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May 1, 2011
2011 APPI Awards Announced at Global Conference
Seattle, WA - The Academy of Pharmaceutical Physicians and Investigators (APPI) honored four leaders for their contributions to medicine and research at the APPI Awards Reception during the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) 2011 Global Conference & Exhibition in Seattle held April 30-May 3. The honorees include Kenneth I. Kaitin, PhD; Tadataka ("Tachi") Yamada, MD; Carl Peck, MD; and Gustavo Kesselring, MD.
Kenneth I. Kaitin, PhD, is the Director of the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development at Tufts University, School of Medicine, was presented the Louis M. Sherwood Memorial Lecture at the conference. Dr. Kaitin is also a Professor of Medicine and Professor of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics at Tufts University School of Medicine. He is a former president of the Drug Information Association and is an internationally recognized expert on the science of drug development. Dr. Kaitin frequently publishes on the factors that contribute to the slow pace and high cost of pharmaceutical R&D, and he has provided public testimony before the U.S. Congress on drug development, regulation, and policy issues. He was awarded this honor due to his outstanding work in improving drug development efficiency.
Dr. Tadataka ("Tachi") Yamada, MD, President of the Global Health Program at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, received an APPI Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Yamada served as chairman of research and development and was a member of the board of directors at GlaxoSmithKline prior to joining the foundation. He was also chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School and physician-in-chief at the University of Michigan Medical Center. Dr. Yamada received his honor as a testimonial to his outstanding contributions to clinical research in both the developed and developing world.
Carl Peck, MD, who is Professor of Biopharmaceutical Sciences at the Center for Drug Development Science, UCSF (formerly US FDA), received an APPI Special Recognition Award as a testimonial for APPI's appreciation for his leadership and outstanding contributions to the practice of pharmaceutical medicine and clinical research. Dr. Peck previously served as the Director for the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the FDA and was then named the Assistant Surgeon General of the United States in 1990.As founding Director of the Center for Drug Development Science (CDDS), he and other CDDS colleagues contributed to the development of the FDA Modernization Act of 1997, which assured that sound scientific data could be used to improve the clinical trial process and better assure assessment of safety and efficacy.
Gustavo Kesselring, MD, received an APPI Honorary Lifetime Membership Award for his outstanding leadership in pharmaceutical medicine and appreciation of his special contributions to APPI. Dr. Kesselring has been intimately involved in clinical research in Brazil and internationally for the past two decades. Currently, Dr. Kesselring is Executive Director of ViS Research Institute, a research institute for the study of globalization of biomedical research and clinical trials with offices in New York-US, Sao Paulo - Brazil and Mumbai - India. Dr. Kesselring is also Past President of the Brazilian Society of Pharmaceutical Medicine (SBMF) and a member of the Executive Committee of the International Federation of Associations of Pharmaceutical Physicians (IFAPP).
The American Academy of Pharmaceutical Physicians (AAPP) began in 1993 and held yearly annual meetings. In 2005, AAPP merged with the Society of Principal Investigators. The combined organization renamed itself Academy of Pharmaceutical Physicians and Investigators (APPI) and affiliated with ACRP. Since 2006, the APPI Physicians Program has been a major part of the ACRP Global Conference. More information is at www.appinet.org.
The Physicians Program, a major part of the ACRP Global Conference for the sixth straight year, includes workshops, a two day nine-session Drug Development program, and other events of special interest to physicians. Saturday's schedule included the Louis M. Sherwood Memorial Lecture on "Drug Development - Today and Tomorrow," the opening session of the two-day, nine-session Update on Drug Development - for Drug Developers and Clinical Investigators.
The ACRP Global Conference & Exhibition continues through Tuesday, May 3. More information is at www.acrp2011.com.
