The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) has honored Pelayo Correa, M.D., with its Distinguished Achievement Award, which recognizes an individual for contributions to research that have advanced the science and practice of gastroenterology.
Correa is Anne Potter Wilson Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology.
Correa is recognized internationally for his expertise in the pathology and epidemiology of gastrointestinal cancers and he has been instrumental in identifying the multistage mechanisms involved in gastric carcinogenesis.
He is especially well known for his research on the role of the Helicobacter pylori bacteria in gastric cancer and served as a member of the World Health Organization committee that designated H. pylori as a Class 1 carcinogen.
“I am so honored and proud to receive this recognition from the American Gastroenterological Association for my research efforts,” said Correa. “It is quite gratifying to be honored for the research to which I have dedicated my professional life.”
During a career that has spanned more than 50 years, Correa has published more than 550 papers and book chapters and his research has been recognized and funded by the National Institutes of Health for more than 30 years.
Correa has been honored numerous times for contributions to the field, including the inaugural American Cancer Society Award on Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention, and the Distinguished Achievement Award from the American Society of Preventive Oncology. He has received presidential appointments to the President’s Cancer Panel and the National Cancer Advisory Board.
Correa received his medical degree and completed his first Pathology internship at the Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.
He completed his Pathology residency at Emory University School of Medicine and Grady Hospital, Atlanta, in 1954 as a fellow of the Kellogg Foundation. Subsequent to this training, he served as chair of Pathology and associate dean at the Universidad del Valle School of Medicine, Cali, Colombia, received the Centennial Medal of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, and was invited to be a visiting scientist at the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Md., from 1970 to 1973.
He was professor of Pathology at Louisiana State University from 1979 to 1996 and was awarded the Boyd Professorship in 1976.
He joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2005.
