GUMC Bestows Cura Personalis Award

Posted in GUMC Stories

NOV. 4, 2015 – On Tuesday, Nov. 3, Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) held its Eighth Annual Convocation, bringing the medical center community together for a celebration of achievements in academics, research, education and service.

Celebrating the Cura Personalis Awardee

Martin J. Blaser, MD, the Muriel and George Singer Professor of Medicine and professor of microbiology at New York University Langone Medical Center, was honored for his expertise on the human microbiome. Blaser is a world-renowned researcher and clinician who has studied how bacteria can prevent or promote the development of disease for over 30 years.

The Cura Personalis Award, GUMC’s highest honor, is bestowed upon a health professional who has made outstanding contributions to human health guided by compassion and service.

During his keynote speech, Blaser discussed what he called the four facets of a career in medicine: focus, heart, kindness and determination. At the center of Blaser’s speech was the the importance of attending to and caring for patients.

“At the bedside, whether in the hospital room or in the examining room—looking at the patient, asking questions, talking with the patient, and thinking—this is the front-line of medicine,” said Blaser.

Several of GUMC’s faculty and students received awards for research, service and outstanding academic achievement at the convocation ceremony. For a complete list of 2015 faculty and student awards click here .

Expert Panel

The day began with a colloquium titled “Antibiotics: Panacea or Problem?” moderated by Edward Healton, MD, MPH, executive vice president for health sciences and executive dean of the School of Medicine.  Healton and Blaser were joined by two Georgetown family medicine physicians, Ranit Mishori, MD, MHS, and Dan Merenstein, MD, and infectious disease specialist Jesse Goodman, MD, MPH, who has convened a group of Washington-area physicians to address antibiotic resistance in the hospital setting.

The panelists addressed a myriad of issues associated with antibiotic resistance, including ethical dilemmas, global health implications, the role of primary care physicians and more. (Read more about antibiotics colloquium here .)

Leigh Ann Renzulli
GUMC Communications