The International Burn Foundation of the United States
Press Release
2026 Tanner-Vandeput-Boswick Burn Prize
INTERNATIONAL BURN FOUNDATION AWARDS DAVID GREENHALGH, MD, FACS, FABA, WITH THE 2026 TANNER-VANDEPUT-BOSWICK BURN PRIZE
Dr. David Greenhalgh to be honored for landmark contributions to pediatric burn care, wound healing research, burn sepsis guidelines, and burn survivor advocacy.
Durham, NC – June 2026. The International Burn Foundation (IBF) today announced that the Tanner-Vandeput-Boswick Burn Prize for 2026 will be given to Dr. David Greenhalgh, MD, FACS, FABA, of Sacramento, California. 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 Santiago, Chile on October 12, 2026. In addition to the cash award, the prize includes a gold and diamond pin designed by the late Dr. J.C. Tanner.
“Dr. Greenhalgh has made a tremendous contribution to the field of burn care,” said Jane Boswick-Caffrey, Chairperson of the IBF. “His contributions span clinical treatment, scientific advancement, leadership, and a specific impact on providing compassionate care for survivors. He is very deserving of this honor.”
A Career of Seminal Contributions
Dr. Greenhalgh received his medical degree from the State University of New York Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse and completed his general surgery residency at the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont. He went on to complete a burn fellowship at Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington, Seattle. He started working at the University of Cincinnati and Shriners Burns Institute in 1989. In 1997, he joined the University of California, Davis and Shriners Children’s Northern California, where he served as Chief of Burns for over two decades, building the program from a small regional unit into a world-renowned pediatric burn center. Clinically, Dr. Greenhalgh’s philosophy of “do it right the first time” has been promulgated internationally and is the foundation for modern pediatric surgical burn treatment. His groundbreaking paper on abdominal compartment syndrome in burned children helped transform what was once a frequent complication into a rare one. With over 300 peer-reviewed publications, a burn care textbook, and 35 book chapters, his scholarly impact is unmatched in the field.
From a research standpoint, Dr. Greenhalgh has made major contributions to several aspects of burn care including resuscitation, infection, and wound healing. He spearheaded international efforts to define burn infection and sepsis, publishing the first burn sepsis guidelines still used worldwide. During his career, Dr. Greenhalgh was awarded 36 research grants and mentored more than 35 clinical burn fellows.
Champion of Burn Survivors
Perhaps Dr. Greenhalgh’s greatest legacy is his tireless advocacy for burn survivors. He served on the Board of the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors and co-founded the American Burn Association’s Aftercare and Reintegration Committee in 2007, a landmark effort to ensure that recovery extends beyond the hospital. His work has helped expand peer support and aftercare resources to over 90 burn centers nationwide.
“He was able to show up within the burn survivor community with humility, compassion and a deep desire to learn from patients. With all his successes and achievements, he always made you feel welcome and a valued part of the team,” said Amy Acton RN, CEO of the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors. “He helped us all move past the end goal of just survival – to a new aspirational goal of helping those injured truly thrive.”
National and International Leadership
Dr. Greenhalgh served as President of both the American Burn Association (2006–2007) and the International Society for Burn Injuries (2021–2022). He has received the ABA President’s Leadership Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, the Harvey Stuart Allen Distinguished Service Award, and the Phoenix Society’s Alan and Delwyn Breslau Award – the highest distinction of the Phoenix Society.
“It is a tremendous honor,” said Dr. Greenhalgh. “I love doing this work – getting the award is wonderful, but what truly matters is the care we provide to patients and families, and seeing survivors go on to thrive. Burns is a small, global community, and I am humbled to be recognized among such extraordinary colleagues.”
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, awarded every four years at the ISBI Congress.