Meet the 2026 Awardee: Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir, MD, MS, ATSF
Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir is Associate Professor and Chief of the Pediatric Pulmonary Division at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York Presbyterian. She also holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health. She completed her general pediatrics training at the Children’s Hospital of Montefiore in the Social Pediatrics program and her pediatric pulmonary fellowship at New York Presbyterian – Columbia. Her research is focused on understanding how environmental factors impact children with asthma, particularly in urban and minoritized communities. Dr. Lovinsky-Desir’s multidisciplinary approach to studying urban environmental asthma has led to fruitful collaborations throughout several schools at Columbia including the School of Medicine, Public Health, Nursing, and the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory. She has co-authored over 70 peer reviewed manuscripts and book chapters on her research. Her current work is funded by the National Institutes of Health and she is the recipient of past awards including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Amos Medical Faculty Development Award, and the Health Effects Institute. She recently served on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Air Act Scientific Advisory Committee as a member of the particulate matter panel in 2021 and is currently on the EPA’s Children's Health Protection Advisory Committee. She is an elected member of the Society for Pediatric Research and in 2019 was recognized by the journal Pediatric Research for the Early Career Investigator Spotlight. She is also the recipient of the 2019 American Society for Clinical Investigation Young Physician-Scientist Award and the 2021 Robert B. Mellins, MD Outstanding Achievement Award from the Pediatric Assembly of the American Thoracic Society. Dr. Lovinsky-Desir is an elected member of the Society for Pediatric Research and is a very active Fellow of the American Thoracic Society including membership on several committees within the Pediatric Assembly and as the chair of the ATS Health Equity and Diversity Committee. She is also a spokesperson for the American Lung Association.
Description
This award is given to a mid-career candidate who is recognized for achievements in research, mentorship, clinical care, education, advocacy, or scholarship. Individuals should be known for their contributions to the field of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine. Candidates in Pediatric Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Neonatal Medicine will be considered.
Eligibility
- The nominee must be a member of the ATS.
- Nominees must be at the Associate professor level or within <5 years of full Professor, and within 10-20 years from their first academic appointment.
- Active contributions to the ATS and the Pediatrics Assembly in the form of Committee Chairmanships will be viewed favorably.
- MD and Ph.D. applicants will be accepted.