Cambridge Health Alliance named David Bor, the Charles S. Davidson associate professor of medicine and chief of medicine at Cambridge Hospital, recipient of the Art of Healing Award. The award celebrates visionary men and women who “transcend boundaries, joyfully embrace humanity, and profoundly inspire the healing of body and spirit.” Bor received the award at the Art of Healing Award Dinner in May, which raised nearly $200,000 to support CHA and its community health mission.
Allan Brandt, the Amalie Moses Kass professor of the history of medicine at HMS, has received the 2010 College on Problems of Drug Dependence/National Institute on Drug Abuse Media Award. The Media Award is presented annually for meritorious use of the media to educate the public about the science of drug addiction. Brandt, who is also dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, was recognized for his book titled The Cigarette Century: The Rise, Fall, and Deadly Persistance of the Product that Defined America, which examines the history of the tobacco industry and Big Tobacco’s entry into the global market.
Elliot Chaikof, chief of vascular surgery at Emory University in Atlanta, has been named chair of the Roberta and Stephen R. Weiner Department of Surgery and surgeon-in-chief at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Chaikof, a leader in the development of minimally invasive endovascular therapies for aortic aneurysms, carotid disease and peripheral vascular disease, will join the medical center on Aug. 1. He succeeds James Hurst, HMS visiting professor of surgery, who has been acting chief of the department since December 2007.
Stephen Elledge, the Gregor Mendel professor of genetics at HMS and of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, will present the 2010 Dickson Prize in Medicine lecture in October at Science2010: Transformations, a University of Pittsburgh conference. The prize recognizes significant, progressive contributions to the field of medicine. Elledge is being honored for his investigations into the molecular mechanisms of cell cycle regulation and cell response to DNA damage.
Alan Engelman, HMS associate professor of medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, has received a MERIT Award from the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for his work on the biochemical mechanism of HIV DNA integration. The MERIT award recognizes NIH grantees who have demonstrated superior competence and outstanding productivity.
John Fromson, HMS assistant clinical professor of psychiatry and associate director of postgraduate medical education in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, was recently elected as a Class A (nonalcoholic) trustee of the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous.
The Gerontological Society of America has named Lewis Lipsitz, HMS professor of medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Hebrew SeniorLife, winner of the 2010 Joseph T. Freeman Award. The honor, which includes a lectureship, recognizes members of the society’s Health Sciences section who have made significant contributions to aging research and clinical work. Lipsitz will receive the award at the society’s annual meeting in November.
The Optical Society presented Eli Peli, HMS professor of ophthalmology at Schepens Eye Research Institute, with the Edwin H. Land Medal, which recognizes excellence in optics and photonics. Peli was honored for his research, clinical and entrepreneurial contributions to providing enhanced imagery for people with impaired vision through image processing, innovative optical designs, fiber optics and applications of vision science.
