Irshad Chaudry, Ph.D., professor emeritus with the Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, recently became the first-ever recipient of the Shock Society’s Mentoring Award. The award, which was presented to Chaudry last week during the Shock Society’s virtual annual conference, was created to honor a society member who has had a demonstrated impact as a mentor to the next generation of scientists and clinician-scientists in the field of shock research.

Chaudry was nominated by another member, who provided two letters of support from his past mentees.

Since 1973, Chaudry has mentored over 100 students, post-doctoral fellows and residents. This includes individuals at UAB over the past 21 years he has taught within UAB’s Departments of Surgery, Microbiology, and Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology. Even so, he described his reaction to receiving the inaugural award in three words: “flabbergasted, surprised and humbled.”

“It is truly rewarding to see that people I had the pleasure of working with go on to become academic leaders, chairs of departments or section chiefs who are very successful and highly recognized and respected in their field,” Chaudry said.

Chaudry is a founding member and past president of the Shock Society, a professional association for clinicians and researchers dedicated to improving the care of patients with trauma, shock, and sepsis. Chaudry currently serves as Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of SHOCK, the Shock Society’s journal, and is a senior advisor to the society’s Mentorship Committee.

“Dr. Chaudry is an internationally recognized leader in the field of shock research, an outstanding role model, and an exceptional mentor,” said Laurie Kilpatrick, Ph.D., president of the Shock Society. “Dr. Chaudry’s strong commitment to mentoring has nurtured the development of numerous young investigators who have gone on to make important contributions to our society and the field of shock research.”