Pamela B. Davis, M.D., Ph.D. received the Paul di Sant'Agnese Award at the 20th annual North American CF Conference in Denver.

November 10, 2006

During the 20th annual North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference (NACFC) in Denver, Pamela B. Davis, M.D., Ph.D, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Interim Dean, received the Paul di Sant’Agnese Award. The award is the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s highest honor for scientific research achievement and is given annually to the scientist who made the most significant strides in CF studies.

“While making pioneering discoveries in CF and leading one of the most innovative translation centers for developing new therapies, Dr. Davis has remained a well-respected and beloved caregiver to CF patients in Cleveland,” said CF Foundation President and CEO Robert J. Beall, Ph.D. “It was an honor to present the Paul di Sant’Agnese Award to Dr. Davis.”

The award has personal meaning for Dr. Davis, who mentored under Dr. di Sant’Agnese while working at the National Institutes of Health. “Dr. di Sant’Agnese has been such an inspiration not only to myself but many physicians who also believed in the reward of academic medicine and world-changing medical research.”

One of her first novel and important contributions to CF research was a new approach for treating lung disease by limiting the excessive inflammatory response. In a four-year, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, Davis and colleagues showed that high dose ibuprofen slows down progression of CF lung disease.

Davis has been a recipient of the Rosenthal Prize for Academic Pediatrics, the Smith College Medal, an inductee of the Cleveland Medical Hall of Fame and named regularly in “Best Doctors in America” and “Top Doctors.”

“I believe a cure for cystic fibrosis will be found in my lifetime,” said Dr. Davis. “I hope to be a part of that triumph.”