For only the second time in its history, ATS will present a unique lifetime contribution award, the ATS Achievement Award.

This rare recognition will be one of 12 major awards for 16 distinguished individuals conferred upon distinguished ATS members as part of the annual ATS Respiratory Health Awards.

Award recognition ceremonies are built into each session day of the 2025 ATS International Conference, beginning with the Opening Ceremony.

Below are the awards and information about each recipient, listed by conference day.

Day 1: Saturday, May 17

Event: Opening Ceremony, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. PT
Location: Moscone Convention Center, Esplanade Ballroom (Upper Mezzanine, South Building)

ATS Achievement Award – Lifetime of Service

Selection Criteria: Presented only once before (to Gerard M. Turino, MD, in 2019), this award is given to ATS members who have made outstanding contributions to the field of pulmonary medicine over the course of their careers.

Recipient: James P. Kiley, PhD, ATSF

Mini-Bio: James P. Kiley, PhD, ATSF, served for 25 years as the director of the Division of Lung Diseases (DLD) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The author or co-author of more than 100 scientific articles and a leading researcher with numerous honors and awards for outstanding contributions in advancing pulmonary biology in health and disease, sleep research, and public health, Dr. Kiley has supported the Society’s scientific research and initiatives in multiple and consistent ways during his career.

5 Career Highlights:

• Established the National Emphysema Treatment Trial, the first multicenter study of whether lung volume reduction surgery was a safe and effective treatment for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Created all the DLD clinical research networks to conduct trials in asthma, COPD, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and pulmonary fibrosis.
• Created the Centers for Advanced Diagnostics and Experimental Therapeutics in Lung Diseases (CADET) program to stimulate the development of new drugs and diagnostics for pulmonary diseases and sleep-disordered breathing
• Established the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR) Specialized Centers of Research (SCORs) and the Sleep Heart Health Study
• Created new research and training programs in pediatric lung disease, lung transplantation, pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis, LAM, and other rare lung diseases

Public Service Award

Selection Criteria: The Public Service Award is presented in recognition of contributions to public and population health equity related to lung diseases, sleep health, or critical care.

Recipient: Susan S. Jacobs, RN, MS

Mini-Bio: Susan S. Jacobs, RN, MS, has worked to improve patient quality of life by focusing on oxygen use, dyspnea, cough, and social support. She began as a critical care nurse educator and now serves as research nurse manager at Stanford Pulmonary Division, overseeing a variety of clinical staff and research activities across multiple pulmonary subspecialties. She has worked closely with foundations and patient groups to improve education and access to clinical trials. Ms. Jacobs was the lead author on three key oxygen publications, including the first national patient survey of almost 2,000 supplemental oxygen users.

5 Career Highlights:

• Created (and continues to chair) the Oxygen Special Interest Group to address patient reports of inadequate oxygen service
• Received the National LAM Foundation Leader award
• Received the California Thoracic Society Outstanding Clinician Award
• Presented results from “Patient Perceptions of the Adequacy of Supplemental Oxygen” on Capitol Hill
• Inducted into the American Academy of Nursing

World Lung Health Award

Selection Criteria: The World Lung Health Award honors contributions to improving world lung health in translational or implementation research, delivery of health care, continuing education, or care of patients with lung disease; it may also be awarded for related political advocacy with a special emphasis on efforts that have the potential to eliminate gender, racial, ethnic, or economic health disparities.

Recipient: Refiloe Masekela, MD, PhD

Mini-Bio:  Refiloe Masekela, MD, PhD, is a distinguished lung health researcher with more than 17 years of experience, currently serving as a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) global health research professor (2022 – 2027). Based at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, her research focuses on pediatric asthma and lung physiological testing, making significant contributions to pediatric respiratory medicine. She has served in prominent leadership roles in multiple national and international organizations, such as the president of the South African Thoracic Society.

5 Career Highlights:

• Served as president of the Pan-African Thoracic Society
• Co-chaired Global Asthma Network
• Served as scientific committee member of the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA)
• Author of more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and contributor to eight book chapters on pediatric respiratory diseases
• Supervised and graduated more than 36 PhD and master’s degree students, fostering research capacity in Africa

J. Randall Curtis Humanism Award

Selection Criteria: Named after a past president of the ATS, the J. Randall Curtis Humanism Award celebrates individuals who are exemplars of humanism in health care by recognizing work that reflects the ideals of compassion, humanism, and mentorship espoused by Dr. Curtis. Honorees demonstrate professional and personal skills. Recipients also engage in professional and academic activities that reflect exceptional mentoring skills; compassionate delivery of patient care; competence in scientific endeavors; respect for patients, families, and colleagues; the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion in their daily work and life; effective, empathic communication and listening skills; and service to their community.

Recipient: Scott D. Halpern, MD, PhD

Mini-Bio: Scott D. Halpern, MD, PhD, is the founding director of the Palliative and Advanced Illness Research (PAIR) Center, which seeks to improve the lives of all people affected by serious illness and remove the barriers to health equity that seriously ill patients commonly face. Within PAIR, he also directs the American Heart Association-funded BETTER Center (Behavioral Economics to Transform Trial Enrollment Representativeness), which tests ways to improve the diversity of enrollment in clinical trials. He also directs the education-focused Penn PORTAL (Patient-Oriented Research and Training to Accelerate Learning).

5 Career Highlights:

• Published more than 300 peer-reviewed manuscripts, many in collaboration with one of his 36 primary mentees
• First graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s MD/PhD program in epidemiology
• Served as deputy director of Penn’s Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics (CHIBE)
• Youngest recipient of the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine’s highest mentoring honor, the Arthur Asbury, MD, Award for Outstanding Faculty Mentorship
• Served as primary mentor for 12 NIH K awardees

Day 2: Sunday, May 18

Event: Respiratory Health Awards Ceremony, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Location: Moscone Convention Center, Esplanade Ballroom (Upper Mezzanine, South Building)

Edward Livingston Trudeau Medal

Selection Criteria: This is the highest recognition given by the ATS. Named in honor of the founder and first president of the American Lung Association, the Trudeau Medal recognizes major contributions to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of lung disease, critical illness, or sleep disorders through leadership in research, education, or clinical care, and acknowledges exemplary professionalism, collegiality, and citizenship in the ATS community.

Recipient: Susan S. Redline, MD, MPH

Mini-Bio: Susan S. Redline, MD, MPH, is the Farrell Professor of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, professor of epidemiology at Harvard’s T. H. Chan School of Public Health,and director of Sleep Medicine Epidemiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Her pioneering research identified novel risk factors for sleep apnea in adults and children, including genetic and metabolomic markers, inflammation, insulin resistance, neighborhood disadvantage, environmental tobacco smoke, poor air quality, and more. Along with her research, she has tirelessly advocated for patients to improve support and integrate their experiences into therapy.

5 Career Highlights:

• Appointed director of the Program in Sleep Medicine Epidemiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where she leads rigorous and population-based research on the role of genetics, early life developmental factors, and more on sleep health
• Established the National Sleep Research Resource (NSRR) as the largest, freely accessible resource for sharing well-annotated and harmonized sleep signal and summary data with trainees and investigators across the globe
• Co-founded the Sleep Apnea Patient-Centered Outcomes Network (myapnea.org), a web-based portal to promote sleep apnea patient support and patient engagement in research
• Researched and was co-author of more than 800 peer-reviewed articles
• Led multiple prospective large-scale cohort studies in adults and children, establishing the role of sleep disorders on cardiovascular, metabolic, and cognitive outcomes, and variations of these associations by gender, age, and background

J. Burns Amberson Lecture

Selection Criteria: Named for James Burns Amberson, an international authority on chest disease and tuberculosis, this lecture recognizes major international lifetime contributions to clinical or basic research that have advanced the fundamental understanding of basic, translational, or clinical approaches to respiratory disease, critical illness, or sleep disorders.

Recipient: Juan C. Celedón, MD, DrPH, ATSF,

Mini-Bio:  Juan C. Celedón, MD, DrPH, ATSF, received his medical degree from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia. He moved to the States for his clinical training and research fellowship before earning a doctoral degree in genetic epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health.Dr. Celedón is the Niels K. Jerne Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and chief of the Division of Pulmonary Medicine at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. His research career has focused on identifying genetic and environmental determinants of asthma, particularly in racial/ethnic minorities.

5 Career Highlights:

• First faculty member to receive both the Young Mentor Award and the A. Clifford Barger Excellence in Mentoring Award from Harvard Medical School
• Was the author or co-author of more than 400 publications
• Served as ATS’s first Latinx president
• Has led NHLBI-funded projects on the omics and epidemiology of asthma
• Presented inaugural Raif Geha Lectureship for the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology

Distinguished Achievement Award

Selection Criteria: The Distinguished Achievement Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the advancement of the ATS mission through a single major accomplishment or a cumulative impact on the field. Awardees have substantially contributed to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of lung disease, critical illness, or sleep disorders through leadership in research, education, or clinical care. Two individuals will receive this award in 2025.

Recipient: Anne-Karina T. Perl, MSci, PhD

Mini-Bio: Anne-Karina T. Perl,MSci, PhD, is a developmental biologist and a recognized leader in pulmonary science with more than 20 years of experience at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. She has earned national and international recognition for her contributions to pulmonary biology, education, and advocacy. Dr. Perl has developed novel conditional mouse models targeting alveolar fibroblasts to investigate their roles in alveolarization, regeneration, and fibrosis. Her research integrates molecular data with lung morphology, histology, and biology to define fibroblast function in development, homeostasis, regeneration, and fibrosis.

5 Career Highlights:

• Published two seminal papers on the role of E-cadherin in the transition from adenomas to carcinomas and N-CAM in the progression to metastatic dissemination
• Developed the tetracycline-inducible system (SPCrtTA, CCSPrtTA, tetOCRE mice) for gene activation/inactivation in lung epithelium
• Developed a conditional mouse model to study airway progenitors and fibrosis, demonstrating spatial and temporal recombination in the tracheal epithelium and establishing models for acute and chronic bronchiolar injury
• Identified distinct gene signatures for myofibroblast and matrix fibroblast populations and demonstrated the reactivation of developmental pathways in lung repair
• Initiated and currently leads an international task force focused on standardizing nomenclature and identifying markers for distinct fibroblast subsets

Distinguished Achievement Award

Selection Criteria: See description above.

Recipient: Lynn M. Schnapp, MD, ATSF

Mini-Bio: Lynn M. Schnapp, MD, ATSF, is the George R. and Elaine Love Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. Dr. Schnapp is an established NIH-funded investigator in cell and molecular biology with clinical and research expertise in ARDS, recognized for her long-standing commitment to mentorship, career development, and increasing the representation of women and underrepresented minorities in medicine. She has served in numerous leadership positions in the American Thoracic Society, including past president.

5 Career Highlights:

• Received the ATS Elizabeth Rich Award
• Received the University of Washington Medicine Award for Excellence in Mentoring Women and Minorities
• Identified IGF pathway as important in pulmonary fibrosis
• Received U.S. patent for “Compositions and methods for the treatment of respiratory disorders”
• Led research on the origin of lung myofibroblasts and performed key fate mapping experiments, demonstrating the importance of pericytes as myofibroblast progenitors in the lung

Day 3: Monday, May 19

Event: Recognition Awards for Scientific Accomplishments, 2:15 – 3:45 p.m. PT

Location: Moscone Convention Center, Room 304 (Level 3, South Building)

Recognition Award for Scientific Accomplishments

Selection Criteria: The Recognition Award for Scientific Accomplishments honors individuals for outstanding scientific research contributions in basic or clinical arenas to enhance the understanding, prevention, and treatment of respiratory disease, critical illness, or sleep disorders. Four individuals will receive this award in 2025.

Recipient: Peter Chen, MD

Mini-Bio: Peter Chen, MD, obtained a BS in electrical engineering before earning his MD from Baylor College of Medicine.  He is currently a professor of medicine and biomedical sciences at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Chen’s early research focused on matrix biology before focusing on lung mucosal immunity and aberrant repair responses that drive chronic lung dysfunction, such as fibrosis. Dr. Chen played an instrumental part in developing monoclonal antibodies as a therapy for mild-to-moderate COVID-19. He continues studying the long-term consequences driving the development of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2.

5 Career Highlights:

• Defined the biological functions of syndecan-1, a proteoglycan expressed by the lung epithelium and a major component of the glycocalyx, in regulating inflammation and repair after injury
• Investigated the lung immunological response to acute influenza infection to reveal mechanisms regulating lung inflammation and immunity to secondary bacterial infections
• Conducted research during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic that defined mechanisms driving respiratory disease and pushed forward the development of novel therapeutics
• Studied the immunological consequences after acute viral infections that drive chronic lung dysfunction
• Discovered maladaptive signaling networks that contribute to fibroproliferation after viral infections

Recognition Award for Scientific Accomplishments

Selection Criteria: See first May 19 entry.

Recipient: Jason D. Christie, MD, MS, ATSF

Mini-Bio: Jason D. Christie, MD, MS, ATSF, is the chief of the Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Division, The Paul F. Harron Jr. Family Chair, and professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania. His career is focused on translational research studies of the risks, pathogenesis, treatment, and outcomes of acute lung injury in the transplant and non-transplant critically ill populations.  Dr. Christie’s research has generated new definitions of human syndromes, improved diagnostics and prognostics, and targeted therapy approaches in advanced lung diseases and acute organ dysfunction in critical illness.

5 Career Highlights:

• Defined the syndrome of primary graft dysfunction following lung transplantation and elucidated its clinical and molecular epidemiology
• Led the first genome-wide association study of ARDS
• Led several functional genomic studies of ARDS candidate genes with potential therapeutic implications and identified ABO as a major pathway contributing to ARDS
• Discovered novel biological associations in human populations that have defined the pathophysiology as driven by donor lung injury, leading to early innate immune response in the lung and host
• Received the Arthur Asbury Outstanding Faculty Mentoring award, the highest mentoring award granted by the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

Recognition Award for Scientific Accomplishments

Selection Criteria: See first May 19 entry.

Recipient: Charles S. Dela Cruz, MD, PhD, ATSF

Mini-Bio: Charles S. Dela Cruz, MD, PhD, ATSF, is a professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and serves in numerous other roles, such as the director of the Center for Acute Lung Injury and Infection (ALII). Dr. Dela Cruz’s research focuses on respiratory infections, lung injury, and immune regulation, and he is the author of 158 peer-reviewed publications. He has chaired several ATS workshops focused on pneumonia research, understanding the host in pneumonia management, and bacterial infection models to study pneumonia, as well as CPG on viral diagnostics.

5 Career Highlights:

• Identified chitinase 3-like-1 (Chi3l1) as a key factor in bacterial pneumonia, improving bacterial clearance and reducing inflammation
• Contributed critical insights into IL-15 and interferon’s role in lung injury and the development of antiviral therapies such as intranasal neomycin
• Was co-leader of Yale’s IMPACT studies and other COVID-19 studies, which identified biomarkers, such as IL-6 receptor antagonists and lipid mediators, that contributed to SARS-CoV-2 biology and treatment strategies
• Founded the Center for Pulmonary Infection Research and Treatment (CPIRT) at Yale
• Co-edited Fishman’s Pulmonary Diseases and Disorders (6th Edition)

Recognition Award for Scientific Accomplishments

Selection Criteria: See first May 19 entry.

Recipient: Anne I. Sperling, PhD, ATSF

Mini-Bio: Anne I. Sperling, PhD, ATSF, is a professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Virginia. Her research focuses on the immune system’s roles in lung diseases, such as asthma, lung injury, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Dr. Sperling has made important discoveries about how the “farm effect” protects children from asthma, how dendritic cells drive Th2 responses, how T cell costimulatory molecules influence type 2 inflammation and protect against lung injury, how type 2 alarmins impact immunity in mice and humans, and how the immune response impacts lung injury and progression of pulmonary fibrosis.

5 Career Highlights:

• Dr. Sperling’s group identified the mechanism whereby Th2 stimuli signal DCs to induce IRF4 expression, resulting in DCs that induce Th2 differentiation
• Dr. Sperling’s group identified that IL-33 production by dendritic cells provides a milieu for Th2 differentiation
• Dr. Sperling and colleagues discovered a novel region in the human IL33 gene that is associated with asthma and regulates IL-33 tissue expression
• Dr. Sperling and colleagues discovered that low asthma risk in Amish children is related to alterations in their innate immune status, and their distinct T-cell phenotypes associated with increased antigenic exposure
• Dr. Sperling’s group demonstrated that ICOS expression on T cells influences type 2 inflammation and protects against lung injury

Day 4: Tuesday, May 20

Event: Plenary Session 11:45 a.m. – 1 p.m. PT
Location: Moscone Convention Center, Esplanade Ballroom (Upper Mezzanine, South Building)

Jo Rae Wright Award for Outstanding Science

Selection Criteria: Named to memorialize a past ATS president, scientist, scholar and mentor, this award is designed to support the work of early career respiratory health professionals by recognizing the demonstrated potential for significant achievement and contributions among those who are beyond postdoctoral fellowship, but not above the rank of assistant professor or the equivalent.

Recipient: Michael O. Harhay, PhD, MPH

Mini-Bio: Michael O. Harhay, PhD, MPH, is an assistant professor of epidemiology, medicine (pulmonary and critical care), and statistics and data science in the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Informatics at the University of Pennsylvania. His current research focuses on the development and application of causal inference and Bayesian statistical methods to improve pragmatic and cluster-randomized trials, particularly those embedded in health systems and for patients with critical and severe illnesses. Dr. Harhay has been the author of more than 250 scientific publications and is involved in a wide range of international research activities, serving on boards, committees, and journals.

5 Career Highlights:

• Was the author of more than 250 scientific publications
• Served as inaugural statistical editor at Annals of the American Thoracic Society
• Named deputy editor of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (2022 – present)
• Awarded the ATS Early Career Achievement Award, Assembly on Critical Care
• Served as primary or co-primary investigator of two NIH R01s, a PCORI Methodology Award, and the University of Pennsylvania’s NHLBI/NIGMS ARDS, Pneumonia, and Sepsis (APS) Phenotyping Consortium site

Outstanding Educator Award

Selection Criteria: The Outstanding Educator Award recognizes lifetime achievements, excellence in clinical or research education, and mentoring in the fields of pulmonary, critical care, or sleep medicine.

Recipient: Jess Mandel, MD, FRCP, FACP, ATSF

Mini-Bio: Jess Mandel, MD, FRCP, FACP, ATSF, teaches and mentors as the Kenneth M. Moser Professor of Medicine, is chief of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, and executive vice-chair of medicine at UC San Diego, where he has spearheaded a comprehensive review and successful redesign of its medical school curriculum and learning environment. Dr. Mandel is the author of two books, one on pulmonary vascular disease and another on general pulmonary medicine. He is also clinically active in both inpatient and outpatient aspects of pulmonary and critical care medicine.

5 Career Highlights:

• Served as director of the Internal Medicine Residency Training Program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and established the hospital’s Pulmonary Hypertension Center
• Tapped as pulmonary vascular disease section editor for UpToDate
• Oversaw critical care surge planning for UCSD Health during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Developed and led efforts to assist the Tijuana and Mexicali, Mexico, medical communities in dealing with their surge of COVID-19 patients, including the establishment of multi-disciplinary in-person and telemedicine collaborations, and spearheaded a collection of charitable contributions to purchase lifesaving medical equipment.
• Named as executive chair for the Department of Medicine at UC San Diego

Outstanding Clinician Award

Selection Criteria: The Outstanding Clinician Award recognizes a pulmonary, critical care, or sleep clinician who has made substantial contributions on a local or national level to the clinical care of patients with lung disease. Awardees must spend 75 percent or more of their time providing direct patient care. Honorees also must be recognized by patients and families as a caring and dedicated health care provider, and by peers as having made substantial contributions to the clinical care of patients with respiratory disease.

Recipient: Sandeep Sahay, MD, ATSF

Mini-Bio: Sandeep Sahay, MD, ATSF, is a pulmonary and critical care physician specializing in pulmonary vascular diseases, director of the Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) Program at Houston Methodist Hospital, and an associate professor affiliated with Weill Cornell Medical College. He serves as the principal investigator for multiple Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials investigating novel therapies for PH. Dr. Sahay has published extensively on pulmonary hypertension and serves as associate editor for Pulmonary Circulation, JHLT Open, and Respiratory Medicine.

5 Career Highlights:

• Awarded the ACCP CHEST PAH Research Grant to study the role of estrogen in portopulmonary hypertension
• Stepped into key roles in the American Thoracic Society’s Pulmonary Circulation Assembly, the Pulmonary Hypertension Association’s Scientific Leadership Committee, and the Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute’s innovative drug development initiative
• Tapped to chair guideline/consensus statement task forces with the ISHLT, European Respiratory Society, ATS, and CHEST
• Published multiple studies in high-impact journals such as CHEST, The Lancet, and JHLT
• Served on endpoint adjudication committees and data safety monitoring boards (DSMBs) for NIH-funded studies and multiple clinical trials

Research Innovation and Translation Achievement Award

Selection Criteria: The Research Innovation and Translation Achievement Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the advancement of respiratory research focused on specific innovations to improve health by advancing practice, policy, and health care delivery. Awardees may represent academia, industry, nonprofits, or government. Individual accomplishments are recognized along with the recipient’s role as a leader pursuing science through collaborative approaches, both interdisciplinary and inter-institutional.

Recipient: Bastiaan Driehuys, PhD

Mini-Bio: Bastiaan Driehuys, PhD, is a professor of radiology at Duke University whose research has focused on the physics, engineering, and applications of MRI using hyperpolarized ¹²⁹Xe gas for non-invasive 3D imaging of pulmonary function. His current interests are in imaging pulmonary gas exchange and hemodynamics in patients with interstitial lung disease and pulmonary vascular disease. In addition to his academic role, he serves as a board member at Polarean Imaging, a company he founded to commercialize hyperpolarized ¹²⁹Xe MRI technology.

5 Career Highlights:

• Earned PhD and postdoctoral fellowship in atomic physics at Princeton University
• Founded and became CEO of Magnetic Imaging Technologists
• Appointed site and research director for hyperpolarization technology at Amersham Health (now GE Healthcare)
• Appointed professor of radiology, medical physics, and biomedical engineering at Duke University
• Founded Polarean Imaging to develop 129Xe MRI technology