"In the 1970s, there wasn't much known about inflammatory response, in general, and specifically, the pulmonary inflammatory response," says Ward, Godfrey D. Stobbe Professor. "I decided to focus my research toward that area even though it was incredibly challenging. Since that time, I have focused my research to the identification of inflammatory mediators and, in the last 6 or 7 years, I've been trying to understand the mechanisms the body uses to terminate or shut-off the inflammatory response."
Ward's successful linkage of experimental pathology with the scientific basis of pulmonary and critical care medicine has broadened the understanding of lung biology in the medical field.
"The Amberson Lecture at the American Thoracic Society International Conference is considered one of our highest honors and it was a wonderful means of recognizing Peter Ward's remarkable accomplishments in the study of the fundamental mechanisms of inflammation and injury in the lungs, " said Thomas R. Martin, M.D., past president of the American Thoracic Society.
"By successfully linking experimental pathology with the scientific basis of pulmonary and critical care medicine, Dr. Ward has broadened the understanding of lung biology in health and disease. In addition, he has had an important influence on the career development of many clinicians and scientists in pulmonary and critical care medicine in the U.S. and around the world. This is a lasting legacy, and for this we are pleased to have been able to recognize Dr. Ward with the honor of presenting the Amberson Lecture."
In addition to the Amberson Lecturer, Ward has received numerous awards, including the American Society of Experimental Pathology Parke-Davis Award, the Rous-Whipple Award and the Gold-Headed Cane Award, all from the American Society for Investigative Pathology. He has served on many NIH-related study sections and other federal government advisory committees. Ward was the Interim Dean of the U-M Medical School from 1982 - 1985 and currently has more than 550 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Ward received his bachelor's degree at U-M in 1958 and graduated from the U-M Medical School in 1960. He went on to complete his internship at Bellevue Hospital in New York City and his residency at the U-M Health System. He also did a post-doctoral fellowship at Scripps Research Foundation in La Jolla, California.
Upon completion of his fellowship, Ward served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps assigned to the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C. There he served as chief of the Immunobiology Branch. After release from active military duty, he moved to the University of Connecticut Health Center as professor of pathology and later was appointed as chair of the Department of Pathology. In 1980, Ward returned to his alma mater where he was appointmented as chair of the Department of Pathology at UMHS.
Ward has served as the president of the U.S. and Canadian Academy of Pathology, president of the American Board of Pathology, president of the American Society of Investigative Pathology and currently serves as chair of the National Research Council Institute for Laboratory Animal Research. He is a lifetime trustee of the American Board of Pathology, a lifetime national associate of the National Academies of Science, and a member of the Institute of Medicine.
The ATS, founded in 1905, is an independently incorporated, international, educational and scientific society that focuses on respiratory and critical care medicine. Today, the ATS continues to play a significant role in the fight against lung disease and to promote lung health. The ATS continues to set the standards for prevention, treatment and control of these serious and potentially life-threatening diseases.
To learn about the University of Michigan's Pathology Department, visit http://www.pathology.med.umich.edu. For more information on the University of Michigan Health System, visit http://www.med.umich.edu.
Contact:
Rebekah Thompson, rlthomps@umich.edu
Krista Hopson, khopson@umich.edu 734-764-2220