LUPUS FOUNDATION OF AMERICA - Mary Betty Stevens, M.D., Young Investigator Prize

Mary Betty Stevens, M.D., Young Investigator Prize

The Lupus Foundation of America, Inc. (LFA) established in 2009 the Mary Betty Stevens, M.D., Young Investigator prize, to be given in recognition of the exceptional achievements of an investigator in the early part of his or her independent career in lupus research. This award was created to memorialize Dr. Stevens' outstanding contributions to lupus research over the course of her long career.

Current Recipient

2012 - Diane Leigh Kamen, MD, MSCR

Past Recipient

Candidates for this prize must meet the following criteria:

All candidates must be licensed physicians
They must be nominated by a peer
Five or fewer years out from their first full-time assistant professorship or equivalent in an academic or clinical research setting
Nominees must be independent investigators conducting original research in basic science or clinical development and translation in the field of lupus

About Dr. Mary Betty Stevens

Mary Betty Stevens, M.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.R., graduated from Vassar College in 1948 and went on to receive her degree in medicine from Johns Hopkins University, where she remained for the duration of her illustrious career. While at Hopkins Dr. Stevens was appointed chair of the Division of Rheumatology -- the first woman to occupy a division chair in the Department of Medicine at Johns Hopkins, as well as director of rheumatology at Good Samaritan Hospital. Dr. Stevens developed the Hopkins-Good Samaritan Rheumatic Disease Unit, which became renowned for clinical research on lupus and vasculitis.

Dr. Stevens was unfailingly enthusiastic about teaching, patient care and the creation of new information. She was widely admired as a devoted physician, a masterful clinician, and an inspirational teacher who encouraged those around her to question the science, push the boundaries, and excel. It is because of this passion that Dr. Stevens attracted hundreds of medical students, residents, and fellows to study at her side.

In 1991, three years before her death, she received the Distinguished Rheumatologist Award from the American College of Rheumatology. The recipient of many other awards and honors, Dr. Stevens particularly cherished the George J. Stuart Award she was given in 1971 for excellence in clinical teaching.