Robert Austrian Lecturer Nominations
Robert Austrian Lecturer Nominations Are Now Closed
Deadline for Submission: Monday, 27 November 2023
The 13th Meeting of the International Society of Pneumonia and Pneumococcal Diseases (ISPPD-13) invites you to nominate candidates for the Robert Austrian Lectureship at the ISPPD-13 Meeting to be held in Cape Town, South Africa, from 17-20 March 2024.
Background
The Robert Austrian Lectureship was established in 2002 at ISPPD-3, which was held in Anchorage, Alaska to honor the contributions of Dr. Robert Austrian for over 5 decades.
Dr. Robert Austrian was born on 12 April 1916. He obtained an MD degree from Johns Hopkins University JHU in 1941 and obtained his Residency Training in Internal Medicine at JHU from 1941 to 1943. He was on active duty, Medical Corps, A. US, as 1st Lieutenant and Captain from 1943 to 1945 and served as a member of Field Party, USA, Typhus Commission – China Burma-India Theater. From 1962 to 1986 he was the John Herr Musser Professor and Chairman of The Department of Research Medicine at The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine where he continued as Emeritus Professor for the rest of his career.
Dr. Austrian devoted much of his medical career to the study of microbiology, immunology, and prevention of pneumococcal diseases. In the late 1940’s he described the M protein of the pneumococcus. Subsequently, he described the morphologic variation of the pneumococcus, the phenomenon of binary capsulation of the organism, and the biosynthesis of the pneumococcal capsule and its relation to virulence. His work culminated in the demonstration of the efficacy of the 14 valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine.
Dr. Austrian is the recipient of numerous awards including the prestigious Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Research and the Maxwell Finland Award for outstanding contributions to the understanding of the pathogenesis of the pneumococcus and the demonstration of efficacy of the polysaccharide vaccine. Dr. Austrian received a personal letter of congratulations from President Jimmy Carter for the receipt of the Maxwell Finland Award. Dr. Austrian also served on numerous national and international advisory boards and trained and mentored countless numbers of physicians and researchers over a 50-year period.
Objective
The objective of the RA Lectureship is to recognise the contributions of individuals who have made outstanding and sustained contributions to the field of pneumococcal diseases.
Criteria
The criteria for selection of the Robert Austrian Lecturer include the contributions of the individual to the scientific knowledge of the pneumococcus, the public health impact of the individual’s contributions, and strong evidence of mentoring and training of junior colleagues.
Nomination Requirements
1. A nomination letter which is no longer than 2 pages and includes the following information:
- The contributions of the nominee to the pneumococcal field. The letter should indicate the innovative nature of the work as well as the impact of the contributions of the nominee to advance the field.
- The impact of the work on one or more of the following:
- improving the diagnosis of pneumococcal disease particularly for pneumonia
- improvement of treatment modalities
- improvement and/or implementation of strategies to prevent pneumococcal disease
- Documentation of the nominee’s record of mentoring junior colleagues
- General public health impact of the nominee’s work
2. Two support letters – no longer than 2 pages each
3. A brief curriculum vitae of the nominee – no longer than 5 pages
Past Robert Austrian Lecturers
The following individuals are the past recipients of the Robert Austrian Lecturer Award:
- Helena Mäkelä †, 2002
- Brian Greenwood, 2004
- Mathu Santosham, 2006
- Alexander Tomasz, 2008
- Ron Dagan, 2010
- Keith Klugman, 2012
- Katherine O’Brien, 2014
- Marc Lipsitch, 2016
- Kim Mulholland, 2018
- David Goldblatt, 2022
Deadline
Please submit your nomination no later than Monday, 27 November 2023 to the ISPPD-13 Meeting Organisers via email at isppd@kenes.com.
*Please note that a confirmation of nomination receipt will be sent to all submitters via return email within 5 business days. If you submitted a nomination but did not receive a confirmation within 5 business days, please contact us again in a separate email without attachments. Thank you!