Annual IDCRC Awards

Investigator of the Year: Angela Branche, MD

Associate professor at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and University of Rochester Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit PI

Category Description:

Well-established VTEU investigator who has made exceptional contributions to research as it relates to the VTEU and IDCRC missions.

 Nomination Excerpts: 

• A fabulous and well-respected leader within the VTEU and the community with immense contributions to respiratory pathogens research from SARS-CoV-2, to influenza and RSV.
• This investigator is energetic, funny, kind and despite many accomplishments, very humble. They are also a wonderful educator for students, fellows and young faculty members.
• As protocol co-chair for COVAIL, this investigator rose to the occasion with grace, passion and intelligence. They presented complex immunologic concepts at the major infectious disease meetings and did an incredible job of making the data accessible to the casual immunologist.
• This investigator is a superstar in every regard and exemplifies the attributes that define the Investigator of the Year Award for the VTEU.

Early Career Investigator: Angelica Cifuentes-Kottkamp, MD

Assistant professor, associate director of the NYU Langone Vaccine Center, Supporting, Educating, and Enriching Diversity Mentoring Program lead attending for the Institute for Excellence in Health Equity, and associate director of the Infectious Disease Fellowship Program in the Department of Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Category Description:

Recent graduate or current participant of the IDCRC Mentoring Program who has made exceptional contributions to research as it relates to the VTEU and IDCRC missions.

 Nomination Excerpts: 

• A charismatic physician scientist that has worked tremendously in improving health outcomes in the LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities.
• Her focus on marginalized communities both in her clinical research and patient care demonstrates her immense cultural competence that is critical for outstanding research.

Staff STAR (Stellar Team Member Achieving Results) Award: Kirsten Hauge

Program Manager, University of Washington

Category Description:

VTEU coordinator or administrator whose exceptional contribution has advanced and supported the quality of IDCRC-supported research.

 Nomination Excerpts: 

• This administrator manages a large team of clinicians and coordinators, providing outstanding leadership and creating a friendly and supportive work environment that combines high expectations with collegiality and a sense of shared mission.
• This individual has readily taken on the complexity of implementation of IDCRC clinical trials spanning multiple domestic and international sites, and has served as a mentor for clinicians and coordinators gaining skills with clinical trial implementation, regulation, and oversight.
• They are kind, approachable, and determined, adding substantially to both the work climate and operational performance of their VTEU.

Best Scientific Publication of the Year: Angela Branche, MD; Nadine Rouphael, MD

Angela Branche, Associate professor at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and the University of Rochester Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit PI; Nadine Rouphael, MD, Professor of medicine in the Infectious Diseases Division, Department of Medicine at Emory University. Executive director of the Hope Clinic. PI for Emory’s Vaccine Treatment and Evaluation Unit (VTEU). Clinical Core PI for Human Immunology Project Consortium (HIPC)

Category Description:

IDCRC cited publication in the last year that is considered to have had a high impact on the scientific community and/or has led to policy change.

Nomination Excerpts: 

• This study was pivotal in exemplifying efficiency in setting up a protocol in less than a month and enrolling immediately upon activation that same month.
• The publication highlights data that impacted the standard of care and demonstrates how IDCRC can provide important immunological data to questions relevant to an ever-changing pandemic and its preventative tools.
• This was an excellent manuscript and representative of collaborative high-quality research performed within the network.

Publication:

Angela R. Branche, Nadine G. Rouphael, David J. Diemert, Ann R. Falsey, Cecilia Losada, Lindsey R. Baden, Sharon E. Frey, Jennifer A. Whitaker, Susan J. Little, Evan J. Anderson, Emmanuel B. Walter, Richard M. Novak, Richard Rupp, Lisa A. Jackson, Tara M. Babu, Angelica C. Kottkamp, Anne F. Luetkemeyer, Lilly C. Immergluck, Rachel M. Presti, Martín Bäcker, Patricia L. Winokur, Siham M. Mahgoub, Paul A. Goepfert, Dahlene N. Fusco, the COVAIL Study Group

“Comparison of bivalent and monovalent SARS-CoV-2 variant vaccines: the phase 2 randomized open-label COVAIL trial.”

Nature Medicine

Leadership Group Award: Robert Atmar, MD

Professor of medicine, infectious diseases, Baylor College of Medicine and IDCRC COU co-director, Expert Working Groups liaison

Category Description:

IDCRC member who has demonstrated exemplary leadership in their commitment to the IDCRC LG aims.

Nomination Excerpts: 

• This individual is a wonderful servant leader for the IDCRC through their numerous contributions to the Clinical Operations Unit.
• Their leadership style mixes wisdom, clinical acumen, research breadth, and depth of knowledge.