News — ROCKVILLE, MD (February 7, 2024) — Recognizing the impact of his research and outstanding leadership in the field of immunology, Gary Koretzky, M.D., Ph.D., DFAAI (AAI ’92), will receive the American Association of Immunologists (AAI) Lifetime Achievement Award, the association’s highest honor, at the AAI annual conference IMMUNOLOGY2024TM, May 3-7 in Chicago. Dr. Koretzky joins 14 other luminaries at various stages of their careers who will receive AAI Career Awards celebrating their professional accomplishments and promise. By celebrating individual excellence, AAI is actively investing in the future of the field, ensuring its ongoing progress and impact on global health.
A professor at Weill Cornell Medicine, Dr. Koretzky’s research has explored how receptor engagement on immune cells transduced their signals, resulting in appropriate development and activation. His research also uncovered unexpected roles, such as the positive regulatory function of CD45 in T cell signaling. He further pushed boundaries by identifying and characterizing SLP-76, the first hematopoietic-specific adapter protein, and demonstrating its essential role in T cell development and signal transduction through the T cell antigen receptor. His research extended beyond T cells, uncovering SLP-76's influence on signal transduction pathways in other immune cell types and its involvement in lymphatic vessel development. In addition to these remarkable achievements, Dr. Koretzky has explored the realm of negative regulators in immune cell signaling, investigating the roles of CD95 and diacylglycerol kinase (DGK). Notably, his research has shown that inhibiting DGK can enhance responses to cancer.
Dr. Koretzky has had an impressive impact throughout his illustrious career. He served as President of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, received the prestigious Howley Prize from the Arthritis Foundation, and has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Additionally, he received an NIH MERIT Award and has served on numerous NIH advisory councils, including NIAMS and the Council of Councils. He is also a Master of the American College of Rheumatology.
In addition to being an AAI Past President, Dr. Koretzky served on the AAI Awards Committee, Clinical Immunology Committee, Nominating Committee (including as chair), and Program Committee. He is a past associate and section editor for The Journal of Immunology. He has also served as a faculty member for the AAI Introductory Course in Immunology. He was instrumental in establishing AAI’s public awareness initiative.
As an influential mentor, Dr. Koretzky has played a pivotal role in shaping the next generation of scientists. Having trained 25 Ph.D. students and more than 30 postdocs, many of whom now lead their own laboratories, he continues to leave an enduring legacy in the field of immunology.
AAI congratulates the 14 2024 Career Awardees:
AAI Excellence in Mentoring Award
Jeffrey A. Frelinger, Ph.D., DFAAI (AAI ’76)
Univ. of Arizona
Dr. Frelinger is honored in recognition of his dedication to the profession through the outstanding mentoring of more than 50 doctoral and postdoctoral trainees.
AAI Distinguished Service Award
Eugene M. Oltz, Ph.D., DFAAI (AAI ’95)
Ohio State Univ. Col. of Med.
Dr. Oltz is recognized for outstanding service as editor-in-chief of The Journal of Immunology, 2018Öª–2023.
AAI Vanguard Award
Tonya J. Webb, Ph.D. (AAI ’10)
Univ. of Maryland Sch. of Med.
Dr. Webb is honored in recognition of her significant contributions to the field of cancer immunotherapy and exemplary commitment to teaching and service.
AAI-BD Biosciences Investigator Award
Gabriel D. Victora, Ph.D. (AAI ’15)
Rockefeller Univ.
Dr. Victora is honored in recognition of outstanding research contributions in germinal center biology and humoral immunity.
AAI-BioLegend Herzenberg Award
John C. Cambier, Ph.D., DFAAI (AAI ’78)
Univ. of Colorado Sch. of Med.
Dr. Cambier is honored in recognition of exemplary research contributions that have been integral to understanding B cell receptor signaling and its modulation.
AAI Lancefield Mid-Career Achievement Award Presentation and Lecture
Stephanie Eisenbarth, M.D., Ph.D. (AAI ’17)
Northwestern Univ. Feinberg Sch. of Med.
Dr. Eisenbarth is honored in recognition of her outstanding research on how innate immune activation regulates adaptive immunity and her exemplary commitment to teaching and service.
AAI-Steinman Award for Human Immunology Research
Jane H. Buckner, M.D. (AAI ’09)
Benaroya Res. Inst.
Dr. Buckner is honored in recognition of significant contributions to defining and characterizing the genetic basis of human autoimmunity.
AAI-Thermo Fisher Meritorious Career Award
Thirumala-Devi Kanneganti, Ph.D. (AAI ’10)
St. Jude Children's Res. Hosp.
Dr. Kanneganti is honored in recognition of outstanding research contributions to inflammasome biology.
AAI ASPIRE Awards
These awards recognize early career research accomplishments and professional promise in the field of immunology.
Siyuan Ding, Ph.D. (AAI ’19)
Washington Univ., St. Louis
Ruth A. Franklin, Ph.D. (AAI ’20)
Harvard Univ.
Weishan Huang, Ph.D. (AAI ’17)
LSU
Chaoran Li, Ph.D. (AAI ’19)
Emory Univ.
David R. Martinez, Ph.D. (AAI ’23)
Yale Sch. of Med.
Zhenyu Zhong, Ph.D. (AAI ’19)
Univ. of Texas Southwestern Med. Ctr.
For more information about the AAI Career Awards, visit .
About The American Association of Immunologists
Founded in 1913, The American Association of Immunologists (AAI) () is an association of professionally trained scientists from all over the world dedicated to advancing the knowledge of immunology and its related disciplines. AAI members have been responsible for some of the most significant immunological discoveries of the past century, including the development of cancer immunotherapies, monoclonal antibodies, transplant technologies, and dozens of life-saving vaccines. The organization counts among its members. AAI owns and publishes , the oldest and most established journal in the field, as well as , an open-access, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the science of immunology.
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