Northwell Health’s Dr. Barbara Anne Eberhard Awarded the American Academy of Pediatrics the James T. Cassidy Award

Dr. Eberhard is recognized for her decades-long clinical and research focus on pediatric rheumatology

MANHASSET, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For her dedication to research and leadership in pediatric rheumatology, Northwell Health’s Cohen Children’s Medical Center rheumatologist and Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research scientist Barbara Anne Eberhard, MD, has been awarded with the James T. Cassidy Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Dr. Eberhard has spent her two-decade-long career working clinically and as a mentor to other physican-scientists within the Department of Pediatrics at Cohen Children’s, while conducting research at the Feinstein Institutes. She specializes in studying and treating children with rheumatologic conditions, including arthritis, vasculitis, dermatomyositis and lupus. The Cassidy Award is given to members who have made significant contribution to the field, according to the AAP.

“Our young patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and its related conditions deserve better, more effective therapies to help them to live healthier, happier, lives.” said Dr. Eberhard. “Being recognized with the James T. Cassidy Award is a tremendous honor that reinforces my passion to continue my research and help train future leaders in the field of pediatric rheumatology.”

As the director of Northwell Health’s Pediatric Lupus Clinic, Dr. Eberhard oversees the care of over 200 young lupus patients. Her commitment to improving pediatric rheumatology extends to her significant contributions to the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA). Serving as past chair of CARRA’s lupus subcommittee (2008-2015), she was instrumental in developing a world-renowned pediatric lupus clinical database, now encompassing data from more than 900 patients. Dr. Eberhard’s work with CARRA also includes establishing consensus treatment guidelines for biologics in various autoimmune diseases and generating data demonstrating positive patient outcomes. Her research career boasts over 70 published papers and more than 50 abstracts. Dedicated to fostering the next generation of rheumatologists, she has mentored over 20 clinical research fellows and junior faculty and co-founded the ACR/CARRA Mentoring Interest Group (AMIGO), which connects budding physician-researchers with mentors based on shared research interests.

“Dr. Eberhard is a leader in the field of pediatric rheumatology and is very deserving of this award,” said Annemarie Stroustrup Smith, MD, PhD, senior vice president of the pediatrics service line and chair of the department of pediatrics at Cohen Children’s and the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. “Her dedication to advancing research, educating young physician-scientists and fostering collaboration across institutions is inspirational. She is helping to pave the way for a brighter future for children with rheumatologic conditions.”

The AAP Section on Rheumatology James T. Cassidy Award was established in 2001 to recognize a member for outstanding achievement in pediatric rheumatology. Those must be a members in good standing of the AAP section on rheumatology and meet one of several qualifications, including education, history of successfully training pediatric rheumatology fellows, and providing contributions to the field of pediatric rheumatology through research, publications and/or legislation.

In 2023, Dr. Eberhard was awarded top honors by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the Association of Rheumatology Professionals (ARP).

About the Feinstein Institutes

The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the home of the research institutes of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State. Encompassing 50+ research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its six institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, molecular medicine, and translational research. We are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine – an innovative field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. The Feinstein Institutes publishes two open-access, international peer-reviewed journals Molecular Medicine and Bioelectronic Medicine. Through the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, we offer an accelerated PhD program. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit http://feinstein.northwell.edu and follow us on LinkedIn.