MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 20 (AScribe Newswire) -- The Preeclampsia Foundation announced today that Dr. James M. Roberts, Senior Scientist and Founding Director of the Magee-Womens Research Institute (Pittsburgh, PA), will be presented with its highest honor, the Hope Award for Lifetime Achievement at its annual gala, "Saving Grace, A Night of Hope" on Sept. 20 in Washington, DC. The award is not necessarily given each year and, in fact, Dr. Roberts only the second person ever to receive this tribute. Dr. Marshall Lindheimer of the University of Chicago was the first recipient.
Dr. Roberts has made numerous contributions over a lifetime of research dedicated to preeclampsia (see bio, below). His investigation into certain cell behavior (endothelial cells) as an important contributor to the development of preeclampsia as well as his work with Dr. Carl Hubel on the role of oxidative stress in preeclampsia have radically changed thinking about preeclampsia. More recently he has championed the "two stage" hypothesis, suggesting that preeclampsia is the result of a unique interaction of coexisting maternal and placental conditions. Currently, Dr. Roberts' laboratory is investigating the role obesity plays in the development of preeclampsia and the notion that maternal conditions that lead to preeclampsia also increase risk of cardiovascular disease in later life. Ms. Leslie Weeks, Chair of the Preeclampsia Foundation Board, stated, "Add to these accomplishments his role in establishing Magee-Womens Research Institute, a center that places great emphasis on preeclampsia investigation, and it is evident why his selection to receive this honor was an easy, yet important decision."
Ms. Weeks continued, "Still, to my way of thinking, the fact that he has trained several generations of preeclampsia researchers, including clinicians and basic scientists may be his greatest achievement and legacy. It is through that commitment to mentoring that Dr. James M. Roberts' good work will be leveraged many times over." In response, Dr. Roberts stated, "I am incredibly humbled, honored, and energized by this award. I thank the Preeclampsia Foundation Board for this recognition, but choose to agree with Ms. Weeks and acknowledge that the true depth of meaning to my work lies in the cadre of talented young scientists I have had the privilege to encourage along the way."
Dr. Ananth Karumanchi, a Harvard research scientist and colleague of Dr. Roberts on the Preeclampsia Foundation Medical Board, noted, "Funding agencies, academic researchers, and industry have shied away from investing resources and studying preeclampsia because of the significant difficulties involved in successfully performing clinical research in pregnant patients. Dr. Roberts has always kept preeclampsia at the forefront of funding agencies and research, and as such has dedicated his life to understanding the cause and finding a cure for preeclampsia. With strong, unrelenting leadership and commitment - he has created a path for other researchers to follow."
Dr. Roberts is a member of the Preeclampsia Foundation's Medical Board. He is also a member of numerous professional societies, having served as the President of the Perinatal Research Society Council (1984-1987), the Society for Gynecological Investigation (1997), the International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy and the North American Society of the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy. Honors include honorary membership in the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, selection to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, and mentoring awards from the NICHD and the Society for Gynecological Investigation.
The Foundation Chair, Leslie Weeks, added, "I cannot say enough about the impact Dr. James M. Roberts has had on the study of preeclampsia in America today. To many, like me, who have survived preeclampsia but suffered the loss of a child, we can only hope that this richly deserved recognition will also serve to encourage other researchers to focus their talents on understanding and preventing the tragic outcomes that so often result from preeclampsia."
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CONTACT:
J. Thomas Viall, Executive Director, Preeclampsia Foundation, 240-724-1044, mobile 240-367-5911, jtviall.execdir@preeclampsia.org
ABOUT THE FOUNDATION: The Preeclampsia Foundation is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in the year 2000 to fund and drive research, raise public and professional awareness, and provide support and education for those whose lives have been touched by preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Its mission is to stop preventable death and disability of mothers and babies by eliminating delays in diagnosis, implementing the best known practices, developing new practices, and helping women and their families through the impact of preeclampsia. More information can be found at http://www.preeclampsia.org or by calling toll-free 1-800-665-9341.
JAMES M. ROBERTS, M.D.
James M. Roberts, M.D., is Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Professor of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health. Until July of 2007, when he retired from administrative and clinical responsibilities, he held the positions of Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh; the Elsie Hilliard Hillman Chair of Women's and Infants' Health Research; Vice President for Research, Magee-Womens Hospital; and Director of Magee-Womens Research Institute. He has led the country's largest program studying mechanisms of preeclampsia. His current research efforts include fundamental, clinical and health services approaches to the understanding and management of this disorder in this country and abroad. He is a leader of an NIH randomized controlled trial (10,000 women) of antioxidant vitamins to prevent preeclampsia.
He has received national and international recognition for this work. He was the recipient of the Chesley Award for lifetime achievement in the study of hypertension in pregnancy by the International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy. He is the author of more than 200 publications and is a reviewer for numerous medical and scientific journals. He has served on the editorial boards of several journals including Developmental Physiology, Placenta, The Journal of Gynecological Investigation, Women's Health Issues, Hypertension and Hypertension in Pregnancy. He has served on scientific review boards of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Medical Research Council of Canada (now the Canadian Institute for Health Research), the Food and Drug Administration and the March of Dimes.
He served as chair of the NICHD Maternal Fetal Medicine Network from 1990-1999 and is past president of the Perinatal Research Society, the North American Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy, the Society of Gynecological Investigation and the International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy. Dr. Roberts was formally admitted to fellowship ad eundem of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in September of 2000. He has been elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and is a member of the Preeclampsia Foundation's Medical Board. His research has been funded for the past 20 years by numerous agencies including the NIH and the March of Dimes.
His passion has been the training of future investigators. He has trained more than 60 MD and PhD investigators, most of whom remain in academic careers. He has been the principal investigator or program director of three NIH programs funding young investigators and serves on the Educational Committee of the University of Pittsburgh Multidisciplinary Research Training Program. He is a frequent invited lecturer at national and international academic institutions for courses especially designed for young research scholars. In recognition of his achievements, he is the recipient of the NICHD 2004 Award for Mentoring and the 2008 Society for Gynecological Investigation Frederick Naftolin Award for Mentorship. He currently serves as mentor for several junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows and medical students.
Media Contact: See above.
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