Pediatric Pulmonologist Andrew Colin to Receive Prestigious Award

“Likely the equivalent of an Oscar in our field,” being nominated by his peers for the Lifetime Contributions to Pediatric Respiratory Medicine Award means a great deal to Andrew Colin, M.D., Director of the Division of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Colin will receive this first-ever recognition from the American Thoracic Society (ATS) at their international conference in Washington, D.C., May 19-24. The ATS is the largest organization dedicated to pulmonary medicine and health, with more than 15,000 members across 120 countries.

“To be its first recipient … is a thrilling statement from my peers around the world. It is a statement of recognition of a lifetime of investment in the field, and particularly in contributing to the formation and education of the next generation of pediatric pulmonologists,” said Colin, who is also the Batchelor Family Professor of Cystic Fibrosis and Pediatric Pulmonology at the Miller School of Medicine.

The award also reflects greater attention to the field of pediatric pulmonology, Colin said. “Pediatric pulmonology has an increasing profile in ATS; while in the first 100 years there has been only one ATS president who was a pediatrician, two of the last three presidencies were held by pediatric pulmonologists. I suspect the reason for this interest in pediatrics is the increasing recognition that much of the respiratory morbidity seen in adults has its roots in childhood.”

This award recognizes outstanding contributions to the specialty through achievements in teaching, clinical care, advocacy, scholarship or research over the course of an entire career, according to the ATS. The recognition also honors a dedication to driving the field of pulmonary pediatric medicine forward and significantly enhancing children’s lung health.

Tags: American Thoracic Society, Dr. Andrew Colin, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami