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‘Reinvigorated’ Henry Hood award put the spotlight on research excellence
Research - Strategic Priority: Turn hypotheses into health by disseminating and implementing research results
An important strategic goal of Geisinger College’s new Drive to THRIVE plan is to sharpen the focus on disseminating and celebrating achievements in research.
This year, Vice Dean for Research and Chief Scientific Officer Christa Martin, PhD, said her team took a major step toward that goal. “One highlight of this year was re-invigorating the Henry Hood Award for Clinical and Research Excellence, which recognizes excellence in research that advances clinical care,” she said. “This year’s awardee was Dr. Chris Still, professor of medicine at the School of Medicine and founding director of the Center for Obesity and Metabolic Health at Geisinger. Dr. Still’s research has resulted in several significant discoveries including the identification of a gene that protects against liver disease which has led to drugs being developed that we’ll soon be able to offer to our patients in early clinical trials.”
Dr. Still founded Geisinger’s Obesity Institute (now the Center for Obesity and Metabolic Research) in 2008.
“I am humbled and honored to be the recipient of the Henry Hood Award,” Dr. Still said. “Through our work at the Center for Obesity and Metabolic Research, we focus on the same mission of improving patient care through clinical and research excellence that Dr. Hood practiced during his career. This is a privilege that I don’t take lightly.”
The Henry Hood Award includes a prize of $50,000 to be used to advance clinical care through research, innovation and education at Geisinger.
Named for the late Geisinger neurosurgeon and CEO Henry Hood, MD, the award was established by Geisinger’s board of directors to honor dedication to excellence through clinical practice and state-of-theart research that advanced and enhanced patient care.
