Printer icon

Other Events

Annual Research Achievement and David Martin Carter Mentor Awards Dinner at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Investigative Dermatology

Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Atlanta, Georgia

On Wednesday, May 6, 2015 American Skin Association (ASA) presented its Research Achievement Awards and David Martin Carter Mentor Award at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Investigative Dermatology (SID) at the Hilton Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia.

ASA's Research Achievement Awards were established to identify scientists in investigative dermatology and cutaneous biology. The awards recognize those who have greatly advanced work related to autoimmune and inflammatory skin diseases, melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer, psoriasis, public policy and medical education, and vitiligo and pigment cell disorders. David A. Norris, MD, Chair of the Medical Advisory Committee, was delighted to present ASA’s 2015 Research Achievement Awards to:

Mayumi Ito, PhD

New York University
Vitiligo and Pigment Cell Biology Research

Alexa Boer Kimball, MD, MPH

Massachusetts General Hospital
Public Policy and Medical Education

David J. Margolis, MD, PhD

University of Pennsylvania
Psoriasis Research

Alain H. Rook, MD

University of Pennsylvania
Melanoma and Skin Cancer Research

Mark C. Udey, MD, PhD

National Cancer Institute
Autoimmune and Inflammatory Skin Disorders Research

Dr. Norris was also pleased to present the David Martin Carter Mentor Award to Howard P. Baden, MD (Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital). ASA's David Martin Carter Mentor Award honors a member of the dermatology community who embodies the characteristics of the late David Martin Carter, MD, PhD that made him an inspiration to many dermatologists/investigators, colleagues and medical students throughout the world.

Ervin Epstein, MD, ASA Medical Advisory Committee member, received the Rothman Gold Medal Award, SID’s highest honor, for his outstanding contributions to research and dermatology. Dr. Epstein's lab focused for many years on identifying genes whose mutations cause rare inherited diseases of the skin. These studies contributed to the discovery of the importance of the Hedgehog Pathway in skin cancer, specifically in extreme cases of basal cell carcinoma – the most common kind of non-melanoma skin cancer.

Over a decade ago, Dr. Epstein identified a crucial molecular abnormality driving the development and maintenance of these tumors and subsequently has focused on adopting this new information into therapies that someday might make surgical extirpation obsolete. In addition, Dr. Epstein’s lab is investigating the cell of origin of these tumors, characterizing the cancer stem cells that perpetuate their growth, determining why some people are so much more susceptible to their growth than are others (even of the same skin coloration), the role of the immune system in inhibiting their growth, and the development not only of new treatments but also of effective preventive approaches. ASA congratulates Dr. Epstein on his outstanding contributions to dermatology and for receiving the Rothman Gold Medal Award!

Following the ceremony, ASA hosted a dinner for all award recipients and Medical Advisory Committee members to celebrate their achievements and contributions to dermatology.

View Photo Gallery