James “Jim” Gern, MD, vice chair of research and professor and division chief of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, has received the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) 2022 Distinguished Scientist Award. The AAAAI awards honor scientific contributions to Allergy / Immunology that have advanced research, and they recognize leadership contributions to the specialty. Gern’s specific award was in recognition of his focus on identifying mechanistic pathways that promote the inception of asthma in children.
Gern’s research group conducts several NIH-funded translational research studies, and he leads an asthma birth cohort consortium known as the Children’s Respiratory and Environmental Workgroup, or CREW. CREW combines data from 13 US birth cohorts to identify personal, lifestyle and environmental factors that modify the risks for allergic diseases and asthma.