C. Richard Boland, MD, chief of the division of gastroenterology services at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, has received a lifetime achievement award for his distinguished career in gastroenterological research.
Dr. Boland was awarded American Gastroenterological Association's (AGA) 2015 William Beaumont Prize in Gastroenterology. The Beaumont Prize recognizes a member's major contribution that has significantly advanced gastroenterological basic or clinical research. Past recipients have included Nobel Prize winners, the team of researchers that first discovered the Hepatitis C virus, and the "father of modern transplantation" Dr. Thomas Starzle.
Dr. Boland was honored at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) May 16-19 in Washington, D.C. DDW is the world's largest and most prestigious meeting for the GI professional. The gathering typically attracts more than 14,000 physicians, researchers and academics.
John Carethers, MD, professor and chairman of the department of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Health System, said, "Rick has been a singular leader in this field, and deserves our recognition for his accomplishments. He is unique in his ability to understand the basic aspects of the disease and direct a laboratory that performs creative experiments to provide clinical insights into (colorectal cancer)."
Career Dedicated to Unlocking the Mysteries of Hereditary Colorectal Cancer
Dr. Boland is past president of the AGA. He has had an outstanding academic career, having continuously been supported by National Institutes of Health funding since 1979, with a research focus on colorectal cancer (CRC). He has published more than 360 papers and written authoritative chapters in several textbooks for internal medicine, gastroenterology and genetics. Dr. Boland has been recognized for his numerous contributions to the understanding of familial CRC, helping to define the Lynch syndrome, and identifying the unique gene mutation that allows CRC to occur in multiple family members.
Barbara Jung, MD, associate professor of medicine and chief of the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of Illinois Chicago, said, "Dr. Boland's pivotal discoveries into the molecular basis of Lynch syndrome and dissection of the genes involved in DNA mismatch repair have opened new avenues for diagnosis and treatment of this underrecognized condition and sparked a myriad of follow-up hypothesis and studies around the world. His innovative investigative approach is an example of using cutting edge technologies to shed light on a complex disease syndrome. Dr. Boland lives and breathes his science and is the quintessential physician-scientist gastroenterologist. His enthusiasm and mentorship is infectious and he has directly or indirectly shaped countless investigators' careers."
Dr. Boland became chief of gastroenterology services at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas in 2003. Baylor Dallas is nationally recognized for treating patients with digestive and colon/rectal issues. U.S. News & World Report ranked Baylor Dallas among the nation's top 50 hospitals in for gastroenterology/digestive disease in 2014, for the 18th time.
Prior to coming to Dallas, Dr. Boland worked at University of California, San Francisco; the University of Michigan, and the University of California, San Diego. He received his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and his M.D. from Yale Medical School. Dr. Boland is currently on sabbatical to write a book about Lynch syndrome, a term he coined and a condition that afflicted several of his relatives.
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