 | Drs. Thomas Corbridge, Jacob Iasha Sznajder, and Karen Ridge (l to r) |
A Celebration of LegacyThe Inaugural Tripartite Legacy Faculty Award in Translational Science and Education Jacob Iasha Sznajder, MD, was honored with the inaugural Tripartite Legacy Faculty Award in Translational Science and Education by the Office of the Dean on June 19. Conveying prestigious honor, the award is bestowed to the faculty member who best exemplifies three characteristics—exceptional research with dynamic applications to translational science, exemplary teaching and mentoring, and inspiring leadership in the areas of research and teaching. The award was established to commemorate the medical teaching legacies of Hijimans van den Bergh, MD, Isadore Snapper, MD, Hans Popper, MD, Fenton Schafner, MD, and Geoffrey Kent, MD, PhD. These nineteenth and twentieth century pioneering giants in medical research and education methods shared a history of research, collaboration, teaching, mentoring, and leadership. Dr. Geoffrey Kent was an internationally recognized leader in the field of liver disease who made singular contributions at Northwestern as professor and chief of Pathology. Through generous philanthropy of the Morningstar Foundation, his son and daughter-in-law, Paul and Fran Kent, established and supported the award. At the award ceremony, Dr. Sznajder was honored by Jeffrey Glassroth, MD, vice dean and chief academic officer, and J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD, vice president for medical affairs and Lewis Landsberg Dean of the Feinberg School of Medicine. Dean Jameson welcomed the audience of faculty, staff, students, and donors, commenting that the award was “a wonderful celebration of legacy—the Kent family’s legacy and the educational legacy of the medical school.”  | Paul Kent (r) led a toast to 2008 Tripartite Legacy Scholar Dr. Sznajder |
Upon accepting the award, Dr. Sznajder, who serves as Ernest S. Bazley Professor of Medicine and chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, graciously shared the recognition with his own mentors, Drs. Larry Wood and Aaron Ciechanover, as well as two of his colleagues and mentees in the division, Karen Ridge, PhD, and Thomas Corbridge, MD. Dr. Sznajder also elaborated on his work, describing how his basic science research is being translated into critical care treatment options for patients. In their remarks, Drs. Ridge and Corbridge both emphasized how deserving Dr. Sznajder was of this inaugural award. Dr. Ridge recalled how in her early work, Dr. Sznajder provided infinite patience and leadership, guiding her to become an independent investigator.“The joy of working with Iasha is his passion for the research and his ability to help others achieve their goals,” Dr. Corbridge said. “This is a wonderful tribute for the right person.” At the reception following the award ceremony, Mr. Kent toasted Dr. Sznajder and his predecessors, saying “We all, at Northwestern, are connected to the gifts from our past—recipients of a high ideal by many that came before and shared selflessly with us. Let us celebrate our achievements together; those so uniquely cast this year by Dr. Sznajder and his team. And let us commit to carry on this leadership with a legacy-force that will not end.” Photo credit: Nathan Mandell | 
