PIDS Honors Patricia M. Flynn with the 2023 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

Patricia Flynn, MD, an accomplished clinician, researcher, and educator who focuses on improving outcomes for children and youth living with HIV, is the 2023 Walter T. Hughes Distinguished Physician Award honoree. This award recognizes a pediatrician with a distinguished career in pediatric infectious diseases marked by significant contributions to the specialty. It was renamed last year in memory of Dr. Walter T. Hughes, the first PIDS president, Dr. Flynn’s mentor and predecessor as Chair of Infectious Diseases at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The award was presented during the Opening Plenary of this year’s in-person and virtual hybrid IDWeek (October 11-15), the premier scientific meeting for infectious diseases professionals, in Boston, MA. Additional awards and recognitions will take place during Thursday evening’s PIDS Foundation Annual Dinner and the PIDS Membership Meeting on Friday afternoon.

The current Arthur Ashe Chair of Pediatric AIDS Research in the Department of Infectious Diseases at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Dr. Flynn is also co-associate dean in the St. Jude Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and full professor at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center (UTHSC). She is recognized globally for her contributions to pediatric and adolescent HIV care and research. Her leadership in prevention and treatment pediatric trials has proven pivotal to the field. Dr. Flynn currently serves as Vice-Chair of the NIH-funded International Maternal Pediatric and Adolescent Clinical Trials Group (IMPAACT) Network and Chair of the IMPAACT Network Scientific Monitoring Committee.

“It is an honor to present the Hughes Award to Dr. Flynn in recognition of her dedication and contributions to pediatric infectious diseases,” said PIDS president C. Buddy Creech, MD, MPH, FPIDS. “Dr. Flynn’s work has profoundly advanced our approach to the prevention and treatment of pediatric HIV. I can imagine no finer recipient of the Walter T. Hughes award than his former trainee – and exceptional physician in her own right – Pat Flynn.”

Dr. Flynn has contributed to more than 145 original research publications and 46 other publications in peer-reviewed journals. Additionally, she has authored 65 book chapters while maintaining continuous research funding for 38 years, being the principal investigator (PI) or co-PI on grants and contracts from the American Cancer Society, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, National Institutes of Health, Ryan White Foundation, industry partners, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Flynn earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from Louisiana State University. She completed her pediatrics residency and pediatric infectious diseases fellowship at UTHSC and St. Jude. In 2002, she was awarded a Master of Science in Epidemiology from the University of Tennessee.

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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.