Morsani College of Medicine Alumni Society


Charles Lockwood, MD, Senior Vice President of USF Health and Dean of the Morsani College of Medicine (right); and Aman Bhullar, MD '07, Chair, Awards & Recognition Committee of the MCOM Alumni Society (left) presented the 2016 Distinguished Physician Alumnus Award to James E. Gern, MD, ’81,Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine and the Director of the Wisconsin Allergy Research Training Program and the Associate Director of the Allergy and Immunology Fellowship Training Program at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

 

The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Alumni Society was proud to recognize James E. Gern, MD, ’81 as the 2016 Distinguished Physician Alumnus Award recipient at the 2016 Commencement Dinner on April 20th.  Charles Lockwood, MD, Senior Vice President of USF Health and Dean of the Morsani College of Medicine and Aman Bhullar, MD ’07, Chair of the Awards & Recognition Committee made the presentation.

Dr. Bhullar spoke briefly about the award noting that it’s the highest honor the USF Morsani College of Medicine Alumni Society bestows to acknowledge the personal, professional and community contributions of its alumni. It is presented in recognition of exemplary dedication to the profession of medicine, insightful contributions to the medical profession, tireless efforts to the community, and the alumnus' continued professional and personal growth. He acknowledged Dr. Gern as exemplifying these qualities and shared a bit about his career. Dr. James Gern is professor of Pediatrics and Medicine and the Director of the Wisconsin Allergy Research Training Program and the Associate Director of the Allergy and Immunology Fellowship Training Program at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, WI.  He specializes in Pediatric Allergy and Immunology.  He serves as the Principal Investigator for the University of Wisconsin Asthma and Allergic Diseases Clinical Research Center (AADCRC).

He completed his pediatric residency training at the State University of New York in Syracuse and at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, where he served as Pediatric Chief Resident.  After serving in the US Navy for three years, from 1985-1988, he also completed his allergy/immunology fellowship at John Hopkins Hospital in 1992.

Dr. Gern leads several NIH-funded studies to define the role of viral infections in the initiation and disease activity of asthma, and to identify interactions between host and viral factors that determine the severity of respiratory illnesses. He leads the Urban Environment and Childhood Asthma (URECA) study for the Inner City Asthma Consortium. The goal of this birth cohort study is to identify lifestyle and environmental factors (including viral infections) unique to the urban environment that influence early immune development to increase the risks for allergic diseases and asthma. Dr. Gern also leads translational research projects to identify host and viral factors that influence the severity of respiratory illnesses caused by rhinoviruses, as well as bench studies to identify distinct features of the newly discovered rhinovirus C-species.

Dr. Gern shared some of his experiences as a student at USF and mentioned several colleagues that had an impact on his career. He was honored to receive this recognition. We are grateful to Dr. Gern also who also participated as the Commencement Speaker at the Class of 2016 Morsani College of Medicine Commencement Ceremony. Click here to read more.

Many thanks to the Awards & Recognition Committee which is chaired by Aman Bhullar, MD ’07 and comprised of previous Distinguished Physician Alumnus Award recipients: Patricia Barry, MD ’75; George Bisset, MD ’75; Michael Flannery, MD ’88; Eduardo Gonzalez, MD ’91; and Paul Wallach, MD ’84 for their participation.

Nominations are being accepted for the 2017 Distinguished Physician Alumnus.  To submit a nomination for this award - click here. The deadline to submit is Thursday, November 30, 2016.

For a list of previous recipients - click here