Cystic Fibrosis Foundation honors UB pediatrics professor

Drucy S. Borowitz, clinical professor in the Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, has received a major national award from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for her groundbreaking research.

Borowitz, chief of the pulmonology division at the Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo and director of its cystic fibrosis (CF) center, received the Richard C. Talamo Distinguished Clinical Achievement Award, one of the foundation’s highest honors, for her cutting-edge research. Named for a pediatrics professor at Johns Hopkins University who later became chair of medicine at Tufts University, the award recognizes individuals who have spent their careers caring for people with CF and whose contributions have significantly impacted the course of the disease.

“This year’s honorees have made tremendous progress in improving the quality of life for people with cystic fibrosis,” Preston W. Campbell III, executive vice president for medical affairs at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, says of Borowitz and co-honoree Wayne Morgan of the University of Arizona. He adds they are the “epitome of professional excellence and compassionate care.”

The awards were presented during the 2013 North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference in Salt Lake City.

Borowitz played a key role in developing a breakthrough drug approved for treatment of a less-common CF gene mutation. She also is leading a study aimed at understanding factors that interfere with the growth of infants with CF, funded by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

Borowitz has expertise in nutritional and gastrointestinal issues in CF. She has been principal and co-principal investigator on more than 35 clinical studies over the past two decades and is involved in efforts to bring more gastroenterologists into the CF field.

The Family Advisory Council of Women and Children’s Hospital also recently honored Borowitz with the Children’s Champion Award for her patient- and family-centered care, her dedication to honoring families’ choices and perspectives, and the communication and support she provides.