We are proud to honor our award winners for their contributions to the College and the specialty. The Gold Headed Cane will be presented at the Opening Ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 9 and the other award recipients will be recognized at the Annual Business meeting on Sunday, Nov. 10.
Gold Headed Cane
Dana Wallace, MD, FACAAI of Fort Lauderdale, FL will be presented the Gold Headed Cane Award, which is given for demonstrating the highest standards of scientific excellence and integrity. The gold headed cane is a concept used by many medical schools and specialty societies to recognize outstanding physicians.
Dr. Wallace is an associate professor at Nova Southeastern Allopathic Medical School in Fort Lauderdale, FL. She has been a College Fellow since 1978 and was College president in 2010-2011. She has chaired and been a member of many College committees over the years and was the recipient of the Distinguished Fellow Award in 2018.
Distinguished Fellow
James Tracy, DO, FACAAI, of Omaha, NE and John Oppenheimer, MD, FACAAI, of Morristown, NJ will be presented this award in recognition of outstanding contributions and commitment in the United States or Canada on behalf of the specialty.
Dr. Oppenheimer is in private practice at Pulmonary and Allergy Associates in New Jersey. He is also a clinical professor at UMDNJ/Rutgers. He has been a Fellow of the College since 1991. He has helped develop workshops and programming for the College’s Annual Meeting for many years, as well as served on a variety of committees including currently chairing the Immunotherapy & Diagnostics Committee and the Science Council. He has been awarded the Clemens Von Pirquet award and has given the McGovern and Midelsteidt Lectures for the College.
Dr. Tracy is in private practice in Omaha, NE with Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Associates, P.C. He trained at Wilford Hall U.S. Air Force Medical Center and is Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Nebraska. A College Fellow since 1991, he has continued to actively publish and has been active in advocacy, working to serve the practicing allergist.
International Distinguished Fellow
Stephen Holgate, MD, FACAAI, of Southampton, UK will be presented this award in recognition of outstanding contributions and commitment on behalf of allergy in the recipient’s country.
Dr. Holgate is a Medical Research Council Clinical Professor at the University of Southampton, UK. An Honorary College Fellow since 2004, he has promoted the understanding of asthma mechanisms and treatment, as well as championing the role of air pollution in adverse health.
Distinguished Service
Paul Dowling, MD, FACAAI, of Kansas City, MO and Renata J.M. Engler, MD, FACAAI, of Silver Springs, MD, will be presented this award in recognition of their tireless efforts, dedication and enthusiasm on behalf of the College.
Dr. Dowling is director of the Allergy/Immunology Training Program at the University of Missouri – Kansas City and co-director of the Eosinophilic Esophagitis Multi-disciplinary Clinic at Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics. He is also an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Medicine. Since 2016, Dr. Dowling has been Director of the FARE Food Allergy Center of Excellence at Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics. A College Fellow since 2006, he is past chair of the College’s Drug and Anaphylaxis Committee and a past chair and currently a member of the Program Directors committee. He is also a member of the Anaphlaxis Committee and the Rhinitis/Sinusitis & Anaphylaxis Annual Meeting Program Subcommittee.
Dr. Engler is a professor of medicine and pediatrics at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD and served for 38 years on active duty in the Navy and Army. Since her military retirement, she continues to work as a Red Cross volunteer for the Allergy-Immunology Clinic at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. She also works part-time as a consultant/contractor for the Immunization Healthcare Division/Defense Health Agency. A College Fellow since 1984, she has helped to develop workshops and programming for the College’s Annual Meetings as well as serving on a variety of committees over the years. She is a former training program director of the American Board of Allergy and Immunology.
Woman in Allergy
Anna Nowak-Wegrzyn, MD, FACAAI, of New York will be presented this award, which honors an individual who has advanced the role of women in medicine or made a significant contribution to the specialty.
Dr. Nowak-Wegrzyn is a professor of pediatrics at the New York University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics. As the clinical and translational researcher she studies egg and milk allergies, baked milk and baked egg diets, food-induced anaphylaxis in children, novel therapies for food allergy, oral tolerance development and food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome. A College Fellow since 2014, she has been the deputy editor for the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology since 2018.
Special Recognition
The College honors N. Franklin Adkinson, Jr., MD, Louis Mendelson, MD, FACAAI and James Wolfe, MD, FACAAI with a special award in recognition of their work related to penicillin allergy testing. These allergists have addressed a longstanding public health need by spearheading the development of a definitive penicillin allergy skin test.
Young Faculty Support
The Foundation is proud to provide a $50,000 Young Faculty Support Award to David A. Hill, MD, PhD, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to support research titled The Role of LAMs and TREM2 in Obesity-associated Asthma.
Clemens von Pirquet
The Alliance of the College is pleased to present these awards to Fellows-in-Training for their outstanding meeting abstracts. First place, Alliance Memorial Award – Michelle C. Maciag, MD, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston MA; Second Place – Peter Capucilli, MD, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA; Third Place – Brittanie I. Neaves, MD, Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, San Antonio, TX.
