ASCI Milestone Awards
The American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) honors Julie Zikherman, MD, with the ASCI/Marian W. Ropes, MD, Award. Dr. Zikherman is recognized for her outstanding research revealing the mechanisms of B cell tolerance that restrain autoimmunity and her dedication to mentorship. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at UCSF and serves as Associate Chief for Basic Research in the Division of Rheumatology. Among other leadership positions, she serves on the UCSF Physician-Scientist Scholar Program Steering Committee and the Physician-Scientist Career Development Program Advisory Council. Dr. Zikherman was elected to the ASCI in 2021. ASCI President-Elect Dr. Julie A. Bastarache, Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, interviewed Dr. Zikherman at the AAP/ASCI/APSA Joint Meeting in Chicago in April 2026.
The American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) honors Joseph C. Wu, MD, PhD, with the 2026 Stanley J. Korsmeyer Award. Dr. Wu is recognized for his seminal contributions to the understanding and application of human induced pluripotent stem cells in cardiovascular disease and his impactful mentorship of trainees. He is Director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute and the Simon H. Stertzer, MD, Professor of Medicine and Radiology. Dr. Wu was elected to the ASCI in 2012 (Councilor, 2014–2017). He is also a member of the Association of American Physicians (AAP) and National Academy of Medicine, as well as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. ASCI President Dr. Priscilla Y. Hsue, Chief of the Division of Cardiology at UCLA, interviewed Dr. Wu at the AAP/ASCI/American Physician Scientists Association Joint Meeting in April 2026.
The American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) honors Frederick Kofi Korley, MD, PhD, with the 2026 ASCI/Louis W. Sullivan, MD, Award. Dr. Korley is recognized for his pioneering research in acute care diagnostics and therapeutics, and his impactful commitment to training physician-scientists. He is Professor and Associate Chair for Research in Emergency Medicine at the University of Michigan as well as Scientific Director of the Massey TBI [traumatic brain injury] Grand Challenge, sponsored by the University of Michigan Weil Institute. Dr. Korley chairs the American College of Emergency Physicians TBI expert panel and was the 2021 recipient of the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine Mid-Career Investigator Award. He was elected to the ASCI in 2024. ASCI President-Elect Dr. Stephen Y. Chan, Vitalant Chair in Vascular Medicine and Professor of Medicine and Director of the Vascular Medicine Institute at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC, interviewed Dr. Korley at the AAP/ASCI/APSA Joint Meeting in Chicago in April 2026.
The American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) honors Consuelo H. Wilkins, MD, MSCI, with the 2025 ASCI/Louis W. Sullivan, MD, Award. Dr. Wilkins is recognized for her paradigm-shifting work identifying health disparities and engaging underrepresented groups in clinical research. Dr. Wilkins is Mildred Thornton Stahlman Chair in Rural Health and Professor of Medicine in the Geriatrics Division at Vanderbilt University Medical Center as well as Associate Director for the Vanderbilt Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and Engagement Core Director of the All of Us Research Program. She served as Founding Director of the Center for Community Health and Partnerships in the Washington University in St. Louis Institute for Public Health, Codirector of the Center for Community-Engaged Research in the Clinical and Translational Science Awards Program, and Director of Our Community, Our Health. Dr. Wilkins was elected to the National Academy of Medicine and, in 2022, the ASCI. Dr. Sherita H. Golden, Past Chair of the ASCI Physician-Scientist Engagement Committee and Hugh P. McCormick Family Professor of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, interviewed Dr. Wilkins at the AAP/ASCI/APSA Joint Meeting in Chicago in April 2025.
The American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) honors Alexander G. Bick, MD, PhD, with the 2025 ASCI/Seldin~Smith Award for Pioneering Research. Dr. Bick is recognized for his application of computational genomics and experimental techniques to advancing understanding of blood cancer and cardiovascular disease. He is Director of the Division of Genetic Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and was elected to the ASCI in 2025. Dr. Bick received his MD and PhD in genetics from Harvard and completed a residency at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and fellowship at the Broad Institute. Rajan Jain, MD, ASCI Councilor and William Wikoff Smith Associate Professor in Cardiovascular Research at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, interviewed Dr. Bick at the AAP/ASCI/APSA Joint Meeting in Chicago in April 2025.
Copyright © 2026 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)