Meet the 2025 Winner: Wassim Labaki, MD, MS
Wassim Labaki, MD, MS is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Michigan, where he serves as the medical director of the Lung Volume Reduction Program and co-chairs the COPD Quality Improvement Committee. His clinical experience caring for patients with COPD has driven his research, which focuses on leveraging metabolomics and advanced chest imaging to better understand COPD phenotypes and progression. He is also an investigator in multiple COPD clinical trials and cohort studies. He has been actively involved in the ATS Assembly on Clinical Problems, contributing to the Program, Apprenticeship and Journal Club Webinar committees.
Description
The award will be given to an individual who has made outstanding scientific contributions in clinical, translational, or laboratory-based research relevant to Clinical Problems. This award is to recognize an individual who has made these contributions early in his or her career (Instructor or Assistant Professor level or at an equivalent rank in a non-academic institution). We encourage nomination of diverse nominees, including but not limited to gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, country, area of focus and primary occupation.
Award Presentation
Awardees will be presented with a framed certificate during the annual Clinical Problems Membership Meeting at the ATS International Conference, during the Clinical Problems business meeting at which time the Chair of the Clinical Problems Assembly and Planning Committee chair will jointly present the award to the awardee. The awardee will have the opportunity to speak about what this award means to them. Awardees will also be announced on ATS platforms including the website and social media accounts. A letter of recognition will also be sent to the designated institutional leader.
Criteria
- Nominee: Recipient must be a primary member of the Clinical Problems Assembly as this award seeks to highlight ATS members with direct and specific contributions to the ATS Clinical Problems Assembly.
- Must be at the Instructor or Assistant Professor level or at an equivalent rank in a non-academic institution.
- Nominator: Nominations can be submitted by any ATS member. Nominators who are not Clinical Problems Assembly members can submit nominations, as long as the nominee meets the qualifications above and the area of the nominee’s work matches the award goals.
- Application elements:
- The nomination package must include a letter from an ATS member describing why the applicant should receive this award.
- Nominee's curriculum vitae must also be included.
- Name, title and email address for nominee’s division chief, or other institutional leader who should be notified of this nomination and award, if selected.
- Scoring Metric(s): Applications will be reviewed by the Clinical Problems Planning Committee, utilizing a scoring scale ranking each of the following metrics:
- Nominee contributions to clinical, translational, or laboratory-based research relevant to Clinical Problems. (MAJOR CRITERION)
- Past, present or anticipated future contribution to the ATS Clinical Problems Assembly. (MAJOR CRITERION)
- Additional minor scoring criteria can include nominee characteristics such as efforts related to diversity/equity/inclusion or work/location in a low-to-middle income setting. Nominators are encouraged to highlight these and other unique characteristics of the nominee they would like the committee to consider.
- Repeat or carry over applications: Nominations for this award will not be carried over from prior years. A new application will need to be submitted in order for the same nominee to be considered for the same award during the next year's call for award nominations of application.