HOUSTON – (May 7, 2009) – Dr. Gail Demmler-Harrison has been awarded the Society for Pediatric Research (SPR) 2009 Thomas Hazinski, M.D. Distinguished Service Award.
Demmler-Harrison, director of the Virology Laboratory at Texas Children's Hospital and professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, received the award at the recent Pediatric Academic Societies' Annual Meeting in Baltimore, MD.
The meeting is sponsored by the American Pediatric Society, Society for Pediatric Research, Academic Pediatric Association and American Academy of Pediatrics.
In addition to receiving the Hazinski Award at the PAS meeting, Demmler-Harrison participated in a late-breaking panel, entitled "H1N1 Influenza A: What the Pediatrician Needs to Know," where she discussed management of high volume virology testing in an epidemic situation and effective infection control strategies.
"Gail Demmler is a true leader in pediatric virology," said Jeffrey Starke, M.D., director of Infection Control for Texas Children's Hospital. "Gail has advanced the study of pediatric diseases not only through her dedicated service to the SPR, but also through her ongoing work in the lab, with patients and as an educator. It is a privilege and a delight to work with her."
Established by the SPR council in 2002, the Thomas Hazinski MD Distinguished Service Award honors a special individual who has provided exceptional service to the Society over an extended period of time. Demmler-Harrison served as president of the SPR in 2004.
Demmler-Harrison is board certified in Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Diseases. Her career in pediatric infectious diseases has focused on the biology, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, laboratory diagnosis, treatment and prevention of viral diseases in children.
Demmler-Harrison is the author or co-author of hundreds of scientific and educational publications, as well as co-editor of The Textbook of Pediatric Infectious Diseases (eds. Feigin, Cherry, Demmler-Harrison, Kaplan). Demmler-Harrison currently serves on the Editorial Board of the AAP journal, Pediatrics, and is a consultant to the Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee. In addition, Demmler-Harrison is a peer reviewer for numerous scientific publications and research programs. She is an elected and active member of the American Pediatric Society and The Society for Pediatric Research, for which she served as council member, Secretary – Treasurer and President. She also is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, a Fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society of America and a member of many other professional societies.