The Children’s Tumor Foundation’s Friedrich von Recklinghausen Award is given to individuals in the professional neurofibromatosis community who have made significant contributions to neurofibromatosis research or clinical care. It is named after Friedrich Daniel von Recklinghausen (1833-1910), the German physician who first described ‘von Recklinghausen’s disease’ – what we now know as neurofibromatosis type 1.
It is with great pleasure that the Children’s Tumor Foundation announces the 2020 recipient of the Friedrich von Recklinghausen Award, Prof. Dr. D. Wade Clapp, of the Indiana University School of Medicine, where he serves in multiple capacities. He is the Richard L. Schreiner Professor and Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics, physician-in-chief for Riley Hospital for Children and a Professor of Microbiology & Immunology/Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Dr. Clapp is one of the rare physician-scientists, who is making significant breakthrough contributions to all forms of NF. From his contributions to the basic understanding of NF to the creation of key preclinical models, he is considered by many to be the global gold standard in this broad role. Dr. Clapp’s list of accomplishments in NF is very long, and he truly stands out in his commitment to unique collaborations. He was a principal investigator in the NF preclinical consortium and Synodos for NF2. They are two transformational team science efforts that have been successfully building a preclinical pipeline that front-load, accelerate and diversify the drug candidates for clinical trials. Dr Clapp also has a long track-record as an out of the box thinker when it comes to leveraging previous investments. The most recent one being the National Cancer Institute’s Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE), a 5-year, $12 million national research project, leveraging his work in the NF preclinical consortium and aimed at efficiently bringing new treatments for pediatric cancers, with the focus being on NF1.
We are very proud and delighted that the community honored Dr. Clapp’s major achievements to NF by selecting him as the 2020 FVR award winner.
The Friedrich von Recklinghausen Award is presented during the NF Conference. Click here for more information about the largest annual gathering of NF experts.
