Gregory Downey, MD, Honored for Scientific Accomplishments

Gregory Downey, MD, received the 2010 Recognition Award for Scientific Accomplishments at the American Thoracic Society's (ATS) International Conference on Monday, May 17.

Dr. Downey, Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs and Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics and Immunology at National Jewish Health, has over 190 publications to his credit. He has been cited by other authors more than 5,000 times, putting him in the top one percent of cited authors.

Dr. Downey's current research interests include innate immunity, signaling mechanisms in lung injury and repair, anti-microbial defenses in the context of cystic fibrosis, and pulmonary fibrosis.

The Recognition Award for Scientific Accomplishments is given each year to ATS members who demonstrate outstanding scientific contributions in basic or clinical research to the understanding, prevention and treatment of respiratory disease or critical illness. Awardees make a 25-minute presentation on their research at the ATS conference. Dr. Downey discussed "Mechanisms of Acute Lung Injury and Repair."

"It is truly an honor to be recognized by one's peers for such a prestigious award and I am deeply touched by this recognition," said Dr. Downey. "The ATS represents the premier organization internationally that promotes research and clinical care in the area of respiratory disorders."

Dr. Downey received his medical degree from the University of Manitoba in 1980, completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Beth Israel Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and completed his clinical fellowship in pulmonary medicine at the University of Colorado Denver and National Jewish Health in 1986. He then completed a research fellowship in pulmonary cell biology in 1988 at National Jewish Health, while simultaneously serving as a staff physician and Medical Director for the Adult Special Care Unit at National Jewish Health.

Dr. Downey then joined the faculty of the University of Toronto, where he remained for nearly 20 years. In 2006 he left his position as Vice-Chair of Medicine there and returned to National Jewish Health, where he has continued his research and been instrumental in developing programs in personalized medicine.

He is a member of the American Thoracic Society, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the American College of Chest Physicians, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and is an Associate Editor for the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology.