NEW YORK, Dec. 14, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) will spotlight three physicians who have made significant contributions to understanding Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis and helped improve the quality of life for the 1.4 million Americans affected by these diseases during the 2012 Scientific Achievement Awards ceremony. This awards ceremony will take place during CCFA's annual Advances in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases conference, held on December 13-15 in Hollywood, FL.
"It is our privilege to recognize these trailblazers at this year's Advances conference," said James Lewis, MD, MSCE, Chair of CCFA's National Scientific Advisory Committee and Professor of Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania. "These physicians join the illustrious ranks of medical leaders we honor each year for their efforts to aid Americans suffering from these debilitating, incurable diseases."
The award recipients were nominated by the medical and research community for their exceptional dedication to the field of IBD. The winners of the 2012 Scientific Achievement Awards are:
Richard J.Grand, MD, Boston Children's Medical Center
Henry D. Janowitz Lifetime Achievement Award
Jeffrey S. Hyams, MD, Connecticut Children's Medical Center
Achievement in IBD Clinical Research Award
Richard S. Blumberg, MD, Brigham and Women's Medical Center, Boston
Achievement in IBD Basic Research Award
"We are delighted to honor these distinguished researchers all of whom have had longstanding relationships with CCFA," said CCFA President Richard Geswell. "We know that the key to curing these diseases is in the hands of our researchers."
Award recipients
Richard J. Grand, M.D. -- Dr. Richard J. Grand is currently the Director Emeritus of the Center for IBD Treatment and Research and Program Director Emeritus of the Clinical and Translational Study Unit at Boston Children's Hospital. Dr. Grand is a graduate of Harvard College and New York University School of Medicine. He received advanced research and clinical training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Massachusetts General Hospital. A Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Grand has headed the divisions of gastroenterology and nutrition at Boston Children's Hospital and the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center. He received CCFA's first pediatric research grant in 1975 and received the Foundation's first Humanitarian of the Year Award in 1990.
Jeffrey S. Hyams, M.D. -- Jeffrey S. Hyams is currently Head, Division of Digestive Diseases, Hepatology, and Nutrition at the Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford, CT and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in Farmington, CT. Dr. Hyams graduated from Brandeis University and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Following medical school he completed his residency in general pediatrics and then fellowship in pediatric gastroenterology at Children's Hospital in Boston. He has authored or co-authored over 250 peer reviewed publications and he is the co-editor of Pediatric Gastrointestinal Diseases: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Management. He has been honored by the Department of Pediatrics at UCONN School of Medicine for his teaching skills and has been consistently named as a top doctor nationwide for his work.
Richard S. Blumberg, M.D.-- Dr. Richard S. Blumberg is currently Senior Physician in Medicine and Gastroenterology at Brigham and Women's Hospital where he leads the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy. He is Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and co-director of the Harvard Digestive Diseases Center. He was trained in internal medicine at The New York Hospital, infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital and gastroenterology and hepatology at Brigham & Women's Hospital (BWH). He has been a leader in mucosal immunology for more than 20 years. In addition, Dr. Blumberg serves on the Executive Advisory Committee of the Department of Medicine and is the incoming Chair of the Biomedical Research Institute at BWH. He is affiliated with several organizations including the Board of Scientific Councilors, American Association of Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians.
All three of these award recipients are physicians who have advanced CCFA's mission while remaining true to the awards' intent To find out more about Advances in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases conference, visit: http://www.ccfa.org/science-and-professionals/conferences-events/2012-advances-in-inflammatory.html.
Media Contact:
Lenora E. Houseworth
(646) 943-7415; communications@ccfa.org
About CCFA
The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) is the largest voluntary non-profit health organization dedicated to finding cures for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD). CCFA's mission is to cure Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults who suffer from these diseases. The Foundation works to fulfill its mission by funding research, providing educational resources for patients and their families, medical professionals, and the public, and furnishing supportive services for those afflicted with IBD. For more information, visit www.ccfa.org, call 888-694-8872, like us on Facebook, find us on LinkedIn or follow us on Twitter and Pinterest.
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