INTERNATIONAL BURN FOUNDATION AWARDS DAVID N. HERNDON, M.D., WITH THE 2014 TANNER-VANDEPUT-BOSWICK BURN PRIZE
Dr. David Herndon to be honored for career contributions to the field of burn care research and clinical practice.
Durham, NC – April 28, 2014. The International Burn Foundation (IBF) today announced that the Tanner-Vandeput-Boswick Burn prize for 2014 will be given to Dr. David N. Herndon of Galveston, Texas. The prize, which totals approximately $100,000, will be presented at the Congress of the International Society for Burn Injuries (ISBI) to be held in Sydney, Australia October, 2014. In addition to the cash award the prize includes a gold and diamond pin designed by the late Dr. J.C. Tanner.
“Dr. Herndon has devoted his career to the research and treatment of burn injuries” according to a statement from the Jane Boswick-Caffrey, Chairmen of the IBF, “His contributions to the field have made a significant impact on the care and treatment of burn victims, and the leadership he has brought to the burn care profession has been exemplary.”
“It was humbling for me to be considered for this award, given the giants of research who have preceded me as recipients” said Dr. Herndon during a recent interview. “Since I began my career as a burn specialist in the 1980’s, great progress has been made in the field of burn injuries, particularly the reduction in mortality for those suffering from massive burn injuries. The focus on rehabilitation and improving long term function has dramatically increased healing of not only the patient’s wounds, but the whole human being.”
Dr. Herndon received both undergraduate and medical degrees from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland Ohio. Since completing his surgical residency at the New York Hospital in 1980, has focused his talents as surgical clinician, teacher, and investigator on the challenges presented by burn injury. His studies, chronicled in over 950 articles in biomedical journals and140 textbook chapters and supported by NIH funding for over 30 years, have touched on virtually every aspect of burn pathophysiology and therapy, as well as the organization and delivery of burn care. Additionally, Dr. Herndon has mentored 174 fellows many of whom staff and/or direct burn centers in the United States and other countries. The ultimate validation of Dr. Herndon’s accomplishments resides in the innumerable severely burned children who have survived and undergone effective psychosocial reintegration because of the improvements in care based upon the clinical and laboratory studies conducted under his leadership.
“While we have made great strides in treatment of burn injuries, there is still much work to do in developing countries. Even small burns can result in fatality if we can’t find ways of applying successful treatment regimens to burn patients.” Dr. Herndon stated, “Our challenge for the future is to bring more treatments of early burn wounds to burn care centers, in both urban and rural communities, through-out the world.”
About the Tanner-Vandeput-Boswick Burn Prize:
The Tanner-Vandeput-Boswick (TVB) Burn Prize was established in 1984 by the late Dr.J.C. Tanner of Atlanta, GA. Dr. Tanner, assisted by Dr. Jacques Vandeput, invented the Tanner-Vandeput Mesh Dermatome, a device that enables skin grafts to be expanded to cover a larger area of a patient’s burn. The International Burn Foundation (IBF) was created to promote and administer the TVB Burn prize. Dr. Tanner honored the contributions of the late Dr. John Boswick, first Chairman of the Foundation Board of Directors, by adding his name to the prize. The prize is quadrennial, and will be given out again in 2018.