BOSTON -- Terry B. Strom, MD, director of the Division of Immunology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Scientific Director of BIDMCs Transplant Center, received the 2006 Homer W. Smith Award from the American Society of Nephrology at their annual meeting last month in San Diego. Established in 1964, the award is presented annually to an individual who has made outstanding contributions which fundamentally affect the science of nephrology.

"This award recognizes one of the major intellectual forces in renal physiology," says ASN President William Henrich, MD, FASN. "[Smiths] use of comparative approaches to explain normal human physiology stands as a model for students of biology and scientists attempting to unravel the mysteries of normal and disordered renal function. This award is in recognition of those who follow in his footsteps and contribute to our understanding of how the kidney functions normally and in disease states."

In a career spanning more than 30 years, Strom has made critically important contributions to both nephrology and transplantation biology through his study of immune tolerance the immune systems ability to recognize and "tolerate" the bodys own cells and molecules in order to prevent organ rejection, a serious problem facing kidney transplant patients.

"The BIDMC Transplant Centers immunology research program enjoys an international reputation for excellence in both laboratory and clinical innovation," says BIDMC Chief Academic Officer Jeffrey S. Flier, MD. "Under the scientific leadership of Terry Strom, the Center has made pivotal contributions in understanding the biology of immune cells and tolerance. Terry is one of the fields leading physician-scientists and his work is a classic example of bench-to-bedside research."

Since the first successful kidney transplant was performed in the U.S. more than 60 years ago, transplant patients and their doctors have been faced with the
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Contact: Bonnie Prescott
bprescot@bidmc.harvard.edu
617-667-7306
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
4-Dec-2006