ACR Announces 2022 Award Recipients Save

The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the Association of Rheumatology Professionals (ARP) proudly recognizes the recipients of its 2022 Master of the ACR and ARP designations, ACR Awards of Distinction, and ARP Awards of Merit and Appreciation. The awards will be given to this year’s winners at ACR Convergence 2022. These recognitions are given annually to members who exhibit outstanding contributions to the ACR, the ARP, and the field of rheumatology.

Presidential Gold Medal:  The highest award that the ACR can bestow, the Presidential Gold Medal is awarded in recognition of outstanding achievements in rheumatology over an entire career. Established by the past presidents of the ACR, candidates will have made important contributions in multiple areas such as clinical medicine, research, education or administration. Funding support for this award of distinction is provided by the Rheumatology Research Foundation. This year, the ACR is proud to bestow this honor to:

• Betty Diamond, MD, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Uniondale, New York

ACR Awards of Distinction:  The ACR also recognized leading researchers, clinicians, mentors, and other professionals exhibiting superior commitment to the advancement of the field of rheumatology with the Awards of Distinction honors. Winners of this year’s awards are as follows:

Distinguished Basic/Translational Investigator Award: The Distinguished Basic/Translational Investigator Award is awarded to a basic or translational investigator making outstanding contributions to the field of rheumatology.

• Judith James, MD, PhD, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Distinguished Clinician Scholar Award:  The Distinguished Clinician Scholar Award is awarded to a rheumatologist who has made outstanding contributions in clinical medicine, clinical scholarship or education.

• Michael Lockshin, MD, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, New York

Henry Kunkel Early Career Investigator Award: The Henry Kunkel Early Career Investigator Award is awarded to an early career physician scientist, who is 12 years post Rheumatology certifying examination eligibility, who has made outstanding and promising independent contributions to basic, translational or clinical research in the field of rheumatology.

• Cecilia Chung, MD, MPH, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
• Michelle Kahlenberg, MD, PhD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 

Distinguished Clinical Investigator Award:  The Distinguished Clinical Investigator Award is awarded to a clinical scientist making outstanding contributions to the field of rheumatology. This award was known as the Clinical Research Award prior to 2006.

• Joel Kremer, MD, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York

Paulding Phelps Award: The Paulding Phelps Award is awarded to a clinical rheumatologist for outstanding service to patients, community and the practice of medicine.

• Sharad Lakhanpal, MD, MBBS, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas

Distinguished Service Award:  The Distinguished Service Award is awarded to an ACR member for outstanding and sustained service to the ACR.

• Dan Lovell, MD, MPH, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
• James T. Rosenbaum, MD, Corvus Pharmaceuticals, Burlingame, California

Distinguished Fellowship Program Director Award:  The Distinguished Fellowship Program Director Award is awarded to a current or former rheumatology program director that has made outstanding contributions in the mentoring and training of future rheumatologists.

• Lisa Criscione-Schreiber, MD, MeD, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina

Excellence in Investigative Mentoring Award:  The Excellence in Investigative Mentoring Award recognizes the importance of the mentor/mentee relationship. A dedicated mentor can significantly influence the successful development and career of a mentee. This award honors an active ACR or ARHP member for their contributions to the rheumatology profession through outstanding and ongoing mentoring. Funding support for this award of distinction is provided by the Rheumatology Research Foundation.

• Lisa Rider, MD, NIEHS, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland

International Rheumatology Professional Award: Distinguished International Rheumatology Professional Award is awarded to a rheumatologist or rheumatology health professional outside of the US and Canada for exceptional contributions in public service and advocacy to the global rheumatology community.

• Nicolino Ruperto, MD, MPH, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy

Innovation in Clinical Care Award: nnovation in Clinical Care Award is awarded to a community rheumatologist who has significantly advanced the practice of rheumatology though novel clinical initiatives. This may be accomplished through innovation in clinical practice design or quality, development of cutting-edge methods to improve health equity in rheumatology, cost savings initiatives, creative approaches in mentoring in community practice, or other innovations that improve the care of patients with rheumatic disease and/or advance the rheumatology subspecialty.

• Herbert S. Baraf, MD, MACR, Arthritis and Rheumatism Associates, Wheaton, Maryland

Mark Andrejeski Meritorious Service Award: The Mark Andrejeski Meritorious Service Award is awarded to an ACR staff member for outstanding service to the ACR after employment for at least 25 years.

• Jane Diamond, American College of Rheumatology (Retired), Atlanta, Georgia

Master of the ACR Designation

Recognition as an ACR Master is one of the highest honors that the College bestows on its distinguished members. The designation of Master is conferred on ACR members, age 65 or older, who have made outstanding contributions to the field of rheumatology through scholarly achievement and/or service to their patients, students, and the rheumatology profession. These honorees have devoted their long careers to furthering rheumatology research and improving clinical standards in the treatment of rheumatic diseases.

The 2022 recipients of the Masters of the ACR designation are:

• Daniel Albert, MD, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire
• H. Michael Belmont, MD, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York
• Linda Kathryn Bockenstedt, MD, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
• Richard Bucala, MD, PhD, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
• David Cabral, MBBS, BC Children's Hospital and University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• Deh-Ming Chang, MD, PhD, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan
• Arvind Chopra, MD, FRCP, MBBS, Center for Rheumatic Diseases, Pune, Maharashtra, India
• Maria C. Cid, MD, Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
• Anne Davidson, MBBS, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Manhasset, New York
• Abraham Gedalia, MD, LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
• Ellen Gravallese, MD, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
• Max Hamburger, MD, Rheumatology Associates of Long Island, Melville, New York
• Samina Hayat, MD, Louisiana State University Shreveport, Shreveport, Louisiana
• Leslie Kahl, MD, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
• Asgar Ali Kalla, PhD, MBChB, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
• Munther Khamashta, MD, PhD, FRCP, Glaxo Smith Kline, Brentford, United Kingdom
• Alan J. Kivitz, MD, Altoona Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center, Duncansville, Pennsylvania
• Andrew Laster, MD, Arthritis & Osteoporosis Consultants of the Carolinas, Charlotte, North Carolina
• Larry Wayne Moreland, MD, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
• Nancy Olsen, MD, Penn State M.S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
• Carlos Daniel Rose, MD, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware
• Robert Roubey, MD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
• Kenneth Schickler, MD, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky
• Robert Shmerling, MD, Harvard Health Publishing, Boston, Massachusetts
• Nina Schwartz, MD, Kaiser Permanente Medical Center (Retired), San Francisco, California
• Frederick Vivino, MD, MS, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Robert W. Warren, MD, PhD, MPH, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina

Distinguished Fellow Award

The Distinguished Fellow Award recognizes clinical and research fellows who are in a rheumatology fellowship training program and who have performed meritoriously.

The 2022 recipients of the Distinguished Fellow Award are:

• Fatima Alduraibi, MD, PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
• Rebecca Blank, MD, PhD, New York University, New York, New York
• Michael Loncharich, MD, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland
• Elizabeth Park, MD, MSc, Columbia University Irving Medical Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, New York
• Ahmad Ramahi, MD, MPH, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Didem Saygin, MD, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
• Melanie Smith, MD, PhD, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, New York
• Ajay Tambralli, MD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Diana Sofia Villacis Nunez, MD, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
• Rachel Wallwork, MD, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

Underrepresented in Medicine Scholarship Program:  The ACR recognizes the importance of promoting diversity and inclusion within the rheumatology workforce begins with exposure to the field. A new program was initiated in 2022 to engage Underrepresented in Medicine (URM) medical school students in a scholarship program to attend and participate in ACR Convergence activities.

The 2022 URM award recipients are:

• Adaobi Ugochukwu, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
• Jacqueline Pimienta, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey
• Iagn Niño Kenji Cabahug, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta, Georgia
• Marcos Ortiz, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
• Meagan Chriswell, University of Colorado Anschutz SOM, Aurora, Colorado
• Justin Baker, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
• Janya Sims, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
• Manuella Djomaleu, University of California, San Francisco, California
• Juan Colazo, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
• Sciaska Ulysse, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
• Jeffery Phillips, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia

ARP Awards of Merit: ARP Awards of Merit recognize the following: Lifetime Achievement Award, President’s Award, Addie Thomas Service Award, Ann Kunkel Advocacy Award, Distinguished Scholar Award, Distinguished Educator Award, Master Designation, and Outstanding Student in Rheumatology. Winners of this year’s awards are as follows:

ARP Lifetime Achievement Award:  The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to a current or former member of ARP whose career has demonstrated a sustained and lasting contribution to the field of rheumatology and rheumatology health professionals.

• Marian T. Hannan, DSc, Marcus Institute for Aging Research, Boston, Massachusetts

ARP President’s Award: The ARP President's Award is awarded to the ACR/ARP member or team performing outstanding service within the present year in advancing the goals, ideals, and standards of ARP.

• Brit Donaldson, MMS, PA-C, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
• Kaleb Michaud, PhD, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska

ARP Addie Thomas Service Award:  The Addie Thomas Service Award is presented to an ARP member in honor of our Association's first president and recognizes individuals who have been an active volunteer involved with local, regional/state, national, and/or international arthritis-related activities.

• Charles Helmick, MD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Retired), Atlanta, Georgia

ARP Ann Kunkel Advocacy Award:  The Ann Kunkel Award is presented to an ARP member who has provided extraordinary service to advocate for patients with arthritis and rheumatic diseases or for health professionals in rheumatology.

• Sue MacQueen, ACPAC, BScPT, PT, Arthritis Health Professions Association, Burlington, Ontario, Canada

ARP Distinguished Scholar Award:  The ARP Distinguished Scholar Award is presented to an ARP member who demonstrates exceptional achievements in scholarly activities pertinent to arthritis and the rheumatic diseases.

• Aileen Davis, BScPT, MSc, PhD, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

ARP Distinguished Clinician Award:  The ARP Distinguished Clinician Award is presented to an ARP member who is engaged in clinical practice and demonstrates outstanding clinical expertise in arthritis and the rheumatic diseases.

• Adena Batterman, LCSW, MSW, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, New York
• Heather Benham, APRN, CPNP, DNP, RhMSUS, Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, Dallas, Texas

ARP Distinguished Educator Award: The Distinguished Educator Award is presented to an ARP member who has demonstrated sustained excellence in the teaching of patients and students/trainees, including health professional students, medical students, residents, graduate students, and/or fellows, with their primary focus being rheumatology related content.

• Linda Li, PhD, PT, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

ARP Outstanding Student in Rheumatology Award:

• Thomas Bye, DPT, MS, PT, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware
• Hannah Peterson, PharmD, Methodist University Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee

Master of the ARP Designation

Recognition as an ARP Master is one of the highest honors that the College bestows. The designation of Master is conferred on ARP members, age 65 or older, who have made outstanding contributions to the field of rheumatology through service to the ACR/ARP and advancements in research, practice, education, and/or advocacy.

The 2022 recipients of the Masters of the ARP designation are:

• Janet L. Poole, OT, PhD, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Jan Richardson, PT, PhD, OCS, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina

See more information on each of these awards and view past receipients on the ACR website.