ERS Maurizio Vignola Gold Medal in Asthma 2015

Adnan Custovic

Professor Adnan Custovic's research focuses upon the origins and natural history of asthma and allergy across the life-course, with an emphasis on prevention and translation for patient benefit. He publishes in top rate journals (>250 peer-reviewed papers), has supervised 17 PhD/MD students to completion, and serves on 13 journal editorial boards. His current research programme combines world-leading expertise in birth cohorts and statistical machine learning, and capitalises on the developments within the field of computer sciences to provide powerful new tools that are well suited to the challenge of integration of different scales of data (from molecular-level to population-level), and different levels of directness of measurement of factors.

He received the BSACI William Frankland Award for outstanding contribution to clinical allergy in the UK (2013), and the CIPP President's award for distinguished achievements in childhood asthma (2013). He delivered numerous prestigious keynote/named lectures, including Nemacolin Asthma Conference (2014), Alain De Weck Memorial Lecture (2013), Cas Motala Memorial Lecture (South African Allergy Society, 2013), James Hutchison's Memorial Lecture (Hong Kong Paediatric Society, 2012), the RSM Priscilla Piper Lecture (2011) and Caspar Weinberg Lecture (2007).

He served as BSACI Secretary (two terms), and as EAACI Asthma Section President.

Professor Stephen Holgate, Chair of the ERS Scientific Council, said: "Professor Custovic is one of the most prolific researchers in the field of allergy and asthma and his datasets and secure e-Lab promote dialogue and coordination between world-leading experts across disciplines. His ability to build networks has allowed him to make great progress in asthma research."

ERS has launched this new award to recognise excellence in asthma research. The ERS Maurizio Vignola Gold Medal in Asthma grants €50,000 to a researcher who has made an outstanding contribution in the field of asthma and is pursuing an active research project in asthma. This prize is financially supported by Chiesi and Chiesi Foundation.

Professor Custovic will be presented with the ERS Maurizio Vignola Gold Medal in Asthma during
the Opening CeremonyCeremony, on Saturday 26 September, 2015 from 17:45 in the Auditorium.

Professor Custovic will be discussing Preschool wheezing and the role of allergy in its pathogenesis, treatment, and prognosisrole of allergy in its pathogenesis, treatment, and prognosis at the Symposium on Preschool Wheeze.