Meet the 2025 Winner: Mark Wurfel, MD, PhD
Dr. Wurfel holds the David J. Pierson, MD Endowed Professorship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Washington and the Medical Director of the Bronchoscopy and Pulmonary and Critical Care Consult services at Harborview Medical Center. After finishing Medical School at Weill Cornell University Medical College and a Doctorate in Immunology from the Rockefeller University he completed a Residency and Chief Residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Washington. He remained in Seattle for a Fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and has been on Faculty at the University of Washington since 2005. His research program has focused on understanding the molecular and genomic risks for organ dysfunction and death in the critically ill. His group has published extensively on the “molecular epidemiology” of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) in patients with sepsis or who have sustained major trauma. He has also performed randomized controlled trials testing the efficacy of the blockade of innate immune inflammation mediated by CD14 in severe COVID-19 and he has a particular interest in the role of innate immune inflammation in the development and severity of organ dysfunction in critical illness.
Description
This award is intended for an established, internationally recognized investigator with a record of sustained exemplary achievement in the scientific areas of the Assembly. There is a single award given per year where the awardee will receive a framed certificate and make a 5-minute presentation of their work to the AII Assembly at the annual Assembly Membership Meeting. There is no monetary award given for this recognition.
Qualifications
- The awardee must be a Primary or Secondary AII member.
- The nominee does not necessarily need to be an academic; investigators from industry or other settings are also eligible.
- Previous awardees are not eligible for the same award.
Nominations
- Nominations will come from AII Primary or Secondary Assembly members.
- Submit a completed nomination form summarizing how the nominee has impacted their field or advanced scientific discovery. Include examples (from manuscripts, quality improvement initiatives, etc.) that support why the nominee merits this honor.
- Upload the nominee’s NIH Biosketch or equivalent research CV, limit 5 pages – please make sure that this reflects all of the activities noted on the nomination form.