The American Society of Hematology (ASH) will recognize David Ginsburg, M.D., with the 2012 Henry M. Stratton Medal for his accomplishments in the fields of thrombosis and blood cell immunology.
The Stratton Medal is named after the late Henry Maurice Stratton, co-founder of Grune and Stratton, the medical publishing house that first published ASH’s journal Blood. The prize honors senior investigators whose contributions to hematology are well-recognized and have taken place over a period of several years.
This year, for the first time, the Stratton Medal will be awarded to two individuals, one in basic research and the other in clinical/translational research. Ginsburg will receive the 2012 Stratton Medal for Basic Research for his many seminal scientific contributions in characterizing the molecular and genetic basis of inherited bleeding and clotting disorders. Dr. Richard H. Aster, M.D., of the Blood Center of Wisconsin and Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee will receive the 2012 Stratton Medal for Clinical/Translational Research.
Ginsburg is the James V. Neel Distinguished University Professor of Internal Medicine, Human Genetics, and Pediatrics at the U-M Medical School, a member of the U-M Life Sciences Institute, and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
He has dedicated his medical career to understanding the clotting system and has made many contributions to the field of hematology, including identifying the genetic basis of numerous clotting disorders, such as thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), combined deficiency of Factor V and Factor VIII, and von Willebrand disease (VWD). Beginning with the cDNA cloning of VWF in 1985, Dr. Ginsburg and his colleagues demonstrated how different mutations in the VWF gene resulted in the variable subtypes of VWD, a focus which also led to his group’s identification and cloning of the ADAMTS13 gene as the cause of TTP.
A member of ASH since 1985, Dr. Ginsburg has served in numerous roles within the Society, including serving as Chair of the Committee on Scientific Affairs, Councillor on the Executive Committee, and a member of the Scientific Subcommittee on Hemostasis (now the Scientific Committee on Hemostasis) and the Scientific Committee on Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.
The quality and impact of Dr. Ginsburg’s research have been recognized by numerous prestigious honors and awards. In addition to receiving ASH’s 2000 E. Donnall Thomas Lecture and Prize, Dr. Ginsburg is an inductee of the Institute of Medicine and National Academy of Sciences and has been honored with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Merit Award, the American Heart Association Distinguished Scientists Award, and the American Society for Clinical Investigators ASCI/ Stanley J. Korsmeyer Award. Dr. Ginsburg’s scientific contributions are only a part of his overall impact on the field of hematology. Another important facet of his contributions is evidenced by the numerous scientists and clinicians that he has mentored over the years, many of whom have made remarkable discoveries in hematology.
“Drs. Ginsburg and Aster have made remarkable advances in hematology and the Society is honored to award them with the Stratton Medal for their contributions to the field,” said ASH President Armand Keating, MD, of Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. “Their achievements have advanced our understanding of how genes play an important role in inherited disease and have led to safer blood transfusions that have saved countless lives around the world.”
“David Ginsburg’s work as a hematologist and geneticist will have a lasting influence on the diagnosis and treatment of blood disorders, and on the influence of genetics on modern medicine,” says Alan Saltiel, director of the Life Science Institute. “This award affirms his many significant contributions to his field and his leadership in the scientific community.”
Ginsburg and Aster will accept their awards at 9:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday, December 11, during the 54th ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition in Atlanta.
Web Address: http://www.hematology.org/News/2012/8877.aspx
