.
“These outstanding members have made lasting contributions to the field of infectious diseases and on behalf of the Society, I am proud to award each of them for their efforts,” said Dr. McQuillen. “The value of infectious diseases experts was in the spotlight during the pandemic, but as is clear from the details about these award winners, their contributions started long before the pandemic and will continue well into the future.”
For full award descriptions, recipient biographies and information about other awards given to Society members this year, please visit www.idsociety.org/about-idsa/society-awards/.
About the Infectious Diseases Society of America
IDSA is a leader on issues of importance to ID professionals, including education and training, policy and advocacy, setting guidelines for patient care and developing resources for clinical practice. It remains at the forefront of global health issues such as COVID-19, antimicrobial resistance, and HIV/AIDS. Housed within IDSA is the HIV Medicine Association, which represents medical providers and researchers working on the front lines of HIV. More than 12,000 IDSA and HIVMA members work across the United States and in nearly 100 other countries on six different continents. For more information, visit www.idsociety.org. Follow IDSA on Facebook and Twitter.