Dr. George Alba Announced as Latest Harold Amos Scholar in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine

George Alba, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard has been named the inaugural American Thoracic Society/American Lung Association/American College of Chest Physicians-Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program Scholar. 

“I am immensely grateful to the American Thoracic Society, the American Lung Association and the American College of Chest Physicians for partnering with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to fund this initiative,” said Dr. Alba. “I started my junior faculty career as a physician-investigator in pulmonary and critical care medicine on the eve of a global viral respiratory pandemic that strained our community, laid bare long-standing inequities in medicine, and underscored the vital need to foster a diverse academic medical workforce.” 
Lauded as an exceptional candidate by the Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program (AMFDP) Advisory Committee, Dr. Alba will officially become a scholar on July 1, 2023. He will receive $420,000 over four years to support his research.

“This award comes at a critical time for my career: it ensures I can continue my research on pulmonary vascular thrombosis while allowing me the flexibility to extend the work into acute respiratory distress syndrome,” said Dr. Alba. “I look forward to working on this project with my local mentors while receiving additional layers of mentorship and sponsorship from the distinguished members of the Harold Amos National Advisory Committee.”

“After reviewing an impressive group of candidates, Dr. Alba stood out as an outstanding applicant deserving of this scholarship,” said David Wilkes, MD, national director of the Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and a member of the American Thoracic Society and the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST). “I am looking forward to witnessing his growth over the next four years as he continues to augment our knowledge in pulmonary medicine. The future of lung disease research is in good hands.” 

"We are extremely proud that our partners in respiratory medicine have joined with us to speak with a collective voice about the importance of diversity in our field and to invest in the AMFDP,” said ATS President, Gregory Downey, MD, ATSF. He added: “The field will most certainly benefit from Dr. Alba’s contributions in accelerating research while rising to the occasion as a role model for other junior researchers from historically-marginalized backgrounds.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated how broadly population health could improve with more active discoveries in, and new understanding of, acute respiratory disease,” says David Schulman, MD, MPH, FCCP, president of the American College of Chest Physicians. “Projects like those being led by Dr. Alba will allow us to continue to advance respiratory medicine, while simultaneously improving diversity and inclusion within health care. This will not only lead to improved outcomes for our patients but will also improve the trust that the public has in the health care system.”  

"It is critical to the advancement of lung health and the care of patients to have physicians and scientists from diverse backgrounds, so we are honored to provide support for Dr. Alba and increase diversity in pulmonary medicine,” said Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the American Lung Association. “We welcome Dr. Alba to the American Lung Association Research Team and look forward to seeing how his research improves lung health for all Americans.”

Developed to increase the number of faculty from historically marginalized backgrounds pursuing careers in medicine, dentistry, or nursing, the AMFDP invites applicants to apply each year to help shape medicine into a more equitable, more accessible practice. 

Interested in applying in 2023? Register here.