Credit: Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
The American Pediatric Society (APS) is pleased to announce Kathryn M. Edwards, MD, as the 2020 APS John Howland Award recipient, the highest honor bestowed by the APS. The prestigious award signifies the society’s recognition of Dr. Edwards for her significant contributions to advancing child health and the profession of pediatrics. The award will be presented to Dr. Edwards on May 3 during the APS Presidential Plenary at the Pediatric Academic Societies 2020 Meeting in Philadelphia.
The APS John Howland Award was created in honor of clinician-scientist John Howland, MD. Since 1952, the annual award has recognized individuals for their distinguished service to pediatrics. In 2019, the award program was extended to include the APS Howland Visiting Professor program.
Dr. Edwards holds the Sarah H. Sell and Cornelius Vanderbilt Endowed Chair in Pediatrics and is a Professor of Pediatrics at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Her work focuses on the evaluation of vaccines for the prevention of infectious diseases in adults and children. She has led many of the pivotal clinical trials of vaccines licensed in the past several decades and has played a major role in their implementation.
Dr. Edwards has extensive experience in leading National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded multicenter initiatives; in designing, conducting and analyzing pivotal Phase I, II and III clinical studies on vaccines and therapeutics; in facilitating networking with basic and clinical investigators with a wide range of interests and expertise; and in mentoring many of the investigators who currently lead vaccine research programs globally.
“We are delighted to honor Dr. Edwards with the 2020 APS John Howland Award for her significant contributions to pediatrics and vaccinology,” said APS President Robin Steinhorn, MD. “Her work in evaluating the safety and effectiveness of vaccines has made a significant impact on the prevention and management of infectious diseases in children.”
For the past decade, Dr. Edwards has led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded Center for Immunization Safety Assessment (CISA) site at Vanderbilt where she and her colleagues assess adverse events associated with vaccines in subjects of all ages. Dr. Edwards was also awarded a CDC contract in 2011 to conduct comprehensive pneumonia surveillance studies in over 2,000 adults and children with community acquired pneumonia. These studies established the burden and etiology of pneumonia in children and adults. Her research has resulted in over 500 publications. Dr. Edwards was the principal investigator for the NIH-funded VTEU contract and has been continuously funded by the NIH and CDC for decades.
As the recipient of the 2020 APS John Howland Award, Dr. Edwards will serve as the 2020-2021 APS Howland Visiting Professor. The APS Howland Visiting Professor Program was created to extend the reach of awardees’ wisdom and knowledge. Through the program, APS members can nominate their academic institutions to host Dr. Edwards to share knowledge, exchange ideas and discuss important issues affecting pediatrics.
For more information about Dr. Edwards and the APS John Howland Award, please visit the APS website.
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About the American Pediatric Society
The American Pediatric Society is a nonprofit organization founded in 1888 as the first pediatric society in North America. The mission of the APS is to shape the future of academic pediatrics through the engagement of distinguished child health leaders. APS members are recognized leaders of extraordinary achievement who work together to shape the future of academic pediatrics. For more information, please visit aps1888.org, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
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