Presidential Travel Awards

The Shock Society has established travel awards in honor of past deceased presidents. Awards will be presented to young investigators at the Sunday awards dinner. Shock Society members are encouraged to nominate future named presidential awards – Click here for nomination guidelines.

Arthur Baue Presidential Travel Award

Arthur E. Baue was a founding member of the Shock Society and served as its 5^th president in 1982-1983. Dr. Baue’s contributions to shock research and to the Shock Society are substantial as a thought leader in the management of surgical patients, as a scientist, and as a mentor. In his 1975 Archives of Surgery paper “Multiple, progressive, or sequential system failure: a syndrome for the 1970s”, Dr. Baue established the paradigm of multiple organ failure that still guides shock research today. While serving as Chair of Surgery at Jewish Hospital (Washington University) and at Yale University, Dr. Baue was the consummate surgeon-scientist and educator. He had a rare talent for attracting outstanding scientists and then providing them with an intellectual environment in which they would thrive. A testimony to his mentorship and the fertile environment that he provided is the fact that three of his mentees went on to become presidents of the Shock Society (Irshad Chaudry, Mohammed Sayeed, and Mark Clemens) as well as international leaders such as Hiroyuki Hirasawa and Eugen Faist. Dr. Baue was also instrumental in the founding of the International Federation of Shock Societies and served as its first president. Even after his retirement, Dr. Baue remained active in the Shock Society attending many annual meetings and continuing to publish articles on shock and critical care.
 
 

Mitchell Fink Presidential Travel Award
 
Mitchell P. Fink is a respected researcher, teacher, author, and clinician. Dr. Fink was the Founding Chair of the Department of Critical Care Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. In his career, Dr. Fink conducted many original experimental studies probing the host response to sepsis, trauma, and shock, which helped to form our current understanding of these syndromes. He also performed a number of highly cited clinical studies, authored or co-authored more than 290 scientific publications, and served on the editorial boards of various critical care journals including Critical Care Medicine, Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutic, and Journal of Leukocyte Biology. Dr. Fink has been the editor or co-editor of 12 books.
 
In 2007, Dr. Fink transiently left the world of academic medicine to become President and Chief Executive Officer of Logical Therapeutics, Inc., a venture-backed biotechnology company located near Boston, Massachusetts. In this role, Dr. Fink raised more than $30 million from a syndicate of highly regarded venture capital funds, built a team of experienced pharmaceutical development experts, and advanced LT-NS001, a novel naproxen pro-drug, through key early safety and proof-of-concept clinical trials.
 
Dr. Fink’s research interest is focused on alterations in epithelial function due to inflammation. His research program was continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for more than 20 years. He is a Past-President of the Shock Society (1997-1998), a past Chair of the Program Committee for the Society of Critical Care Medicine, and a member of other prestigious scientific and medical societies. Dr. Fink also has been on the Defense Sciences Research Council (DSRC) of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Surgery, Anesthesiology and Trauma (SAT) study section of the NIH.
 
 

Jureta Horton Presidential Travel Award

Dr. Jureta Whitfill Horton was a member and a past President of the Shock Society. Her academic achievements are well known and are a testament to her passion for research and strong advocacy for promoting high-quality care. Dr. Horton matriculated as valedictorian of her high school class, graduated Our Lady of the Lake College Magna cum laude in Chemistry and Biology in San Antonio in 1962, and received her PhD in 1981 from the University of Texas Southwestern, where she was later appointed as a faculty member. For over 30 years, Dr. Horton was a leader investigator in the field of burn and shock continuously funded by the NIH. Her career was rewarded with high academic positions as Professor of Surgery and Director of the UT Southwestern Burn Center. She was the author of over 200 published articles and 300 abstracts, and a member of 3 editorial boards and seven professional societies.
 
Her contribution to the Shock Society was profound; and her legacy in education and science still impacts the career of many scientists in the field of shock and trauma. Dr. Horton joined the Society in 1983, inspiring and fostering generations of members with her enthusiasm and dedication. She served as Basic Science Counselor (1991-1996), Chair of the Awards and Honors Committee (1993-1994), President-Elect (1999-2000), President of the Society (2000-2001), and Past-President, Member of Council (2001-2005). In recognition of these and other contributions, she received the Shock Society Distinguished Service award in 2002. Dr. Horton was the first woman president of the Shock Society in 2000-2001 and, serving in that responsible position, she demonstrated a unique and strong leadership combining a tireless enthusiasm with the power of encouragement, which makes her one of the most successful and beloved mentors of our society.
 
 

Daniel Traber Presidential Travel Award

Dr. Traber made significant contributions to the betterment of Shock Society. He served as a Charter member of the Society from 1978, and he also served on the Membership Committee from 1980 to 1984, Program Committee from 1982 to 1985, Young Investigator Award Committee from 1982 to 1985, Committee of International Relations from 1988 to 1991, and 2000 to 2012, and Nominating Committee 2011 to 2012. He served also as a Program Committee Chairman from 1984 to 1985 and Counselor from 1987 to 1990 and from 2010 to 2012. Dr. Traber served the Society as a President from 2010 to 2011 as well. He was awarded the Shock Society Distinguished Service Award in 2012.
 
Dr. Traber performed research in fields of “Shock” and critical care for 45 years since 1967. He published more than 486 peer-reviewed original manuscripts in high-ranked journals in the fields of critical care and shock. Among them, he published 86 original articles in the journal Shock. He also published 76 book chapters and 4 books in the field. Dr. Traber served as ad hoc reviewer for Shock since 1987, when journal’s name was Circulatory Shock. He also served as an editorial board member for Shock since 1993. Dr. Traber mentored and trained more than 100 Post-doctoral Fellows from 16 different countries and numerous graduate and medical students. Many of them became independent investigators, intensivists, and professors that are significantly contributing to the Shock Society betterment and saving the lives around the world.

 

Mohammed Sayeed Presidential Travel Award

Mohammed Sayeed was a founding member and a past President of the Shock Society (1998-1999). Under Dr. Arthur E. Baue’s Chairmanship at Jewish Hospital of St. Louis/Washington University School of Medicine, he was instrumental in rewriting our understanding of pathobiology of cell dysfunction following low flow conditions. His career continued to flourish and he became Professor of Physiology and Surgery, and later Director of Trauma/Critical Care Research at Loyola University Medical Center. Dr. Sayeed was continuously funded by NIH and his research interests ranged from mitochondrial function in shock, and calcium signaling in sepsis, to changes in immune cell function following experimental infection and burn. His expertise and insight was frequently sought by the NIH and he served as a regular member of Surgery Anesthesia and Trauma Study Section in addition to numerous NIH sub-committees. He also served other research funding agencies including Veterans Administration and the American Lung Association as well as editorial boards of several scientific journals including Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol and Crit Care Med. He was a founding member of the Editorial Board of Circulatory Shock and an Associate Editor of SHOCK. Throughout his scientific career, Dr. Sayeed was a supporter of quality publication of basic science in injury, shock, and sepsis.
 
Dr. Sayeed was an active supporter of the Shock Society’s mission from its inception and served the membership in many capacities - from a Councilor, to Scientific Program Chairman, to societal President. As Chairman of the Society’s International Relations Committee and Secretary of the International Federation of Shock Societies, he was a strong advocate of international fellows and students making their way through the scientific milieu of the United States academic/professional environment. In summary, Dr. Sayeed was a valued member and beloved colleague, whose warm presence, supportive advice and intuitive scientific insights remain the guiding light for many investigators in the area of shock research.
 
 

Carol Wells Presidential Travel Award
 
Carol L Wells selflessly shared her expertise with Medical Laboratory Science students, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, medical residents and colleagues over the course of her career. She was a member of myriad NIH Study Sections from 1987 until her death. Carol was an Editorial Board Member of the journal Shock and she held the following offices within the Shock Society from 1995 until 2008: Councilor (1995-1998), Treasurer (1998-2002), President-Elect (2001-2002), President (2002-2003), Committee Member (2003-2005) and Councilor (2003-2008). Carol received the following awards from the Shock Society: Distinguished Service Award (2004) and Scientific Achievement Award (2006). Carol was an enthusiastic Scientist, consistently funded by the NIH as well as the author of innumerable publications (well over 100). Carol’s wit and wisdom will surely be missed by all who knew her.