September 22, 2006

Allen C. Steere, MD, honored

Each year the Massachusetts Arthritis Foundation honors two outstanding physicians with the Dr. Marian Ropes Award for excellence in arthritis care and leadership in the fight against arthritis. This year, Allen C. Steere, MD, director of MGH Clinical Research in Rheumatology, will be honored with the distinction at the foundation's 12th annual Physician Achievement Award Dinner Oct. 6 at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel.

Steere (left) is known worldwide as a pioneer of Lyme disease research and is considered an exemplar in translational research. After discovering and identifying Lyme disease in 1977, he conducted studies that paved the way for the development of a Lyme disease vaccine.

At the award dinner, Steere will be recognized for his achievements. Among the dinner chairs are Samuel Thier, MD, former president and CEO of Partners HealthCare, and Jonathan Kay, MD, of MGH Rheumatology. Also among the event planning committee members are Dennis Burke, MD, and Henry Mankin, MD, both of MGH Orthopædics.