May 2, 2011 – (BRONX, NY) – In honor of his significant clinical care and groundbreaking research with rescue workers who worked at the World Trade Center following the September 11, 2001 terrorists attacks, David Prezant, M.D., will receive the 2011 Public Service Award from the American Thoracic Society (ATS). Dr. Prezant is professor of medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and an attending physician in the pulmonary medicine division at Montefiore Medical Center, The University Hospital and Academic Medical Center for Einstein.
David Prezant, M.D.On 9/11, Dr. Prezant was one of the first physicians to respond to the World Trade Center, with responsibility for triaging the injured. From that day on, he treated and monitored the lung health of more than 16,000 rescue workers from the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) who were exposed to World Trade Center dust – beginning the largest longitudinal study ever reported on occupational influences on lung function. Through regular assessments of the firefighters and EMS fire department rescue workers, Dr. Prezant evaluated and documented the significant and permanent lung damage that many suffered. His research on World Trade Center Cough Syndrome and the decline of lung function was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2002 and 2010.
"David Prezant embodies the spirit of public service that the ATS honors with this award," said Dean Schraufnagel, M.D., President of ATS. "His personal bravery on the scene at the World Trade Center, and his professional courage with documenting the effects of 9/11 exposures on the workers afterwards, are something we should all aspire to. We congratulate him and offer this award in recognition of his extraordinary work."
ATS, a medical association of more than 15,000 members dedicated to preventing and fighting respiratory disease around the globe, gives its Public Service Award each year to individuals who have made contributions in the public health arena related to this mission.
"I am so honored to be presented with this award, which highlights the importance of not just my work, but of the field of pulmonary medicine itself, in terms of its impact on public health," said Dr. Prezant. "The selfless actions of these first responders, rescue and recovery workers helped save countless lives. They deserve anything we can do to help them monitor and regain their health. Hopefully, through the lessons we have learned, similar health consequences can be prevented at future disasters."
This year, in no small part because of the work of Dr. Prezant and his colleagues, President Obama signed legislation to expand and extend funding so that anyone suffering from these exposures – first responders, construction workers, volunteers and community residents – is eligible to receive necessary healthcare.
Dr. Prezant, who is also the chief medical officer of the FDNY, will accept the award at the ATS's International Conference in Denver on May 15, 2011.
About Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University is one of the nation's premier centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. During the 2009-2010 academic year, Einstein is home to 722 M.D. students, 243 Ph.D. students, 128 students in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program, and approximately 350 postdoctoral research fellows. The College of Medicine has 2,775 fulltime faculty members located on the main campus and at its clinical affiliates. In 2009, Einstein received more than $155 million in support from the NIH. This includes the funding of major research centers at Einstein in diabetes, cancer, liver disease, and AIDS. Other areas where the College of Medicine is concentrating its efforts include developmental brain research, neuroscience, cardiac disease, and initiatives to reduce and eliminate ethnic and racial health disparities. Through its extensive affiliation network involving five medical centers in the Bronx, Manhattan and Long Island - which includes Montefiore Medical Center, The University Hospital and Academic Medical Center for Einstein - the College of Medicine runs one of the largest post-graduate medical training programs in the United States, offering approximately 150 residency programs to more than 2,500 physicians in training. For more information, please visit www.einstein.yu.edu
Montefiore Medical Center encompasses 126 years of outstanding patient care, innovative medical "firsts," pioneering clinical research, dedicated community service and ground-breaking social activism. A full-service, integrated delivery system caring for patients in the New York metropolitan region and beyond, Montefiore is a 1,491-bed medical center that includes: four hospitals -- the Henry and Lucy Moses Division, the Jack D. Weiler Division, the North Division and The Children's Hospital at Montefiore; a large home healthcare agency; the largest school health program in the US; a 22-site medical group practice integrated throughout the Bronx and Westchester; and, a care management organization providing services to 179,000 health plan members.
In 2008, The Children's Hospital at Montefiore was ranked as one of "America's Best Children's Hospitals" in US News & World Report's prestigious annual listing and also received honors in the magazine's 2009 edition. The Leapfrog Group lists Montefiore among the top one percent of all U.S. hospitals based on its strategic investments in sophisticated and integrated healthcare technology.
Montefiore is committed to meeting the healthcare needs of the future through medical education and manages one of the largest residency programs in the country. Montefiore is The University Hospital and Academic Medical Center for Albert Einstein College of Medicine and has an affiliation with New York Medical College for residency programs at the North Division.
Distinguished centers of excellence at Montefiore include cardiology and cardiac surgery, cancer care, tissue and organ transplantation, children's health, women's health, surgery and the surgical subspecialties. Montefiore is a national leader in the research and treatment of diabetes, headaches, obesity, cough and sleep disorders, geriatrics and geriatric psychiatry, neurology and neurosurgery, adolescent and family medicine, HIV/AIDS and social and environmental medicine, among many other specialties. For more information, please visit www.montefiore.org or www.montekids.org.