This year, our Department of Surgery faculty’s commitment to excellence was recognized with some of the highest honors in medicine – nationally and internationally.
These three faculty members received prestigious awards for their excellence and innovation:
Dr. Glen Barber awarded 2025 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize
Glen Barber, PhD, professor of Surgery in the Division of Surgical Oncology, was one of three scientists who received the 2025 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize, an international science award bestowed annually by the Scientific Council of the Paul Ehrlich Foundation in Frankfurt, Germany.
The prize honors scientists who’ve made outstanding contributions in the fields of research represented by Paul Ehrlich, a German medical scientist recognized globally for his pioneering work in hematology, immunology and chemotherapy. The prize has been awarded annually since 1952 and is considered the most prestigious medical prize given in Germany.
Dr. Barber, who serves as director of the Center for Innate Immunity and Inflammation within the OSUCCC – James Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology, was recognized alongside colleagues Andrea Ablasser, MD, a virologist with École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, and Zhijian Chen, PhD, a biochemist from the University of Texas, for their discovery of a fundamental signaling pathway (cGAS-STING) involved in innate immunity.
Dr. Gail Besner honored with ASA Medallion for Scientific Achievement
Gail Besner, MD, director of the Division of Pediatric Surgery, received the highest honor from the American Surgical Association (ASA) – the ASA Medallion for Scientific Achievement. This prestigious award recognizes Dr. Besner’s long career of impactful, innovative and seminal scientific contributions to the field of surgery.
The ASA Medallion for Scientific Achievement isn’t awarded annually but only when a deserving individual is identified through nominations by ASA members. Dr. Besner is only the second person from Ohio State to receive this award since Dr. Robert Zollinger in 1977. Additionally, she’s only the second female award recipient in the history of the ASA Medallion for Scientific Achievement.
Dr. Besner’s career is marked by numerous groundbreaking advancements in pediatric surgery. Since 1991, she’s led a basic science research laboratory in pediatric surgery and has maintained continuous NIH funding for nearly three decades. Dr. Besner is also the founder of Scioto Biosciences, Inc., which has the goal of advancing novel therapeutic strategies for the deadly disease necrotizing enterocolitis to the bedside.
Dr. Sylvester Black received Presidential honor
Sylvester Black, MD, PhD, professor of Surgery in the Division of Transplantation Surgery, was named a recipient of a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. This is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on outstanding early-career scientists and engineers.
Nominated by the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Black joined nearly 400 other federally funded scientists and engineers recognized this year for their innovative and far-reaching research developments in the field of science.
A leading figure in abdominal transplantation and surgical director of Ohio State’s Liver Transplant Program, Dr. Black has pioneered methods to repair damaged organs for transplant, enhancing their viability and recipient outcomes. Additionally, Dr. Black and his team have developed first-in-class tissue-repair drugs and therapeutics that significantly reduce tissue injury during organ transplantation. This robust research builds on their work to increase the capabilities of organ perfusion machines and the ability to improve organ function before transplantation.