In March, AGBU Central Board member Dr. Levon Nazarian received the 2017 Joseph H. Holmes Clinical Pioneer Award. The award honors individuals who have significantly contributed to the growth and development of diagnostic ultrasound. Each year, the Joseph H. Holmes Pioneer Award recognizes two current or retired members of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM), one in clinical science and the other in basic science.
Dr. Nazarian is a specialist in musculoskeletal ultrasound and has had an enormous positive effect on patients and other ultrasound professionals. Over his career, he has given over 490 invited lectures and scientific presentations at 150 meetings in 25 states and 8 countries. His 42 awards and honors, ranging from dean’s citations, to distinguished service, to excellence in teaching, to best doctors in America, to international tributes all attest to the high regard with which his abilities and wisdom are viewed by his medical colleagues across the globe.
Joining the AGBU Central Board of Directors in 2006, Dr. Nazarian is professor and vice chairman for education in the Department of Radiology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a fellow of the American College of Radiology, American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, and the Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound. He is also editor-in-chief of the Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine and has served on the editorial boards of several other medical journals, including Radiology, American Journal of Roentgenology and Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology. Dr. Nazarian is a prolific author with 103 peer-reviewed journal articles and 109 abstracts. His publications have had a large impact on the diagnosis and ultrasound-guided treatment of a wide variety of musculoskeletal conditions, including novel treatments for tennis elbow and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Born in New Jersey and educated at Harvard College and Cornell University Medical College, Dr. Nazarian says his Armenian heritage inspired him to support the education of Armenian physicians, ultimately resulting in his becoming co-founder and co-director of the Ultrasound Training Centre of Armenia. For his tireless efforts, he has been recognized by the Yerevan State Medical University, which in 2010 created the AGBU Levon and Claudia Nazarian Radiology Center.
Established in 1906, AGBU (www.agbu.org) is the world’s largest non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually touching the lives of some 500,000 Armenians around the world.