Respiratory Care Editor Dean Hess Receives Chadwick Medal

Dallas, TX (April 28, 2011)Respiratory Care Editor-in-Chief Dean R. Hess, PhD, RRT, FAARC, has received the prestigious Henry D. Chadwick Medal from the American Lung Association of New England's Medical & Scientific Branch, known formerly as the Massachusetts Thoracic Society.

The Chadwick Medal is the highest honor awarded by the Branch, given each year to recognize meritorious contributions to the study and treatment of tuberculosis and other thoracic diseases. Previous winners have ranged from John H. Emerson, MD, inventor of the iron lung, to Richard H. Overholt, MD, a pioneer in the antismoking movement.

In addition to his role as editor-in-chief of Respiratory Care , published by the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC), Dr. Hess is assistant director of respiratory care at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and an associate professor of anesthesia at Harvard Medical School. He has published more than 200 papers and a number of books related to the respiratory care field and has also served on the editorial boards of several other medical journals. His research interests range from adult mechanical ventilation and critical care monitoring to aerosol delivery techniques.

Dr. Hess is a Fellow of both the AARC and the American College of Chest Physicians and has served on numerous professional committees throughout his career. He was president of the National Board for Respiratory Care in 1992-1993 and has received a number of awards, including the Shubin-Weil Master Clinician/Teaching Award from the Society of Critical Care Medicine in 2009, and several teaching awards from Massachusetts General Hospital and the Harvard Pulmonary and Critical Care fellowship program, awarded between 1996 and 2001.

Dr. Hess received the Forrest M. Bird Award for Lifetime Scientific Achievement from the American Respiratory Care Foundation in 1999 and was awarded the AARC's highest honor, the Jimmy A. Young Medal, in 2006.

About the AARC

The American Association for Respiratory Care, headquartered in Dallas, is a professional association of respiratory therapists that focuses primarily on respiratory therapy education and research. The organization's goals are to ensure that respiratory patients receive safe and effective care from qualified professionals as well as supporting respiratory health care providers. The association continues to advocate on behalf of pulmonary patients for appropriate access to respiratory services provided by qualified professionals. Further info rmation about the AARC and how to become a respiratory therapist are available at www.AARC.org . 

Contact: Sherry Milligan
972-243-2272
milligan@aarc.org