The Honorable Bruce M. Selya presents Ghada Bourjeily, M.D., with the 2015 award for research excellence.
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Researcher’s recent work includes study looking at sleep disorder’s impact on pregnant women
Lifespan, Rhode Island’s largest health system, honored pulmonary medicine expert Ghada Bourjeily, MD, of Smithfield, R.I., with the 2015 Bruce M. Selya Award for
Excellence in Research. Named for the Hon. Bruce M. Selya of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and a former Lifespan chairman, the
annual award is presented to leading researchers across the Lifespan network for outstanding biomedical work.
Bourjeily is an attending physician in pulmonary services and obstetric medicine and director of research at the Women's Medicine Collaborative. Bourjeily,
who sees patients at Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals,
is board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary medicine and critical care medicine. She is also an associate professor of medicine at the Alpert
Medical School at Brown University.
“Dr. Bourjeily not only holds herself to a very high standard but she also encourages and supports her colleagues in their research endeavors and she is
strongly committed to the development of trainees and junior faculty,” said Karen Rosene-Montella, MD, senior vice president of women’s services and
clinical integration, Lifespan. “Our department and the broader community greatly benefits from the efforts of Dr. Bourjeily.”
Bourjeily's research has focused on sleep-disordered breathing and its impact on cardiovascular and metabolic outcomes during pregnancy, with her most
recent work looking at the placenta’s role in sleep-disordered breathing. Her current work as principal investigator and co-investigator is funded by the
National Institute for Child Health and Human Development and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
Her other honors include two American College of Chest Physicians awards for clinical research in women's health and the Young Investigator Award from the
North American Society of Obstetric Medicine.
“In addition to her personal accomplishments, Dr. Bourjeily inspires those around her,” said Lucia Larson, MD, director of obstetric medicine at
Lifespan’s Women’s Medicine Collaborative. “She is committed to developing the careers of trainees and colleagues. She has mentored 21 undergraduates,
medical students, residents and fellows in research projects as well as six junior faculty resulting in numerous manuscript publications, research
presentations at national and international meetings, research honors, and academic appointments. Dr. Bourjeily will no doubt tirelessly mentor many more.”
Bourjeily has authored numerous abstracts, articles and book chapters. She edited a textbook on pulmonary disorders in pregnancy and was guest editor of an
issue in Chest Medicine on lung disease and pregnancy. She serves as a reviewer and editorial board member for numerous journals in her primary
disciplines as well as for obstetric journals. She is the chairperson of the Women's Health NetWork (the College of Chest Physicians) and vice president of
the North American Society of Obstetric Medicine.
She earned a medical degree from the Universite Libanaise, Faculte des Sciences Medicales in Lebanon. This was followed by an internship year in Lebanon at
Sacre-Coeur Hospital. She completed a residency in internal medicine at Staten Island University Hospital in New York and a fellowship in pulmonary and
critical care at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, and Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.
Established in 1999, the award honors Lifespan’s first board chairman. Judge Selya is devoted to the promotion of academic medicine. The prestigious award
recognizes research excellence of Lifespan’s independent investigators and enhances the visibility and critical role of research. All award recipients are
named members of the Selya Research Award Committee for a three-year term.