image: Dr. Richard Casaburi, an LA BioMed lead researcher, will be honored at CHEST 2014. view more
Credit: LA BioMed
LOS ANGELES – (September 3, 2014) – The American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) will honor Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute (LA BioMed) researcher Richard Casaburi, PhD, MD, as the Distinguished Scientist Honor Lecturer in Cardiopulmonary Physiology at its international convention, CHEST 2014, in Austin.
CHEST 2014 is the organization's 79th international scientific assembly and will take place Oct. 25-30 at the Austin Convention Center. CHEST seeks to improve patient outcomes through innovative chest medicine education, clinical research and team-based care.
"This honor is a well-deserved recognition of Dr. Casaburi's leadership in the field of pulmonary clinical physiology," said David I. Meyer, PhD, LA BioMed president and CEO. "Dr. Casaburi is a pioneer in the development of rehabilitative treatments for people living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), the third leading cause of death in the U.S. He represents the leadership of LA BioMed in advancing innovations for diseases and medical conditions that affect millions here and around the world."
A native of New York, Dr. Casaburi began his college career by pursuing a degree in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI.) He then received with a master's degree and doctorate in biomedical engineering, also from RPI, before completing a post-doctoral fellowship in biomedical engineering at the University of Southern California.
Five years after joining the Department of Medicine faculty at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Dr. Casaburi returned to school to pursue his medical degree at the University of Miami, School of Medicine in Florida. He returned to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in 1980, where he completed an internship, residency and pulmonary fellowship and rejoined the faculty of the Division of Respiratory Medicine. He became chief of the division in 1998 and served in this position for six years.
Dr. Casaburi, who holds the Alvin Grancell/Mary Burns Endowed Chair in the Rehabilitative Sciences at LA BioMed and leads its pulmonary rehabilitation research, has also received the California Medal from the American Lung Association of California; the Governors' Award from the American College of Chest Physicians; the Mary Burns Award from the California Society for Pulmonary Rehabilitation; Michael Pollock Established Investigator Award from the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation and an award from the American Thoracic Society for his contribution to the establishment of the society's Pulmonary Rehabilitation Assembly.
In addition, Dr. Casaburi serves as president of the Pulmonary Education and Research Foundation, a non-profit corporation dedicated to advancing the scientific basis and practice of pulmonary rehabilitation. He has delivered more than 500 invited lectures and authored more than 250 publications and 215 abstracts.
About LA BioMed
Founded in 1952, LA BioMed is one of the country's leading nonprofit independent biomedical research institutes. It has approximately 100 principal researchers conducting studies into inherited diseases, infectious diseases, illnesses caused by environmental factors and more. It also educates young scientists and provides community services, including prenatal counseling and childhood nutrition programs. LA BioMed is academically affiliated with the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and located on the campus of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. For more information, please visit http://www.LABioMed.org