Chien Liu, M.D. Award
Dr. Chien Liu received his medical degree in Beijing, China, in 1947. He came to the United States in 1946 for an internship at the Illinois Masonic Hospital in Chicago. He went on to complete an infectious diseases fellowship at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore before spending six years on the research faculty at Harvard Medical School.
In 1958, Dr. Liu was recruited to the University of Kansas and embarked upon a long, distinguished career here. He is an internationally known virologist and widely recognized as one of the physician-scientists who helped discover the etiology of primary atypical or "walking" pneumonia, publishing the first of three papers on the subject in 1955. He has written more than 150 publications and been awarded multiple research grants - notably, he received NIH career awards for 33 years, one of the longest time periods in NIH history. A consummate clinician, he also has influenced thousands of students, hundreds of residents and scores of fellows over the course of his teaching career.
Dr. Liu retired from KU in 1991. In 1996, at the age of 75, he was recognized as a Master by the ACP, a title bestowed only on highly accomplished members with personal character, eminence in practice or medical research, and who are distinguished by the excellence and significance of their contributions to the field of medicine.
Dr. Liu is also a two-time winner of the Laureate Award from the ACP's Kansas chapter. The award honors members who have demonstrated - by their example and conduct - an abiding commitment to excellence in medical care, education, research and service to their community and the ACP. Dr. Liu continued his quest to stay current on medical and scientific issues, including reading the latest literature until his death at the age of 97.
The School of Medicine in general - and our division in particular - owe a great debt to Dr. Liu. We strive to honor his example by being equally dedicated to teaching the next generation of physicians, disseminating the results of our scientific inquiry and encouraging our peers and students to do the same.
Chien Liu, M.D. Award Recipients
| Year | Recipient | Institution | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Isaac Morris, M3 | Student: KU School of Medicine - Kansas City, KS | Invasive Fusarium with Paraspinal Abscesses |
| 2023 | Gage Davies, MD | Resident: KU School of Medicine - Kansas City, KS | Infection-Related Glomerulonephritis due to Untreated Enterococcus Bacteremia, a Rare and Deadly Complication |
| 2022 | Mark McPherson, MD | Fellow: KU School of Medicine - Kansas City, KS | Mitral Valve Vegetation in a Patient with SLE and Antiphospholipid Syndrome |
| 2021 | Nora Strong, MD | Resident: KU School of Medicine - Wichita, KS | An Outbreak of Meliodosis |
| 2020 | Maire Okoniewski, DO | Resident: KU School of Medicine - Kansas City, KS | Scrofula of the Abdomen |
| 2020 | Victoria Poplin, MD | Fellow: KU School of Medicine - Kansas City, KS | The Effectiveness of a "Suppression Bundle" to Improve HIV Virologic Suppression in an Outpatient Infectious Diseases Clinic |
| 2019 | Maisam AL Patty, MD | Resident: KU School of Medicine - Wichita, KS | Mycoplasma pneumoniae encephalitis in an Adult patient without preceding respiratory symptoms |
| 2018 | Kelsey Witherspoon, MD | Resident: KU School of Medicine - Wichita, KS | When It Isn't Sepsis: A Case Report of Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis |
| 2016 | Peter Giangreco, MD | Resident: KU School of Medicine - Kansas City, KS | Alphabet Soup: A Case of Acute Hepatitis E |
| 2014 | Danielle Zimmerman, MD | Resident: KU School of Medicine - Kansas City, KS | Osteoarticular Sporotrichosis as an Uncommon Cause of Wrist Pain |
| 2013 | Justin Fernandez, MD | Resident: KU School of Medicine - Wichita, KS | Use of Cultured Yogurt Causing Septic Shock and Intra-abdominal Abscesses |
| 2012 | Said Chaaban, MD | Resident: KU School of Medicine - Wichita, KS | Cryptococcal Meningitis Post Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation |
| 2011 | Linh T. Nguyen, MD | Resident: KU School of Medicine - Wichita, KS | Blastomycoses Dermatitidis in Kansas |
| 2010 | Souha Haydoura, MD | Resident: KU School of Medicine - Wichita, KS | Bringing Africa to Kansas |
| 2009 | Nathan N. Tofteland, MD | Resident: KU School of Medicine - Wichita, KS | PAPA Syndrome: A Rare Systemic Autoinflammatory Syndrome |
| 2008 | Bassem Chehab, MD | Resident: KU School of Medicine - Wichita, KS | Preliminary Comparisons of Quantiferon-TB Gold and the TB Skin Test in Pregnant Women |