Dr. Suzanne Dawid Receives $150,000 Grant in Pediatric Research
SAN FRANCISCO, May 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Pediatric Infectious
Diseases Society (PIDS), on behalf of MedImmune, Inc. (Nasdaq: MEDI), will
present the second annual MedImmune Career Development Award in Pediatric
Infectious Disease to Suzanne Dawid, M.D., of Children's Hospital of
Philadelphia. The award, which includes a $50,000 per year grant for up to
three years, was established to support the development of outstanding
physician-scientists as independent investigators in the field of pediatric
infectious diseases. PIDS will present the award to Dr. Dawid on May 1 at a
dinner coinciding with the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies
in San Francisco.
"We are very proud to sponsor this award for the second year," said Frank
Malinoski, M.D., vice president, medical affairs, infectious disease at
MedImmune. "There is no better way to demonstrate our commitment to fighting
pediatric infectious disease than to invest in the medical community in its
quest to develop new breakthroughs in pediatric research and medicine."
Dr. Dawid's research focuses on the mechanisms of respiratory tract
colonization by Streptococcus pneumoniae. Titled "Mechanisms of Intraspecies
Competition in S. pneumoniae," the goal of Dr. Dawid's research project is to
characterize basic host and bacterial factors that contribute to colonization
of the respiratory tract by pneumococcus. The research also focuses on the
roles of the capsule type pneumoniae and the bacterium's ability to resist
innate and adaptive immune defenses.
"Understanding how pneumococcus contributes to respiratory illness is a
critical step in helping to develop appropriate interventions that can help
protect children and ease the burden of devastating infectious disease," said
Dr. Dawid.
Dr. Dawid's work is being conducted through Children's Hospital of
Philadelphia with Dr. Jeffrey Weiser. She earned her medical degree at
Washington University in St. Louis, and completed her residency in pediatrics
at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where she has remained completing a
pediatric infectious diseases fellowship from 2003 until the present.
About MedImmune, Inc.
MedImmune strives to provide better medicines to patients, new medical
options for physicians, rewarding careers to employees, and increased value to
shareholders. Dedicated to advancing science and medicine to help people live
better lives, the company is focused on the areas of infectious diseases,
cancer and inflammatory diseases. With more than 2,200 employees worldwide,
MedImmune is headquartered in Maryland. For more information, visit the
company's website at http://www.medimmune.com.
SOURCE MedImmune, Inc.
CONTACT: Media: Clarencia Stephen of MedImmune, Inc., +1-301-398-4073