Gozal Earns Award for Contributions to Pediatric Respiratory Medicine

David Gozal, MD, the Marie M. and Harry L. Smith Endowed Chair of Child Health at the MU School of Medicine, will be awarded the American Thoracic Society (ATS) Assembly on Pediatrics Lifetime Contributions to Pediatric Respiratory Medicine Award.

This award is given for achievement in teaching, clinical care, advocacy, scholarship or research over the course of a career. It recognizes individuals who have contributed greatly to the specialty, dedicating a lifetime of work to the advancement of pediatric respiratory medicine.

“Dr. Gozal is an international expert in the field of sleep medicine who has truly dedicated his entire career to the study of childhood sleep problems and the relationships between sleep disorders and other conditions,” said Steven Zweig, MD, dean of the School of Medicine. “We are fortunate to have someone of his expertise on our faculty, and we congratulate him on this outstanding achievement.”

Gozal’s research has been funded by multiple National Institutes of Health grants. He’s focused on translational approaches to pediatric sleep disorders, such as childhood obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and sudden infant death syndrome. He has published more than 700 peer-reviewed articles, more than 150 book chapters and reviews, edited four books and has extensively lectured at scientific meetings around the world.

“It is always wonderful to be recognized by your peers, but the fact that many of my previous trainees nominated me is particularly gratifying,” Gozal said. “A recognition award is always bittersweet since it somehow attests to the quality of the job done but does not identify all of those who helped me make it happen. To all of them, I am truly grateful.”

The ATS award will be presented during the Assembly on Pediatrics membership meeting on May 10, 2021.