ATA to honor 2011 recipient of Lewis E. Braverman Lectureship Award on Oct. 29

The American Thyroid Association's (ATA) Lewis E. Braverman Lectureship Award recognizes a member of the ATA who has demonstrated excellence and passion for mentoring fellows, students, and junior faculty and has a long history of productive thyroid research. The association will present an honorarium to E. Chester "Chip" Ridgway, MD, the 2011 recipient of the Lewis E. Braverman Lectureship Award, on October 29, 2011, at its 81st Annual Meeting, held October 26-30 in Indian Wells, California.

Dr. Ridgway holds several key positions at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, including Executive Vice Chair Medicine, Frederic Hamilton Professor of Medicine, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and Vice Chair, Department of Medicine. He came to the University of Colorado in 1985 to become Head of the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes, and he served in that capacity until 2007. Previously, he was Head of the Thyroid Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston.

His research centers on thyroid stimulating hormone and its regulation of the thyroid gland, focusing specifically on the development and regulatory factors that control the alpha and beta subunits of thyroid stimulating hormone. He has also extensively studied the role of thyroid hormones in altered cardiac, brain, pulmonary, skeletal muscle, hepatic, and adipocyte function associated with disorders of the thyroid gland and the identification of therapeutic strategies.

Dr. Ridgway is a past-president of the ATA (1996-1997) and of the Endocrine Society (2003-2004). He has served in numerous capacities within the ATA, including as a member of the Board of Directors, a committee chair, and a member of various committees.

Throughout his career, Dr. Ridgway has excelled in his role as a mentor and has influenced many individuals in the field that have gone on to assume leadership positions. Many fellows and trainees have benefited from the opportunity to work directly with Dr. Ridgway over the years, and he has also worked closely with the clinical fellows that attend the Thyroid Fellows day that precedes the ATA Annual Meeting each year. He has encouraged many endocrine fellows to participate in this annual event and to become active ATA members. He has also shared his expertise and passion for the field of thyroidology with many young physicians and research assistants, inspiring them to pursue careers in endocrinology.