Dr. Hricik has moved the field forward through both his involvement in clinical trials that have shaped our care of transplant patients and through his education of the next generation of transplant professionals.
(PRWEB) May 18, 2015
The AST awarded its highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award, to Donald Hricik, MD, at the recent American Transplant Congress in Philadelphia. This award honors a senior investigator whose lifelong work has advanced the field of transplantation.
Dr. Hricik has moved the field forward through both his involvement in clinical trials that have shaped our care of transplant patients and through his education of the next generation of transplant professionals.
Dr. Hricik earned his medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine. He then served as an intern at the New England Medical Center, where he worked his way up from junior assistant resident, to clinical fellow, to research fellow, and finally to chief resident. He now serves as the interim director at the University Hospitals Case Medical Center Transplant Institute. He has authored many of the field’s studies on immunosuppressive management, and his numerous publications have made him an internationally recognized expert in the care of the transplant patient.
Dr. Hricik’s devotion to the field can be seen through his service to the AST. He has served on the AST Board of Directors and several other AST committees, including the Education Committee, Development Committee, and ATC Planning Committee. He also edited the AST Primer on Transplantation. As the AST’s Postgraduate Education Director, he developed the Fellows Symposium, which has gone on to enduring success. Last year’s Fellows Symposium attracted 170 fellows for training and development.
“With the Fellows Symposium, Don created what must be considered one of the AST’s most successful programs to date,” said AST President James Allan. “His devotion to the field is evident through his work with the AST and through his innovative clinical research. He is certainly recognized as one of our field’s foremost educators.”
This year’s AST Lifetime Achievement Award was presented in honor of Dr. Vincent Armenti, who passed away in September 2014. In 1991, Dr. Armenti established the National Transplant Pregnancy Registry, the largest registry in the world publishing reproductive outcomes in female and male transplant recipients. His registry led to guidelines for the care of the pregnant transplant recipient, and data published from his registry confirmed risks of fetal exposure to mycophenolate, which led to major practice changes. Dr. Armenti was also an active member of the AST for more than 12 years and educated the field through his numerous publications and lectures. Widely considered a pioneer in the field of transplantation, Dr. Armenti will be missed by many.
For more information on AST, please visit: http://www.myAST.org.
About AST
The American Society of Transplantation (AST) is an organization of transplant professionals dedicated to advancing the field of transplantation and improving patient care by promoting research, education, advocacy, and organ donation. The Society comprises more than 3,500 transplant professionals, including physicians, surgeons, scientists, nurses, administrators, and other allied health professionals. For more information about AST, please visit http://www.myAST.org.