Colson, Davidson Among First Recipients of New CIMIT Awards

Michael J. Davidson, MD, of Cardiac Surgery, is among the first four recipients of the CIMIT-Johnson & Johnson Young Clinician Researcher Awards, and Yolonda Colson, MD, PhD, of Thoracic Surgery, received a special study award for an outstanding physician.

“With this award, we were looking to attract young, innovative clinicians in the Boston area who are passionate about patient care and willing to dedicate time to translational research,” John A. Parrish, MD, director of CIMIT, said.

CIMIT, a Boston-based research consortium of major teaching hospitals and engineering schools dedicated to advancing patient care through collaboration and development of novel technologies, offers annual multidisciplinary team awards. The new CIMIT-Johnson & Johnson awards are funded through Johnson & Johnson’s Corporate Office of Science and Technology.

Davidson is working on techniques for heart valve repair, a procedure that most often requires open-heart surgery. For some patients who are elderly or have other health problems, open-heart procedures carry serious risk. Davidson’s work to develop percutaneous, less-invasive approaches for valve repair will offer an alternative

Colson was recognized for her innovative research on lung cancer. In particular, Colson will study tumor recurrence at the site of prior surgical resection, which often calls for removal of a large part of the normal lung. She will assess local delivery of drugs that could minimize surgical resection of “the good lung” to prevent spread and recurrence

Colson, Davidson and awardees from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Children’s Hospital Boston and MGH will be honored at a special reception.