Four Harvard Medical School researchers have been awarded research grants by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as part of its High-Risk, High-Reward Research program. In this year’s round, the NIH will provide approximately $237.5 million in funding to 58 investigators pursuing bold ideas that challenge conventional approaches with the potential to open new pathways to scientific discovery.
Funded by the NIH Common Fund, with co-funding from other NIH institutes and offices, the High-Risk, High-Reward Research program supports scientists at different career stages who propose highly innovative research that may be difficult to pursue with traditional NIH funding mechanisms.
Wendy Chung, the HMS Mary Ellen Avery Professor of Pediatrics and chief of the Department of Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, received the Scientific Achievement Award from the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG). The award recognizes remarkable contributions to human genetics and genomics research over the last decade.
“ASHG is honored to recognize this exceptional group of awardees, whose work demonstrates the many ways human genetics and genomics can advance science and serve society,” said Susan Slaugenhaupt, ASHG president.
“Each honoree has helped shape a stronger, more collaborative, and more impactful field. Their achievements inspire our community and reflect the promise of genetics to improve lives around the world,” Slaugenhaupt said.
Chung was recognized for her groundbreaking discoveries across a wide range of genetic disorders, including autism, congenital anomalies, diabetes, and rare diseases, helping identify more than 60 genes linked to human disease. Her collaborative, patient-centered research has translated genetic discoveries into clinical advances in diagnosis, screening, newborn sequencing, and emerging treatments, significantly advancing the field of human genetics.
Eleven faculty members from Harvard Medical School have been newly elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM).
Election to the NAM is among the highest honors in health and medicine, recognizing individuals for their exceptional professional accomplishments and dedication to service.
Lauding the new members as “outstanding health and medicine leaders,” NAM President Monica Bertagnolli said, “Their extraordinary talent and commitment to advancing evidence-based guidance and solutions for our country’s greatest health care challenges will strengthen our efforts to improve health for all.”
Three Harvard Medical School researchers were honored by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) for their contributions to the field of infectious diseases.
“The Society is honored to recognize these distinguished physicians, researchers, mentors, and leaders whose contributions have helped advance the field of infectious diseases,” said IDSA President Ronald Nahass.
“Their accomplishments have advanced scientific discovery, strengthened patient care, and shaped the future of our field,” Nahass added.
The HMS awardees are:
- Stephen Calderwood, the HMS Morton N. Swartz, MD, Distinguished Academy Professor of Medicine (Microbiology and Molecular Genetics) at Massachusetts General Hospital, who received the Alexander Fleming Award for Lifetime Achievement. The Fleming Award honors an IDSA member or fellow for a career that reflects major contributions to the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge about infectious diseases. Calderwood was recognized for his groundbreaking research, particularly his contributions to understanding cholera and advancing vaccine development, as well as his decades of leadership in clinical care and academic medicine.
- Rocío Hurtado, HMS assistant professor of medicine at Mass General, who received the Catherine Wilfert Clinical Teacher Award. The award recognizes a career involved in teaching clinical infectious diseases to fellows, residents, or medical students and recognizes excellence as a clinician and motivation to teach the next generation. Hurtado was honored for more than two decades of teaching and mentoring infectious disease fellows, particularly in the diagnosis and treatment of complex mycobacterial infections and tropical diseases.
- Chanu Rhee, HMS associate professor of population medicine at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, who received the Oswald Avery Award for Early Achievement. The award recognizes outstanding achievement in an area of infectious diseases by an IDSA member or fellow who is 45 or younger. Rhee was lauded for his groundbreaking research on sepsis, including developing more accurate methods for tracking its incidence, improving understanding of its causes and outcomes, and advancing approaches to treatment and prevention. His work has helped shape national public health guidelines, hospital quality improvement efforts, and clinical practices aimed at reducing sepsis-related deaths.
