Washington D.C., November 3, 2001 - The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has awarded national honors to three distinguished leaders in academic medicine. Drs. Daniel Federman, Barbara Barlow and C. David Allis were recognized at the AAMC's 112th annual meeting in Washington, D.C. for their contributions to the fields of medical education, health care and research.

Abraham Flexner Award for Distinguished Service to Medical Education

Daniel Federman, M.D., Senior Dean for Alumni Relations and Clinical Teaching at Harvard Medical School, received this year's Abraham Flexner Award for Distinguished Service to Medical Education. Established in 1958, the award recognizes extraordinary individual contributions to medical schools and to the medical education community as a whole.

Dr. Federman, who is also a Carl W. Walter Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Medical Education, has been actively involved in Harvard's medical education program for more than 20 years. He played a key role in implementing "the New Pathway," the school's innovative curriculum of problem-based learning. In his role as Dean for Alumni Relations, Dr. Federman has been active in fundraising efforts for scholarship programs, helping Harvard medical students lower their debt upon graduation. Through his interest in medical research, he currently serves as chair of an Institute of Medicine study panel that is assessing the existing system of protection afforded to human participants in clinical research.

Dr. Federman received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1953. He was an intern and resident in the Department of Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. Except for a visiting professorship at the University of London in 1972 and four years as Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Stanford University Medical School, Dr. Federman has remained at Harvard Medical School throughout his distinguished career.

David E. Rogers Award

Barbara Barlow, M.D., Director of Surgery at Harlem Hospital Center and Professor of Clinical Surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, is the recipient of the sixth annual David E. Rogers Award, jointly sponsored by the AAMC and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The award is named for David E. Rogers, M.D., former president of the Foundation, and recognizes a medical school faculty member who has made major contributions to improving the health and health care of the American people.

Dr. Barlow has devoted most of her career to promoting national concern for the safety of children. She founded the Harlem Hospital Injury Prevention Program, a resource on the prevention of all types of childhood injury, including gunshot wounds, falls from heights, child abuse and neglect. Dr. Barlow was able to expand the program model to eight other cities across the nation.

Along with her colleagues, Dr. Barlow spent five years developing the Northern Manhattan Injury Surveillance System (NMISS), which provides information on where and how injury occurs. This database system, along with Harlem Hospital's injury prevention program, has tracked a 55 percent decrease in injuries requiring hospitalization.

A graduate of Vassar College, Dr. Barlow received her medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1967. She completed her surgical internship and residency at Bronx Municipal Hospital.

Baxter Award for Distinguished Research in the Biomedical Sciences

C. David Allis, Ph.D., Harry F. Byrd, Jr. Professor of Biochemistry and Professor of Microbiology at University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, received the Award for Distinguished Research in the Biomedical Sciences. The award, established in 1981, is awarded to medical school faculty members who conduct outstanding clinical or laboratory research. It is funded by the Baxter Allegiance Foundation.

Dr. Allis has broadened the scientific community's understanding of gene expression. His work has established a new field of experimental research: the role of histone modifications on gene expression. Histone proteins are the building blocks of chromatin, the fundamental packaging form of our genes. Dr. Allis's lab made the discovery that the GCN5 transcription factor is a histone acetylase.

The biomedical impact of histone modifications extends to the field of cancer research, including certain leukemias, which have been associated with altered histone deacetylase activity.

One of Dr. Allis's most important discoveries may be the role of histone modifications on gene expression and DNA, introducing research into the idea that genes consist of more than just DNA, but DNA plus the associated histones and other factors.

After receiving a Ph.D. in biology from Indiana University, Dr. Allis studied at the University of Rochester as a National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellow. His academic career spans over 20 years.

# # #

The Association of American Medical Colleges represents the 125 accredited U.S. medical schools; the 16 accredited Canadian medical schools; some 400 major teaching hospitals, including 74 Veterans Administration medical centers; 91 academic and professional societies representing nearly 88,000 faculty members; and the nation's 67,000 medical students and 102,000 residents. Additional information about the AAMC and U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals is available at www.aamc.org/newsroom.

# # #

The Association of American Medical Colleges is a not-for-profit association representing all 129 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 68 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and 94 academic and scientific societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC represents 109,000 faculty members, 67,000 medical students, and 104,000 resident physicians. Additional information about the AAMC and U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals is available at www.aamc.org/newsroom.

Contact Us    © 1995-2008 AAMC    Terms and Conditions    Privacy Statement