GENEVA, IL (October 20, 2014)The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) recently honored four distinguished members for their outstanding service and dedication to the profession of hair restoration surgery. The award recipients were honored at the ISHRS 22nd Annual Scientific Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in October 2014.
The Manfred Lucas Award is the ISHRS’s highest honor and not given every year. The recipients of this award are rare talents indeed. The Manfred Lucas Award honors the memory of an artistic hair restoration surgeon, a wonderful human being with a joyful presence. Manfred was an artist by training and could see aspects of balance and harmony in a hairline which escaped many at the time.
The 2014 Manfred Lucas Award was awarded to Russell G. Knudsen, MBBS, FISHRS, of Sydney, Australia. Dr. Knudsen received the award not only for excellence in hair restoration and sharing that excellence and knowledge through presentations and papers, but also for his commitment to the ISHRS shown by his participation and throughout his career maintaining the highest ethical standards. A founding member of the ISHRS and current Fellow, Dr. Knudsen has served the Society in many capacities including past president and editor of The Hair Transplant Forum International. He has authored two current textbooks and numerous articles on hair transplantation.
The Golden Follicle Award, bestowed annually to an ISHRS member who has made outstanding and significant clinical contributions related to the field of hair restoration surgery, was presented to James A. Harris, MD, FISHRS, of Denver, Colo. Dr. Harris is one of the earliest pioneers in performing follicular unit extraction efficiently. A clinical instructor at the University of Colorado’s School of Medicine in Denver, Dr. Harris has lectured extensively around the world and co-authored a textbook, “The Hair Replacement Revolution: A Consumer’s Guide to Effective Hair Replacement Techniques.” A Fellow of the ISHRS, Dr. Harris currently serves on the Society’s Board of Governors.
The Platinum Follicle Award, awarded for outstanding achievement in basic scientific or clinically-related research in hair pathophysiology or anatomy as it relates to hair restoration, was presented to Kenneth J. Washenik, MD, PhD, FISHRS, of Beverly Hills, Calif. A board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Washenik has spent most of his medical career researching all aspects of dermatologic disease, including hair loss and inflammatory and infectious dermatoses. For over a decade, he has focused his research on hair loss and researching tissue engineered hair follicle neogenesis and cellular based hair restoration. He earned his PhD in cell biology from Baylor College of Medicine. A former director of the Dermatopharmacology Unit at NYU School of Medicine in New York, Dr. Washenik still serves as faculty in the school’s Department of Dermatology. Currently, Dr. Washenik is the medical director of the largest hair restoration group in the United States and is the former CEO of the Aderans Research Institute which focused on hair follicle regeneration.
The 2014 Distinguished Assistant Award honoring a surgical assistant with exemplary service and outstanding accomplishments in the field of hair restoration surgery was presented to Laureen “Laurie” Gorham, RN, of Dorchester, Mass. Laurie has been a hair restoration surgical assistant since 1995, beginning her career with a large hair restoration practice in her hometown where she later became the clinical supervisor and then the national nursing manager. An active surgical assistant member of the ISHRS, Laurie previously organized one of the largest surgical assistants meetings in Boston and became the director of the assistant's course at the Orlando Live Surgery Workshop. She serves on the ISHRS Surgical Assistants Committee and is a former editor of the “Surgical Assistant's Corner” in The Hair Transplant Forum International.
About the ISHRS
The International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) is a global non-profit medical association and a leading authority on hair loss treatment and restoration with more than 1,200 members throughout 70 countries worldwide. Above all, the ISHRS is dedicated to achieving excellence in patient outcomes by promoting the highest standards of medical practice, medical ethics, and research in the medical hair restoration industry. The ISHRS also provides continuing medical education to physicians specializing in hair transplant surgery and is committed to delivering the latest information on medical and surgical treatments to consumers suffering from hair loss, and most commonly from androgenetic alopecia—male pattern baldness and female pattern hair loss. It was founded in 1993 as the first international society to promote continuing quality improvement and education for professionals in the field of hair restoration surgery. For more information and to locate a physician, visit www.ishrs.org.
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