Foundation President & Dr. Trapnell Receive Awards
July 14, 2008
TORONTO, Canada – The American Thoracic Society (ATS) named John W. Walsh
recipient of its 2008 Public Service Award at a ceremony Sunday, May 18, at the ATS
international conference. Walsh is President, CEO and co-founder of the Alpha-1
Foundation and President of the COPD Foundation.
Former ATS President William J. Martin II, MD, now on the Board of the Alpha-1
Foundation, presented the award.
The Public Service Award has been bestowed since 1991 “only upon those who have
made outstanding contributions in the public health arena related to respiratory
disease and medicine,” said ATS President David H. Ingbar, MD, in announcing the
honor. “Moreover, recipients must have made significant life-long contributions to the
field.”
Ingbar’s announcement noted, “You have developed a system for comprehensive
care for individuals with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency and have served as a very
strong leader and advocate for them through the Alpha-1 Foundation. In addition, you
have contributed to public health through your contributions in the FDA’s orphan drug
development plan and your testimony to Congress, NIH and other groups as a patient
advocate.”
Previous recipients of the award include Claude Lenfant, MD, former Director of the
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health; Sonia Buist,
MD, PhD, former ATS President; and Sue Byrnes, Founder and Director of the LAM
Foundation.
Also at the ATS conference, Bruce C. Trapnell, MD, was presented with the William J.
Martin II Distinguished Achievement Award. The award is named after Dr. Martin, its
first recipient, for “innovative spirit, outstanding leadership skills, impressive history
in public service, and a passion for patients.”
Trapnell is the former Scientific Director of the Alpha-1 Foundation. He is Associate
Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of
Medicine.
Walsh is also a member and former Chair of the ATS Public Advisory Roundtable,
which involves patient groups representing respiratory diseases, sleep-related
conditions and related critical illnesses in support, shaping policy and stimulating
research at the ATS.
About the Alpha-1 Foundation:
The mission of the Alpha-1 Foundation is to provide the leadership and resources that will result in increased research, improved health, worldwide detection, and a cure for Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency. For more information, please visit: http://www.alphaone.org.
Contact: Bob Campbell
(305) 567-9888, ext. 230
About the COPD Foundation:
The COPD Foundation is dedicated to developing and supporting programs which improve the quality of life through research, education, early diagnosis, and enhanced therapy for persons whose lives are impacted by Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. For more information, please visit: http://www.copdfoundation.org/.
Ifdy Perez
(305) 567-9888, ext. 398