2022 IPA Award Recipients
Though the IPA World Congress could not occur in 2021, these setbacks ultimately did not prevent the IPA from honouring the 2021/2022 award nominees and recipients. Nominations were received from members around the world reflecting the truly global nature of the PDT community. During the summer, the IPA Awards Committee was convened to evaluate and judge the nomination submissions and the results were presented at the European Society of Photobiology’s PDT-PDD Update on October 27, 2022 at Nancy, France.
The International Photodynamic Association (IPA) 2022 IPA award recipients are:
Anne-Laure Bullin, recipient of the 2022 IPA Early Investigator Award with Luis Arnaut, IPA President.
Anne-Laure Bullin, recipient of the 2022 IPA Early Investigator Award with Colin Hopper.
Anne-Laure Bulin, National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) of France, is the recipient of the 2022 IPA Early Investigator Award. The Early Investigator Award recognizes the young leaders who are successfully advancing PDT technology and clinical applications regionally as well as making significant contributions to the PDT community. During Dr. Bulin’s short career, she has received the L’Oréal-UNESCO foundation’s “For Women in Science Award” and was awarded the prestigious Bullock-Wellman Postdoctoral Research Fellowship to advance her work in PDT. Since her training in The Hasan Laboratory, at Harvard Wellman, Dr. Bulin has established a group within the Institute for Advanced Biosciences in Grenoble, France, where she currently leads a program on radiotherapeutic applications of nanoscintillators, including the activation of deep-tissue PDT. Dr. Bulin also does much for the PDT community as an elected IPA Board member since 2019 and by promoting PDT globally by serving as Chair of the IPA Communication and Outreach Committee.
Heidi Abrahamse, Director of the Laser Research Centre, University of Johannesburg (South Africa), is the recipient of the 2022 Basic PDT Research Excellence Award. The Basic PDT Research Excellence Award recognizes the significant career contributions of Professor Abrahamse which have advanced PDT research and protocol development leading to PDT access in South Africa and for LMIC nations. Professor Abrahamse established and initiated basic research in photodynamic therapy in South Africa. She has been motivated to advance PDT in Africa as many South Africans, who are faced with a quadruple burden of disease, are especially vulnerable to cancers. Her research success and accessibility efforts have influenced public sector support for PDT as the South African Department of Science and Technology has identified ‘Biophotonics in Health’ as a major area of focus and investment through the “the photonics initiative of South Africa initiative (PISA)”.
Professor Heidi Abrahamse, recipient of the 2022 Basic PDT Research Excellence Award.
Xiuli Wang, Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine (China), is the recipient of the 2022 Clinical PDT Research Excellence Award. The Clinical PDT Research Excellence Award recognizes the significant career contributions of Professor Wang which greatly advanced new applications and widespread adoption of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in China. Professor Wang has been instrumental in the implementation of PDT in over 3,000 hospitals and medical clinics across China for treating a wide range of diseases including skin cancers, condyloma acuminatum, bladder cancers, and glioblastoma. In 2000, Professor Wang led the first team globally to apply ALA-PDT to urethral condyloma acuminatum induced by HPV, which after 20 years is now the first line of treatment for this disease in China. For her ground-breaking clinical PDT research, Professor Wang is the recipient of 25 grants and numerous prestigious awards.
Elena Filonenko, of the P.A. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Center (Russia), is the recipient of the 2022 Significant Advancement of PDT Award. The Significant Advancement of PDT Award is given in recognition of breakthrough basic and clinical research that significantly builds support and regional advancement for new and existing applications of PDT. As one of the founders of clinical PDT in Russia, Professor Filonenko has spent the last 30 years devoting herself to methodology of approaches, formation of regulatory framework, and clinical implementation of fluorescence diagnosis and PDT in Russia. Professor Filonenko and her team have achieved a significant clinical impact with the treatment of over 10,000 patients who received photodynamic diagnosis and PDT treatments at the P.A. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Center. Professor Filonenko’s training of key medical professionals has enabled accessibility of PDT in a further 63 cities across Russia.
Nicolas Loebel, President and Chief Technology officer of Ondine Biomedical Inc., is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the Dr. Loebel’s significant career contributions relating to the invention of important new applications of antimicrobial photodynamic disinfection therapy (APDT). Dr. Loebel’s extensive PDT experience spans over 20 years yielding major advancements of both the science and clinical translation of APDT. Through the development and commercialization of numerous first-of-kind APDT based medical devices that treat and prevent multidrug resistance infections, Dr. Loebel has been a leading force in the success of APDT translation from bench to field, treating more than 300,000 patients. His career efforts have substantially contributed to the demonstration of safety and efficacy benefits of APDT to patients and significant cost savings to healthcare systems.
The International Photodynamic Association (IPA) is pleased to announce that there were 2 Gold Medals awarded by the Awards Committee. The following Gold Medal awards were announced at the PDT-PDD Update Symposium and will be presented formally at the upcoming 18th IPA World Congress in Tampere, Finland July 10th-15th, 2023. The Gold Medal is the IPA’s most prestigious award and recognizes the outstanding scientists who have made extraordinary advancements to the field of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and to the IPA community.
David Kessel, Professor Emeritus of Wayne State University’s Department of Pharmacology, has been awarded the IPA Gold Medal. Professor David Kessel is a recognized pioneer in the field of Photobiology and a long-standing, major contributor to several photobiology-based communities including the International Photodynamic Association. Professor Kessel’s career research work in PDT spans over 4 decades. His work and commitment to the field of PDT has enabled significant contributions directly, as well as indirectly, through the outcomes of the research of the many researchers and clinicians he has inspired and mentored over the years. Having 478 publications with over 33,000 citations and 90,000 reads, he is a major contributor to the success of PDT globally and he has been recognized with many awards for his leadership in this field. Professor Kessel continues to support the IPA community as a PDT Ambassador and serves as a member of the IPA Board of Directors.
Tayyaba Hasan, Professor of Dermatology at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Harvard Medical School (HMS) and a Professor of Health Sciences and Technology (Harvard-MIT), is the recipient of the IPA Gold Medal. There are very few who have contributed so much to the advancement and sustainability of the field of photodynamic therapy as Dr. Hasan. Her career research work and association efforts span 4 decades. Dr. Hasan’s leadership in both areas have made significant and lasting contributions to PDT. Her impact is best observed through the legacy of talented PDT researchers that she has directly (through the Hasan Laboratory) and indirectly inspired all around the world. With over 248 publications and 23 inventions from research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Defense and industry grants. For her work, Dr. Hasan has received many significant and prestigious awards for her numerous achievements in the field of PDT.
With the 2023 World Congress less than a year away, we encourage you to help us recognize the special talents and efforts of both teams or individuals from around the world that are enabling the advancement of PDT globally. Please go to our nominations form via the awards nomination form on IPA website.