Category: News

UAB CCTS, Apr 15, 2024

The Clinical Research (CR) Forum, a non-profit membership association of top clinical research experts and thought leaders from the nation’s leading academic health centers, presented the Distinguished Clinical Research Achievement Award to two outstanding studies at the Top Ten Clinical Research Achievement Awards on April 2nd at the Paris Hotel Las Vegas, and for the second year in a row, CCTS investigators were recognized for their achievements.

This year, the CRF awarded the study entitled “Azithromycin to Prevent Sepsis or Death in Women Planning a Vaginal Birth (A-PLUS),” led by Dr. Waldemar Carlo, Professor of Pediatrics, co-Division Director of Neonatology and Edwin M. Dixon Endowed Chair, and Dr. Alan Tita, Professor and Senior Vice Chair for research and innovation in UAB’s Obstetrics and Gynecology Department. The A-PLUS trial represents a landmark study with global reach enrolling more than 29,000 women in seven low- and middle-income countries with significant health disparities. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2023, the project created an evidence base for a low-cost intervention that can be used to reduce maternal sepsis and deaths in underserved regions on a global scale.

The CR Forum presents its annual Top Ten Clinical Research Achievement Awards to highlight outstanding research advances that involve both innovation and impact on human diseases. A complete list of the 2024 Top Ten Award Winners can be found at www.clinicalresearchforum.org.

“This year’s award winners demonstrate the immense value of our nation’s investment in clinical research, and the direct impact of that work on the health of millions of people in the United States,” said Harry P. Selker, MD, MSPH, CR Forum Board Chair and Dean of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute at Tufts University. “For many, these innovative studies and related clinical trials may represent the only hope for surviving a life-threatening disease. They also pave the way to advance new therapies and treatments that improve public health.”

The Distinguished Clinical Research Achievement Award is presented to the top two studies that show creativity, innovation, or a novel approach that demonstrates an immediate impact on the health and well-being of patients. The study, “Azithromycin to Prevent Sepsis or Death in Women Planning a Vaginal Birth,” is one of this year’s honorees.