COPD Foundation Honors Impact of Gerard Turino, M.D.
Integral leader in pulmonary medicine and research celebrated 100th birthday on May 16, 2024
MIAMI (May 16, 2024) - The COPD Foundation is proud to honor Gerard Turino, M.D., an innovative leader in pulmonary medicine and research, as he celebrates his 100th birthday today, May 16, 2024.
Dr. Turino's career has spanned 72 years and counting, as he still has an appointment as an attending physician at Mount Sinai West Hospital and Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital in New York. He also has an appointment as the John H. Keating Senior Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons in New York.
His list of achievements includes the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the COPD Conference, an awardee of the Edward Livingston Trudeau Medal for Research, Teaching and Clinical Care and the 2013 Breathing for Life Award, both from the American Thoracic Society, and the Distinguished Service Award in the Clinical Sciences from the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Dr. Turino is the founder and director of the James P. Mara Center for Lung Disease at Mount Sinai West (formerly St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital), which is dedicated to research in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, asthma and intensive care. Research supported by the James P. Mara Center has led to the development of a biomarker for COPD and a potential therapy, currently awaiting further clinical trial.
Dr. Turino also cofounded the COPD Foundation and was the first chair of the organizations Board of Directors. He helped found the American Thoracic Society Foundations Board of Directors and was an early member of the Board of Directors of the Alpha-1 Foundation.
He currently serves as a Board Member Emeritus of the COPD Foundation, in addition to roles on the COPD Foundations Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee and the Content Review and Evaluation Committee.
"Dr. Turino is one of the giants in pulmonary medicine," said Byron Thomashow, M.D., cofounder and senior medical advisor of the COPD Foundation. "His contributions to the field have been truly unique as a researcher, a clinician, a teacher and a mentor. I have had the honor of working with him for more than 40 years and have the privilege of having him as a friend. There is no one better. He leaves an indelible mark on all those he touches."
Dr. Turino's research interests include lung matrix remodeling, the mechanisms of lung matrix injury and evaluating specific protease inhibitors in the therapy of certain lung diseases. He has authored more than 200 publications during his career, which have been supported by both public and private funding.
He has partnered with many impactful colleagues in medicine, including Jerome Cantor, M.D., Dickinson W. Richards, M.D. and Alfred P. Fishman, M.D. He is quick to recognize the role of his mentors and colleagues as an integral part of his success.
"Medical science has a limitless frontier of new knowledge,” Dr. Turino said. “Whatever recognition I have received for any contributions should be shared with my fine collaborators over the years."
In honor of Dr. Turino's 100th birthday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams issued a proclamation announcing May 16, 2024 as "Gerard M. Turino, M.D. Day" in the City of New York, recognizing him as "truly a catalyst for scientific discovery" who "has repeatedly gone above and beyond in his service to mankind." The COPD Foundation is also celebrating Dr. Turino's centennial birthday by declaring May 16 "Gerard M. Turino, M.D. Day" to honor his contributions to pulmonary health.
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About the COPD Foundation
The COPD Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help millions of people live longer and healthier lives by advancing research, advocacy, and awareness to stop COPD, bronchiectasis, and NTM lung disease. The Foundation does this through scientific research, education, advocacy, and awareness to prevent disease, slow progression, and find a cure. For more information, visit copdfoundation.org, or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Contact:
Brittany Irish
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