Public release date: 20-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Garth Hogan ghogan@asmusa.org 202-942-9389 American Society for Microbiology

The winner of the esteemed Cubist-ICAAC Award is George L. Drusano, M.D., Institute for Therapeutic Innovation of the University of Florida, for his application of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modeling to antiviral and antimicrobial drug development. According to his nominator, Michael Dudley, Rempex Pharmaceuticals, "Drusano and his colleagues have published groundbreaking work using pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics to simulate and then validate dosing regimens to maximize the safety and efficacy of antibiotics. The breadth and importance of his work is remarkable."

After graduating magna cum laude, from the Honors Program at Boston College, Drusano received his M.D. from the University of Maryland School of Medicine where he graduated cum laude, . He completed his medical internship and residency at the University of Maryland Hospital, where he was Chief Resident and also a Fellow in Medicine in Infectious Diseases.

Drusano, a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), is an active reviewer and has served as editor of the section of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics for Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy for 10 years. Currently he is an Editor for mBio. He has authored over 290 articles.

Also an active volunteer, Drusano was a member of the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapeutics (ICAAC) Program Committee and the IDSA Program Committee. He has served on multiple National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Review Groups and as an ad hoc member of NIAID Council on two occasions to support issues regarding emergence of bacterial resistance. He also serves as a consultant to NIAID and CDC on Biodefense issues. Drusano has been a member of the Subcommittee on Guidelines for Bacteremia and Endocarditis of the Antimicrobial Agents Use Committee, a joint effort of the IDSA and the Food and Drug Administration. In 2010, he was Chair of the Gordon Conference on New Antimicrobial Discovery and Development. He has won a number of awards, including being named Distinguished Investigator of the Year (2003) by the American College of Clinical Pharmacology. Most recently, he was named recipient of the Maxwell Finland Award for Scientific Achievement for 2012 from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.

An active researcher, Drusano has focused on mathematical modeling and the pharmacodynamics of anti-infective chemotherapy, especially the pharmacodynamics of fluoroquinolone antimicrobials, anti-tuberculosis agents, multiple anti-viral agents and the therapy of biodefense pathogens. Paul G. Ambrose, Institute for Clinical Pharmacodynamics, says, "Drusano is a distinguished scholar and scientist who pioneered work in anti-infective pharmacology and antimicrobial resistance, and helped redefine infectious disease chemotherapy as we know it today."

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The Cubist-ICAAC Award will be presented during ASM's 53rd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), September 10-13, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. ASM is the world's oldest and largest life science organization and has more than 40,000 members worldwide. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health, economic, and environmental well-being.

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The American Society for Microbiology honors George L. Drusano