Key:
SOM, School of Medicine
SON: School of Nursing
SPH: School of Public Health
WCI: Winship Cancer Institute

	Ann Connor, MSN, RNCS, FNP, SON, received a Nursing Excellence Award from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as part of its third annual Celebration of Nurses. Connor was honored for going above and beyond the call of duty to make a significant impact on their patients.
	Frans de Waal, Yerkes National Primate Center, has been named a 2008 fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious honorary societies.
	James Lah, MD, PhD, neurology, SOM, received the Tomorrow's Leader in Alzheimer's Disease Research Award to recognize his research on understanding disease-causing mechnisms to improve the care of individuals with neurodegenerative disorders. The award comes with $100,000 in funding.
	J. Willis Hurst, MD, cardiology, SOM, has authored a new fiction book, The Last Leaf Has Fallen, about the careers of two doctors, one of whom fits the definition of a truly professional doctor and the other who succumbs to greed.
	Opal Ousley, PhD, psychiatry, SOM, received a 2008 Young Investigator Award from NARSAD, previously known as the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression. Ousley will receive $60,000 to identify subtle changes in cognitive and behavioral functioning associated with the highest risk of schizophrenia--how attentional and behavioral regulation predicts the risk for schizophrenia spectrum illness in adolescents with 22q11 Deletion Syndrome.
	Seth Norrholm, PhD, psychiatry, SOM, received a 2008 Young Investigator Award from NARSAD, previously known as the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression. Norrholm will receive $60,000 to investigate conditioned fear extinction and generalization in post-traumatic stress disorder and major depression. The results may contribute to the search for therapeutic approaches for extinguishing fear.
	Janet McNicholl, MD, rheumatology, SOM, is an editor of Genetic Susceptibility to Infectious Diseases, recently published by Oxford University Press. The SOM's Jeremy Boss, microbiology, and Peter Jensen, pathology, contributed to one chapter.
	Madhuri Hegde, PhD, SOM, received the 2008 Signature Genomic Laboratories Travel Award from the American College of Medical Genetics. This new award is given to a student, trainee, or junior faculty member whose abstract submission is chosen as a platform presentation during the annual meeting. Hegde's abstract was titled "Application of Microarray Genomic Selection in DNA Diagnostics."
	David Ledbetter, PhD, SOM, received the 2008-2009 Luminex/American College of Medical Genetics Foundation Award. The award includes a $100,000 grant and is aimed at the promotion of safe and effective genetic testing and services, including the development of research guidelines. Ledbetter, along with Emory colleage Christa Martin, is leading a consortium of academic cytogenetics laboratories to develop a uniform, evidence-based "molecular karyotype" and shared national database of pathogenic vs. benign deletions and duplications in the human genome.
	Kathryn Hall-Boyer, MD, SOM, received the "Hero of Emergency Medicine" recognition by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). The Hero of Emergency Medicine campaign is part of the ACEP's 40th anniversary and recognizes emergency physicians who have made significant contributions to emergency medicine, their communities, and their patients. Hall-Boyer is a commander in the 7303rd Medical Training Support Battalion, Ft. Gordon, Ga. Army Reserve and has received numeorus military awards, inlcuding the Meritorious Service Medal and three Army Commendation Medals. She is chair of the American Association of Women Emergency Physicians section of the ACEP and a member of the ACEP ethics committee.
	Sharon Weiss, PhD, SOM, received the 2007 Joanne Vandenberg Hill Award with the accompanying William Russell Lectureship from M.D. Anderson Cancer Hospital. The award is given annually to a distinguished pathologist for outstanding contributions to the discipline.
	Rebecca Gary, RN, PhD, SON, received one of the Young Investigator Awards from the American Heart Association for her abstract submitted to the 2008 Quality of Care and Outcomes Conference.
	Ora Strickland, PhD, SON, was recently honored by the National Black Herstory Task Force for her outstanding, yet humane, leadership. The organization celebrates the legacy and lives of women of African descent.
	Camille Davis-Williams, MD, and Michael V. Smith, MD, SOM, have been named co-physicians of the year by the Atlanta Medical Association, the oldest African-American physician organization in the country. Davis-Williams is a gynecologist and obstetrician and Smith is a cardiothoracic surgeon, both at Emory Crawford Long Hospital.
	Sheryl Heron, MD, emergency medicine, SOM, has been selected by the American College of Emergency Physicians as a Hero of Emergency Medicine for her work advancing the public's health, particularly her work to protect and advance the cause of victims of interpersonal violence.
	Godfrey Oakley, MD, MSPM, SPH, has been elected president-elect of the American Epidemiological Society.
	Santa Jeremy Ono, MD, SOM, has been appointed to serve as a member of the Hypersensitivity, Autoimmune, and Immune-mediated Diseases Study Section, Center for Scientific Review, NIH. His one-year term begins July 1, 2008.
	Charles Nemeroff, MD, SOM, has been named editor-in-chief of NeuroPsychiatry Reviews.
	Michael M.E. Johns, MD, chancellor, Emory University, has been appointed to the Georgia Commission for Saving the Cure. The commission will oversee the Georgia Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Bank and promote non-destructive stem cell research.
	Ron Yaar, third-year resident, pathology, SOM, won a Stowell-Orbison award at this year's meeting of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP). Dr. Yaar's study of sentinel lymph nodes in melanoma was rated one of the four best among nearly 400 posters presented by residents at the conference. Pathology Professor Cynthia Cohen was senior author of the study.
	Anjli Aurora, 06N/08MN, SON, has received the 2008 Joseph D. Greene Community Service Award from the Healthcare Georgia Foundation. Aurora is president of HealthSTAT, an organization of health professional students dedicated to education, activism, and service, and has served on its board of directors since 2006. Since joining HealthSTAT, she has increased student nurse involvement by 300%, mobilized advocacy efforts, and raised more than $50,000 in grants. She has organized rallies to lobby for funding for Grady Hospital and has met with legislators to kill provisions that would have prohibited undocumented immigrants from receiving publicly funded health care services. The final bills had most of the health care provisions removed thanks to her and HealthSTAT’s efforts. With the award comes a $1,000 donation to the organization of Aurora’s choice.
	Dean P. Jones, PhD, SOM, received the Science and Humanity Prize at the Oxygen Club of California 2008 World Congress for his contributions to the organization. The Oxygen Club is a scientific organization dedicated to enhancing interactions between those interested in free radicals in biological systems and oxidants and antioxidants in biology and medicine.
	William Foege, MD, MPH, SPH, was named the Research!America's 2008 recipient of the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Award for Sustained National Leadership. The award recognizes Foege's advocacy for medical, health, and scientific research. He is a senior fellow at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and an emeritus presidential distinguished professor at SPH.
	Ron Goetzel, PhD, SPH, and director, Institute for Health and Productivity Studies, received the Award for Excellence and Innovation in Value Purchasing by the National Business Group on Health, a not-for-profit group of 300 large employers. Goetzel is an expert on health and productivity management, return-on-investment, program evaluation and outcomes research. The institute's goal is to bring academic resources into policy debates and business decisions to promote the use of metrics for health care quality improvement.
	Harris Patel, a second-year physician assistant student, SOM, was selected to join the team of physicians, athletic trainers, physical therapists, and sports psychologists supporting US track and field athletes at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Harris worked as an athletic trainer with the University of Georgia football team for several years prior to attending Emory. He was selected as one of five athletic trainers to go with the US track and field team to the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, last year.
	Joyce D. Kirkland Essien, MD, MBA, director of the Center for Public Health Practice, SPH, received a 2008 Pride in the Profession Award by the American Medical Association. The award is given to physicians who aid underserved populations in the United States. Essien is leading a team in collaboration with the Sustainability Institute that is building and applying simulation and syndemic modeling applications to diabetes to inform policy decisions.
	Page Pennell, MD, neurology, SOM, was named chair-elect of the National Professional Advisory Board for the Epilepsy Foundation.
	Michael Davis, PhD, Robert W. Woodruff Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, SOM, and of the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience at Yerkes National Primate Research Center, is the 2008 recipient of the Edward M. Scolnick Prize in Neuroscience for his work on the neural basis of fear and its applications to psychiatric research.
	Robert Taylor, MD, PhD, gynecology and obstetrics, SOM, received the Distinguished Researcher Award from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. His research focuses on how hormones influence gene expression in endometrial cells to create an inflammatory environment and spur angiogenesis in the peritoneum. In future work, he will focus on angiogenesis in endometrial cancer and the utility of some herbal remedies, such as curcumin, for treatment.
	Doug Eaton, PhD, SOM, has been named chair of physiology. Eaton has served as deputy chair of the department for more than two decades and became acting chair after the death of former chair Robert Gunn. He directs the Center for Cell and Molecular Signaling, and his research focuses on the role of cell signaling in hypertension and electrolyte disorders, renal pathology in diabetes, and the mechanism of action in general anesthetics. See web site for more details.
	Timothy Olsen, MD, SOM, has been appointed chair of Ophthalmology and director of the Emory Eye Center, effective January 1. In addition, he will hold the F. Phinizy Calhoun Sr. Chair. Olsen comes to Emory from the University of Minnesota, where he holds the Knobloch Retina Chair and directs the retina section and the Minnesota Lions Macular Degeneration Center, which he helped establish in 1998. His clinical and basic science grants total $3 million. His research focuses largely on aging-related macular degeneration, and he co-holds two patents for surgical technologies. He also holds a patent, along with Emory researcher Jeff Boatright and others, on use of bile acids for treatment of retinal degeneration.
	Ray Dingledine, PhD, SOM, chair of pharmacology, has been appointed as the SOM's interim executive associate dean for research. He is working closely with his predecessor in this role, David Stephens, who is now vice president for research in the Woodruff Health Sciences Center. For more information about Dingledine's research in drug discovery, see this 2006 cover story in Emory Medicine magazine.
	Charles Nemeroff, MD, psychiatry, SOM, was elected president of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
	Kenneth Bernstein, MD, pathology, SOM, is the sole recipient of the American Heart Association's 2007 Basic Research Prize, recognizing his "outstanding contributions to the advancement of cardiovascular science." In 2005, he also won the association's Novartis Prize for his research in the field of hypertension. Only four people have won both elite awards, including three who are National Academy members and one who is a former Nobelist.
	Gang Bao, PhD, biomedical engineering, SOM (Emory) and Georgia Institute of Technology, has been named the inaugural Robert A. Milton Chair in Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech. A specialist in nanomedicine, Bao leads two NIH-funded nanomedicine centers, one in cardiology and one in DNA repair, and has played important roles in establishing an NIH-funded nanomedicine center on cancer. Related news item: "Georgia Tech, Emory, Medical College of Georgia Partner on Nanomedicine Center" (10/13/06)
	Raymond Schinazi, PhD, pediatrics, SOM, received the 2008 Dean's Distinguished Faculty Award. Schinazi is known for his contributions in development of antiviral agents for treatment of HIV, herpesvirus, and hepadnovirus infections and in development of anticancer drugs for neutron capture therapy. The importance of his work is reflected by the fact that more than 80% of AIDS patients worldwide who receive antiviral therapy now are treated with at least one of the drugs discovered by Schinazi in collaboration with Dennis Liotta (chemistry) at Emory.
	Jeremy Boss, PhD, microbiology and immunology, SOM, has been named the next editor-in-chief of the Journal of Immunology, a five-year post he will assume in July 2008. Boss directs Emory's graduate program in Genetics and Molecular Biology.
	Karen Glanz, PhD, SPH, is the recipient of the 2007 Elizabeth Fries Health Education Award from the James and Sarah Fries Foundation, for her work in developing interventions to reduce risk behaviors, encourage early detection of cancer, and prevent other acute acute and chronic diseases. Presented at the Socity of Public Health Education Annual Meeting, the award includes a $25,000 prize, part of which Glanz is contributing to the SPH for scholarship funds.
	Helen Mayberg, MD, psychiatry, SOM, received the Falcone Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Mood Disorders Research, one of five awards presented to scientists by the National Alliance for Research on Shizophrenia and Depression. Mayberg's studies over the past 20 years in neural network models of mood regulation in health and disease have led to the recent development of a new intervention for treatment-resistant patients using deep brain stimulation. See press release.
	Eddie Needham, MD, family and preventive medicine, SOM, received the Educator of the Year Award for 2007 from the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians for his talents in teaching medical students, residents, and students in the physicians assistant program. This is one of a series of teaching awards Needham has received over the past decade. In 2006, for example, he received the Outstanding Clinical Teacher Award from the Emory Physician Assistant Program and the Outstanding Inpatient Teacher Award from the Emory Family Medicine Residency Program.
	Eric Hunter, PhD, pathology, SOM, is chairing the AIDS Vaccine Research Subcommittee of the AIDS Research Advisory Committee. This is the primary advisory board on vaccines against HIV at the National Institute on Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
	Robert Stephenson, PhD, global health, SPH, received the inaugural Pfizer Early Career in Public Health Award at the 2007 meeting of the American Public Health Association. He was recognized for his contributions on the teaching culture at the SPH, where he has been honored as Professor of the Year and where he developed a new course, Migration and Health, and redesigned an existing course, Maternal and Child Health Demography.
	James Hughes, MD, medicine, SOM, has been elected to the Council of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
	Carl Hug, MD, anesthesiology, SOM, received the 2006 Distinguished Service Award from the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
	David Burke, MD, SOM, is the new chair of Rehabilitation Medicine. He comes to Emory from Harvard Medical School, where he has directed the clinical unit for traumatic brain injury at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital since 1997. One of the founding faculty members of the physical medicine and rehabilitation department at Harvard, he has directed the residency program in that specialty there since 1996. He is founder and editor-in-chief of Rehab in Review and president of the New England Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. An expert in martial arts, he has served as a consultant to the FBI and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and developed a self-defense course for airline personnel, which has been implemented throughout the industry.

Last Updated: 05/09/2008