Wake Forest Baptist July Awards and Recognitions

July 16, 2012

Wake Forest Baptist’s DuBose Honored by American Society of Nephrology

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – July 16, 2012 – Thomas D. DuBose Jr., M.D., the Tinsley R. Harrison Professor and Chair of Internal Medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, has been named the 2012 recipient of the John P. Peters Award by the American Society of Nephrology (ASN).

The Peters Award, established in 1983, recognizes individuals who have made substantial research contributions to the discipline of nephrology and have sustained achievements in one or more domains of academic medicine, including clinical care, education and leadership. The award will be presented Nov. 3 at the society’s annual meeting in San Diego.

DuBose, who received his medical degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, is a nationally recognized expert whose research has contributed to a better understanding of complications associated with chronic kidney disease. He joined the Wake Forest Baptist faculty in 2002 from the University of Kansas School of Medicine, where he was professor and chair of internal medicine.

DuBose has received numerous national honors during his career, including the National Kidney Foundation’s Donald W. Seldin Award for excellent in clinical nephrology in 2008. He is a Master of the American College of Physicians (ACP), an honor held by fewer than 650 internists worldwide, and has been elected to membership in academic medical societies including the Association of American Physicians and the American Society for Clinical Investigation. He recently completed a three-year term on the ACP’s Board of Regents and has served as president of the ASN (2006) and as chair of its Chronic Kidney Disease Advisory Group (2008-11).

Regenerative Medicine Professor Receives Gold Medal Award

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – July 16, 2012 – David Williams, Ph.D., professor of regenerative medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, has received the 2012 Acta Biomaterialia Gold Medal.

Williams is director of international affairs at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine and has academic and advisory appointments in various countries around the world.

The award was presented earlier this month at the World Biomaterials Congress in Chengdu, China.

Williams, who received his undergraduate and doctoral degrees in metallurgy/materials science from the University of Birmingham (England), joined the faculty at Wake Forest Baptist in 2007.

Williams has published more than 400 peer-reviewed papers and edited or authored more than 30 books. He has received major awards from societies in the United States, Europe and India for his work in biomaterials. In 1999 he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the highest engineering honor in the United Kingdom, and as a Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering.

He serves as editor-in-chief on the journal Biomaterials and is president-elect of TERMIS, the international society concerned with regenerative medicine.

Regenerative Medicine Researcher Wins National Fellowship

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – July 16, 2012 – Sean Murphy, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM), is one of 10 scientists nationwide selected to receive a Senior Research Training Fellowship Award from the American Lung Association (ALA).

The award was based on the scientific merit, innovative nature and feasibility of Murphy’s project to develop a cell therapy for cystic fibrosis. Murphy’s mentor is Anthony Atala, M.D., the director of WFIRM.

The objective of the award is to support the training of physicians and Ph.D.s who seek additional training as scientific investigators in order to pursue careers in pulmonary medicine and lung biology research.

Murphy is a graduate of the University of Western Australia who earned his doctorate at the Monash Institute of Medical Research, Australia.

Wake Forest Baptist Ob-Gyn Clinic Receives Accreditation

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – July 16, 2012 – The Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center’sDowntown Health Plaza has received accreditation from the Centering Healthcare Institute for its CenteringPregnancy program.

This program was funded earlier this year by an extended grant of $50,000 from the March of Dimes Foundation.

The CenteringPregnancy program provides innovative prenatal care to address unmet maternal and child health needs in Forsyth County, which has the second-highest infant mortality rate among North Carolina’s five most populous regions. The program is designed for pregnant women of different ages, ethnicities, races and socioeconomic groups, and holds promise for significantly reducing rates of pre-term birth.

Wake Forest Baptist’s Burn Center Receives Re-Verification

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – July 16, 2012 – Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center’s Burn Center has received re-verification from the Burn Center Verification Committee of the American Burn Association (ABA).

According to the ABA, a burn center must meet rigorous standards for organizational structure, personnel qualifications, facilities resources and medical care services in order to achieve re-verification. The designation acknowledges a high quality of care and is a mark of distinction from the ABA and the American College of Surgeons.

Media Relations

Mac Ingraham: mingraha@wakehealth.edu, 336-716-3487

Karen Richardson: krchrdsn@wakehealth.edu, 336-716-4453