PIDS Recognizes David Kimberlin with the 2022 Walter T. Hughes Distinguished Physician Award

Renamed to honor PIDS’ first president, the award is presented to a pediatrician with a distinguished career in pediatric infectious diseases marked by significant contributions in infectious diseases

David Kimberlin, MD, FPIDS, an internationally respected clinician and researcher in neonatal herpes simplex virus infections, is the 2022 Walter T. Hughes Distinguished Physician Award honoree. Renamed in 2022 in memory of a founding member and first PIDS president, the annual award recognizes a pediatrician with a distinguished career in pediatric infectious diseases marked by significant contributions, including those as a clinician, educator, or investigator.

The award was presented during the Opening Plenary of this year’s in-person and virtual hybrid IDWeek (October 19-23), the premier scientific meeting for infectious diseases professionals, in Washington, D.C.

Part of the faculty at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Pediatrics since 1996, Dr. Kimberlin is Vice Chair for Clinical and Translational Research and Co-Director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. He is the current principal investigator for the Congenital and Perinatal Infections Collaboration (CPIC), part of the National Institutes of Health-funded Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network. CPIC builds on the work of a prior NIH-funded network of pediatric academic medical centers that evaluated antiviral therapeutics in rare diseases with a large unmet medical need. Under Dr. Kimberlin’s leadership, the group continues to focus on reducing the morbidity and mortality of congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease, neonatal herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections and neonatal virus sepsis attributed to enteroviruses and human parechoviruses.

“PIDS is delighted to honor Dr. Kimberlin with the Hughes Award for his extensive contributions to pediatric infectious diseases throughout his career,” said PIDS president C. Buddy Creech, MD, MPH, FPIDS. “Dr. Kimberlin’s work has fundamentally changed how we diagnose and manage viral infections in children, and families around the world are the beneficiaries of his life-saving work.”

This recognition follows Dr. Kimberlin winning the PIDS Distinguished Service Award in 2019 and his tenure as PIDS president from 2013-2015. Additionally, he has authored more than 500 scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals and medical textbooks, served as editor of the 2021 American Academy of Pediatrics Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases (the Red Book) and associate editor of the sixth edition of Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Diseases.

Dr. Kimberlin earned his medical degree from University of Texas Southwestern. He went on to complete his residency and pediatric infectious diseases fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern.

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About PIDS PIDS membership encompasses leaders across the global scientific and public health spectrum, including clinical care, advocacy, academics, government, and the pharmaceutical industry. From fellowship training to continuing medical education, research, regulatory issues and guideline development, PIDS members are the core professionals advocating for the improved health of children with infectious diseases both nationally and around the world, participating in critical public health and medical professional advisory committees that determine the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases, immunization practices in children, and the education of pediatricians. For more information, visit http://www.pids.org.