PHILADELPHIA, May 21, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- The American Pediatric Surgical
Association (APSA) awarded N. Scott
Adzick, MD, Surgeon-in-Chief at Children's Hospital of
Philadelphia (CHOP), the 2024
Robert E. Gross Award for Excellence
in Pediatric Research and Achievement on Saturday, May 18, at its annual meeting in
Phoenix, Arizona. The award
recognizes a seminal contribution by an individual who has made a
major impact on pediatric surgery, whose innovative contributions
have resulted in a significant change in how pediatric surgeons
manage a particular problem, and the results have been demonstrated
to be durable with time and widely accepted by pediatric surgeons
as "standard practice."
Adzick has been a trailblazer in the field of fetal medicine
since its inception. His steadfast dedication to quality of
surgical care and translational research has profoundly shaped the
medical community's approach to pediatric and fetal surgery.
"I was deeply touched to learn of this prestigious recognition,"
said Adzick, who is also the C. Everett Koop Professor of Pediatric
Surgery at CHOP and a Professor of Surgery, Obstetrics and
Gynecology at the University of
Pennsylvania School of Medicine. "It's a privilege to be
part of the legacy of Robert E.
Gross MD who had a pioneering commitment to innovation,
compassion, and excellence in the field of pediatric surgery."
Adzick is the founder and director of CHOP's Richard D. Wood Jr. Center for Fetal Diagnosis
and Treatment (CFDT). Opened in 1995, the center is the
largest and most comprehensive fetal program in the world, treating
expectant mothers and their unborn babies from all 50 states and
more than 70 countries. He and his colleagues have cared for more
than 32,000 expectant mothers and have performed more than 2,400
fetal surgeries, making fetal surgery a widespread and
life-changing option for babies and families.
Since founding the CFDT, Adzick has continued to study and
evolve the practice of fetal surgery. He was the principal
investigator for the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
"Management of Myelomeningocele Study" (MOMS) at CHOP, published in
the New England Journal of Medicine in 2010. This
breakthrough study demonstrated that performing fetal surgery
for spina bifida could greatly enhance outcomes for children with
this condition. He has since co-authored follow-up studies,
revealing that these benefits have continued for more than 10 years
and improve mobility and quality of life.
A relentless advocate for medical progress, Adzick was also the
driving force behind the world's first birth facility exclusively
for mothers carrying babies with known birth defects. Babies
delivered in CHOP's Garbose Family Special Delivery Unit (SDU)
are prenatally diagnosed with birth defects, such as spina bifida
or congenital heart disease, and either undergo fetal surgery to
treat the condition before birth or need immediate specialized care
or surgery after birth.
A prolific researcher and educator in the field, Dr. Adzick has
had National Institutes of Health grant support for more than 30
years. He has contributed more than 600 peer reviewed publications
to the medical literature and has trained 56 pediatric surgery
fellows and more than 50 pediatric surgical research fellows. He
was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 1998.
In addition to his fetal surgery work as a pediatric general and
thoracic surgeon, he performs a large volume of neonatal surgery.
As a part of the Congenital Hyperinsulinism Center team, Dr. Adzick
has performed more than 630 pancreatectomies —the most of any
surgeon in the world — and more than 300 babies have been cured of
focal hyperinsulinism through surgery. He is also a leader of the
Pediatric Thyroid Center team, which has demonstrated that high
thyroid surgery volumes at CHOP are associated with extremely low
complication rates.
About Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
A non-profit, charitable
organization, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the
nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing
commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new
generations of pediatric healthcare professionals, and pioneering
major research initiatives, the hospital has fostered many
discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric
research program is among the largest in the country. The
institution has a well-established history of providing advanced
pediatric care close to home through its CHOP Care Network, which
includes more than 50 primary care practices, specialty care and
surgical centers, urgent care centers, and community hospital
alliances throughout Pennsylvania
and New Jersey, as well as the
Middleman Family Pavilion and its dedicated pediatric
emergency department in King of
Prussia. In addition, its unique family-centered care and
public service programs have brought Children's Hospital of
Philadelphia recognition as a
leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more
information, visit https://www.chop.edu.
Contact: Ashley Moore
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
267-426-6071
moorea1@chop.edu
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SOURCE Children's Hospital of Philadelphia