Prestigieuze Trudeau Award voor Dirkje Postma
16 januari 2015
Hoogleraar longziekten Dirkje Postma ontvangt dit jaar de Trudeau Medal van de American Thoracic Society. Tijdens het congres van de ATS in mei 2015 te Denver (USA) krijgt zij de Award overhandigd. Het GRIAC (Groningen Research Institute of Asthma and COPD) heeft haar voor deze prestigieuze
prijs voorgedragen.
De Trudeau Medal wordt jaarlijks toegekend aan diegenen die een grote wetenschappelijke bijdrage leveren aan de preventie of behandeling van longziekten. De Trudeau Medal bestaat sinds 1926 en is genoemd naar Edward Livingston Trudeau, de eerste president van de American Lung Association. Een
speciale commissie selecteert de genomineerden, waarna de president van de American Thoracic Society bepaalt wie de Award ontvangt. Dirkje Postma is de eerste niet-Amerikaanse die deze prijs ontvangt.
De American Thoracic Society heeft haar keuze als volgt gemotiveerd:
"The Society's highest recognition, the Edward Livingston Trudeau Medal, will be awarded to Dirkje S. Postma, MD, Professor of Pulmonary Medicine at the University Medical Center Groningen. The focus of Dr. Postma's research is on the pathophysiology of both asthma and COPD, which includes the
broad spectrum of genetics of asthma and COPD, basic science in cell activation pathways, and improvement of clinical management in association with investigations of the pathophysiology. Dr. Postma has a special interest in transdisciplinary research, collaborating with individuals with
expertise in allergology, pulmonary medicine, pediatric pulmonology, general practice, genetics, epidemiology, pathology, biochemistry and molecular pharmacology.
"Dr. Postma has been a driving force behind major scientific breakthroughs in the field of respiratory medicine in the past decades," said H.
Marike Boezen, PhD, of the Groningen Research Institute for Asthma and COPD of the University Medical Center of Groningen in The Netherlands. "She has made decisively important contributions to current knowledge on the onset, progression and remission of chronic airway diseases as well as
their management and treatment."
"I feel very honored to be receiving this prestigious award," says Dr. Postma. "Of course, I am extremely grateful to all of the national and international colleagues and students who have collaborated with me over the years, whose invaluable contributions made this award possible."