Aesthetic Plastic Surgeon Receives Presidential Early Career Award For Science And Engineering

Main Category: Cosmetic Medicine / Plastic Surgery
Article Date: 12 Nov 2007 - 3:00 PDT

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J. Peter Rubin, M.D., a newly inducted member of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) and University of Pittsburgh plastic surgeon, is the first plastic surgeon known to be awarded the distinguished Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering (PECASE). The award was presented on November, 1, 2007, in Washington, DC, in recognition for Dr. Rubin's groundbreaking research on using fat-derived stem cells to engineer soft tissue.

The Presidential Award embodies the high priority placed by the government on maintaining the leadership position of the United States in science by producing outstanding scientists and engineers who will broadly advance science and the missions important to the participating agencies.

Nine federal departments and agencies annually nominate scientists and engineers who are at the start of their independent careers and whose work shows exceptional promise for leadership at the frontiers of scientific knowledge. Participating agencies award these talented scientists and engineers with up to five years of funding to further their research in support of critical government missions. The National Institutes of Health, which supported his research grant, "Injectable Engineered Tissue for Cancer Reconstruction," nominated Dr. Rubin for the honor.

"I am so honored to have received this award," says Dr. Rubin. "This award is wonderful recognition that plastic surgeons conduct important research and make meaningful contributions to medical science."

Dr. Rubin, an assistant professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School Of Medicine, is also the director of the Life After Weight Loss Program and the Adipocyte Biology Laboratory, and co-director of the Aesthetic Surgery Center. He is also a member of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery's Body Contouring Committee.

According to the White House, PECASE represents the highest honor that a young scientist or engineer can receive in the United States. The Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, established in 1996, honors the most promising researchers in the Nation within their fields.

The 2400-member American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) is the only plastic surgery organization devoted entirely to the advancement of cosmetic surgery. ASAPS is recognized throughout the world as the authoritative source for cosmetic surgery education. U.S. members are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Canadian members are certified in plastic surgery by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

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