In recognition for his work in health care transformation, David A. Asch, MD, executive director of the Center for Health Care Innovation and a professor of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, has been honored with this year's Ken Shine Award. The award is given to "leaders who make significant advancements in health" by the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin, and, in 2021, was awarded to Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. All honorees give a lecture upon their awarding, which Asch used to focus on the balance between automation and humanity in health care innovation. "As we introduce technology and different payment systems into health care, we should keep the emotional content resonant, because that's where the strongest ties are felt," Asch said.
Angela DeMichele, MD, the Alan and Jill Miller Professor in Breast Cancer Excellence, co-leader of the Breast Cancer Research Program, and co-director of 2-PREVENT Breast Cancer Translational Center of Excellence, is one of 10 breast cancer researchers who has been appointed as a Komen Scholar. DeMichele will help guide the work and mission of the breast cancer organization Susan G. Komen, serve as a member of the Komen Advocates in Science Steering Committee, and help to focus on the urgent issues impacting patients.
César de la Fuente, PhD, a Presidential Assistant Professor in Psychiatry, Microbiology, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Bioengineering, has been honored with a 2022 Young Investigator Award by the Royal Spanish Society of Chemistry for his pioneering research efforts to combine the power of machines and biology to help prevent, detect, and treat infectious diseases.
Rishi Goel, a Perelman School of Medicine student and research fellow with the lab of E. John Wherry, has been honored with a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. Goel is one of 30 graduate students selected. The merit-based fellowship is for immigrants and children of immigrants poised to make significant contributions to society, culture, or their academic field in the United States. Each fellow receives up to $90,000 in financial support over two years. Goel is now among 18 others who have been supported by the fellowship at Penn.
Virginia A. LiVolsi, MD, a professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Otorhinolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery, has received the 2022 President's Award of the Arthur Purdy Stout Society (APSS) of Surgical Pathologists in recognition of her substantial contributions to the field of surgical pathology. APSS is composed of pathologists dedicated to excellence in teaching, research and practice of surgical pathology. LiVolsi specializes in endocrine cancers, thyroid, parathyroid pathology, and gynecological pathology.
M. Celeste Simon, PhD, the Arthur H. Rubenstein, MBBCh Professor in the department of Cell and Developmental Biology and scientific director of the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, is one of three recipients of the FASEB Excellence in Science Lifetime Achievement Award for demonstrating excellence and innovation in research, and exemplary leadership and mentorship. Simon was recognized for her contributions to the study of cancer cell metabolism, primary tumor metastasis, and the link between chronic inflammation and cancer predisposition. The award also recognizes her devotion to mentoring the undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral, and clinical fellows who have conducted research in her laboratory for more than 25 years.
Atheendar Venkataramani, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, has received the 2022 AcademyHealth HSR Impact Award. HSR Impact is one of AcademyHealth's most prestigious awards and is typically conferred on someone who represents the highest achievements in the field of health service research. Honorees are awarded for the successful translation and adoption of research findings into health policy, health care delivery, management, or clinical practice. Venkataramani is director of the Opportunity for Health Lab, and his recent research examines the effect of economic opportunities - and the policies that influence them - on health behaviors and outcomes, the early life interventions on adult health and well-being, and the role of social policies and structural factors shaping population health.
Armenta Washington, senior research coordinator for the Abramson Cancer Center (ACC), has been recognized by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities as a National Outreach Network (NON) Community Health Educator (CME). She was selected for her outreach in underserved communities, such as driving access to health screenings like the Drive By Flu-FIT for colorectal cancer prevention, and graduating the first class of ACC Clinical Trial Ambassadors to speak with their communities about the value of joining clinical trials. She spoke about these efforts and her experience, including best practices and lessons, during The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Education & Services Team Meeting at the end of 2021.
