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Honoring Excellence in Burn Care: Award Highlights from the 2025 ABA Annual Meeting

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

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The 2025 ABA Annual Meeting brought together the burn care community to celebrate innovation, leadership, and service from April 8 – 11 in Phoenix, AZ. Throughout the week, the ABA proudly presented its most prestigious awards to individuals whose lifelong dedication has shaped and advanced burn care.

ABA Lifetime Achievement Award

John A. Griswold, MD, CCRP
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX

The ABA Lifetime Achievement Award honors individuals whose outstanding achievements and extraordinary contributions have left a lasting mark on burn care. This year’s recipient, Dr. John Griswold, has led the Timothy J. Harnar Regional Burn Center through 11 consecutive verifications since 1993, making it one of the longest continuously verified centers in the U.S. Dr. Griswold has spent over 30 years training surgeons, nurses, and therapists in burn care and has been an active ABA member since 1985, contributing to clinical excellence, education, and research.

ABA Harvey Stuart Allen Distinguished Service Award

Steven E. Wolf, MD, FABA
University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX

This award honors an outstanding North American scientist for significant contributions in the burn field. Dr. Steven Wolf’s global impact spans trauma, critical care, and burn research. His leadership includes serving as Director of the Burn Center at the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research during key military operations, publishing more than 475 scientific papers, and serving as a past ABA President and Editor-in-Chief of Burns.

ABA President’s Leadership Award

Linwood R. Haith, Jr., MD, FABA
Nathan Speare Regional Burn Treatment Center, Upland, PA

The ABA President’s Leadership Award recognizes distinguished and exceptional service to the American Burn Association and the profession of burn care. This year’s recipient, Dr. Linwood Haith, has led the Nathan Speare Regional Burn Treatment Center since 1986 and has trained over 600 learners through his Drexel University College of Medicine faculty role. A former ABA President and respected leader in surgical education, Dr. Haith has made a lasting impact on the ABA’s mission—most recently through his instrumental work in developing the organization’s new Conflict of Interest Guidelines.

ABA Special Achievement Award

Nicole Gibran, MD, FABA
University of Washington, Seattle, WA

The ABA Special Achievement Award is awarded periodically to members of the burn community, acknowledging their stellar contributions to the field of thermal and non-thermal injuries. Dr. Nicole Gibran has been a trailblazer in burn recovery and rehabilitation research. As Director of the UW Medicine Regional Burn Center and the first woman President of the ABA, her legacy includes advancements in wound healing, the leadership of the ABA Verification Committee, and helping launch the Burn Quality Improvement Program.

John A. Moncrief Award

Lionel Crowther
International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), Winnipeg, Manitoba

This award honors outstanding contributions to burn prevention or care by fire services. After surviving a fire in 2007 that left him with burns over 70% of his body and claimed two fellow firefighters, Lionel Crowther turned personal tragedy into advocacy. Now a Captain with the Winnipeg Fire Department, he has become a national leader in peer support and burn survivor recovery.

Curtis P. Artz Distinguished Service Award

Bernadette Nedelec, BSc OT(c), PhD, erg., BT-C
McGill University, Montréal, Quebec

Recognizing outstanding contributions by a non-physician member of the ABA, Dr. Bernadette Nedelec has been a vital force in burn rehabilitation and research. Her work continues the legacy of Dr. Curtis P. Artz by championing interdisciplinary care and advancing the science of recovery.

Barbara Knothe Burn Therapist Achievement Award

Miranda Yelvington, PhD, OT, BT-C
Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Little Rock, AR

This award honors the spirit and commitment of Barbara Knothe and recognizes a burn therapist who exemplifies dedication to the field. With 25 years of service, Miranda Yelvington has made a lasting impact in burn rehabilitation, leading therapy education at the ABA, supporting burn survivor camps, and advancing care for survivors and their families.

ABA Burn Prevention Social Media Video Award

This award honors creative outreach during National Burn Awareness Week. View videos here.  Congratulations to the inaugural winners:

1st Place – Santa Clara Valley Medical Center
2nd Place – HCA Florida Kendall Hospital & Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department
3rd Place – UC Davis Health
Honorable Mention – Spectral AI

ABA Research Paper Awards

These awards recognize excellence and innovation across disciplines.

  • Clinical Research Paper Award
    Ingrid Parry, MS, PT, BT-C, PhD – University of California, Davis

  • Carl A. Moyer Resident Paper Award
    Lexy Kindt, DO – Hennepin County Medical Center

  • Peter Brigham Burn Epidemiology Best Paper Award
    Joshua Lewis, BS – University of Texas Medical Branch

  • Burn Care Quality Platform (BCQP) Best Paper Award
    Jennifer Shah, BA, BS – Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

  • ABA Archives History Manuscript Paper Award
    Anna Vaeth, BS – Weill Cornell Medicine

  • ABA/Shriners Best Pediatric Burn Paper Award
    Julia Penatzer, PhD – Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Top Abstracts

Each year, a select group of top-scoring abstracts—chosen through peer and expert review—are featured in one of the most prestigious plenary sessions of the Annual Meeting, Top Abstracts. Following the celebration of the Research Paper Awards, these presentations enable authors to present their cutting-edge research and engage in meaningful dialogue with invited discussants who explore the broader implications of their work.

Please join us in congratulating this year’s featured presenters:

Best in Category Posters

One of the most engaging sessions at this year’s Annual Meeting was the “Best in Category Poster” showcase, where attendees could hear from the top-scoring poster presenters across 14 categories. These standout posters were selected based on reviewer scores and featured the most compelling research and innovation in burn care. Judges from the Program Committee, Research Committee, and Membership Advisory Committee evaluated the live presentations and selected the top three posters of the meeting. We’re excited to celebrate this year’s winners—congratulations to all who presented and contributed to the vibrant exchange of ideas! View posters here. 

Top 3 Posters

  • 1st Place: “Does the Use of a Flow Chart Improve the Use of Hydroxocobalamin”
    Kandace Snodgrass, BSN, Parkland Health

  • 2nd Place: “Changes in Serum Angiopoietin-2 Levels Correlate with Sepsis and Mortality after Burn Injury”
    Ryan M. Johnson, MD, Loyola University of Chicago

  • 3rd Place: “A Unique Mouth Orthosis for Management of Microstomia”
    Kelly E. Spiller, MD, University of Cincinnati Medical Center Burn Center

Poster Crowd Favorite

New this year, attendees could vote for their favorite poster via a survey in the meeting app, adding an exciting interactive element to the poster experience. By popular vote, the clear standout was:

“A Unique Mouth Orthosis for Management of Microstomia”

This poster received 190 out of 318 votes, capturing nearly 60% of the responses. Thank you to everyone who participated in this new feature. The ABA looks forward to seeing it grow in future meetings. Please congratulate these poster winners!

Recognizing Certified Burn Therapists

Launched in 2018, the Burn Therapist Certification (BT-C) program highlights advanced expertise in burn rehabilitation and a commitment to continued learning. With over 41 certified professionals, this growing group reflects the highest standards in the field. The newest BT-Cs were honored during the OT/PT SIG meeting and recognized again during the plenary.

Celebrating Certified Burn Nurses

Now in its second year, the ABA’s burn nursing initiative continues to grow thanks to the leadership of Gretchen Carrougher and a dedicated team of nurse volunteers. Together, they’ve defined the Scope and Standards for Burn Nursing, earned specialty recognition from the ANA, published a core curriculum, and launched the Certified Burn Registered Nurse (CBRN) exam. The newest class of CBRNs was recognized during the Annual Meeting.

Honoring the 2025 ABA Fellows

Thirty-one new burn surgeons were inducted as Fellow of the American Burn Association (FABA). This status allows physicians to demonstrate specialization in burn care through advanced training, contribution, and commitment to the field. Congratulations to the Class of 2025.

These honorees exemplify the spirit of innovation, service, and compassion that drives the burn care community forward. The American Burn Association is proud to recognize their accomplishments and grateful for the difference they continue to make in the lives of patients, families, and fellow professionals.