Honoring Excellence in Burn Care: Award Highlights from the 2026 ABA Annual Meeting

The 2026 American Burn Association’s (ABA) Annual Meeting united the burn care community to explore strategies that advanced the field and strengthened disaster-preparedness systems. Throughout the week, ABA presented its most esteemed awards to individuals whose lifelong dedication had shaped and advanced burn care.  

ABA Lifetime Achievement Award 

Fiona M. Wood, BSc, MBBS, FRCS, FRACS, AO 
Fiona Stanley Hospital & Perth Children's Hospital, Western Australia 

The ABA Lifetime Achievement Award honors individuals whose outstanding achievements and extraordinary contributions have shaped the world of burn care throughout their lifetime. This year’s winner, Dr. Fiona Wood, has devoted over 40 years to burn care as a burns surgeon, researcher, and leader, serving as Director of the Burns Service of Western Australia and Consultant Plastic Surgeon at Fiona Stanley Hospital and Perth Children’s Hospital. Her achievements have earned her recognition as Australian of the Year, Officer of the Order of Australia, National Living Treasure, and induction into the Western Australia Science Hall of Fame in 2024.

Harvey Stuart Allen Distinguished Service Award

James H. Holmes IV, MD, FACS, FABA
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC

This award honors an outstanding North American scientist who has made significant contributions to burn care. Dr. James Holmes specializes in burn surgery, disaster response, and innovative approaches to wound care, including the development of skin substitutes as alternatives to autografting. His leadership includes serving as Director of the Burn Center at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and Professor of Surgery and Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University.

ABA President’s Leadership Award

William L. Hickerson, MD, FACS, FABA

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. William Hickerson, is the founder of the Firefighters’ Burn Center in Memphis and guided three centers through the American Burn Association and the American College of Surgeons verification process. As a board-certified general and plastic surgeon, Dr. Hickerson has a 40-year career specializing in acute burn care, reconstruction, and burn substitutes, and has served as ABA president.

ABA Special Achievement Award

Narayan Iyer, Ph.D
Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Washington, DC

The ABA Special Achievement Award recognizes outstanding contributions to advancing burn care and preparedness. Dr. Narayan Iyer has served as Director of the Burn and Blast Program at the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) within the Department of Health and Human Services. Since 2008, Dr. Iyer has led the development of medical countermeasures and operational strategies to mitigate burn and blast injuries, guiding a portfolio of over 14 products, including biologics, drugs, and innovative diagnostic devices.

ABA Nursing Leadership Award

Gretchen J. Carrougher, MN, RN, CBRN
University of Washington Medicine Regional Burn Center, Seattle, WA

The ABA Nursing Leadership Award honors burn nurses who demonstrate clinical expertise, compassionate care, and leadership. This year’s inaugural winner, with a distinguished 44-year career in burn nursing, Gretchen Carrougher has worked at three major U.S. Burn Centers, including MedStar Washington Hospital Center, the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research, and the UW Medicine Regional Burn Center. Ms. Carrougher is a national faculty member for the Advanced Burn Life Support course and a longtime member of ABA.

Everett Idris Evans Memorial Lecture Award

Odhran P. Shelley, MB BCh. BAO FRCSI FRCSI Plast. FEBOPRAS PhD
St. James Hospital, Dublin, Ireland 

This award recognizes an international leader whose work has advanced burn care worldwide. This year’s recipient, Professor Odhran P. Shelley, serves as a Consultant Plastic Surgeon at St James’s Hospital, specializing in burn care and complex wound reconstruction, and a Clinical Professor in Surgery at Trinity College Dublin.

John A. Moncrief Award

Jason Woods, FF
District of Columbia Fire Department, Washington, DC

This award honors outstanding contributions to burn prevention or fire services care. As a 26-year veteran of the District of Columbia Fire Department, Jason Woods currently serves as a Sergeant in the agency’s Health and Safety Division. He is a member of the Department’s Incident Management Team and has contributed to the planning, operational, and recovery phases of numerous National Special Security Events, including Presidential Inaugurations, the State of the Union, Capitol 4^th of July celebrations, and responses to critical incidents such as Flight 5342.

Barbara Knothe Burn Therapist Achievement Award

Kevin LaPratt, MS, ORT/L, BT-C
Diane and Bruce Halle Arizona Burn Center, Valleywise Health, Phoenix, AZ

This award honors the spirit and commitment of Barbara Knothe and recognizes a burn therapist who exemplifies dedication to the field. With 27 years of service, Kevin LaPratt has advanced adult and pediatric burn rehabilitation. He has served as a preceptor and lecturer, contributed to research and presentations at the ABA and other conferences, co-authored a chapter on pediatric burn rehab, and actively volunteers with the Arizona Burn Foundation.

Curtis P. Artz Distinguished Service Award

Christopher K. Craig, DMSc, PA-C
Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC

This award honors an allied health professional whose contributions have advanced interdisciplinary burn care. With over 20 years in clinical medicine, burn education, and disaster response, Dr. Christopher Craig serves as national faculty for Advanced Burn Life Support courses, leads research in burn resuscitation and critical care, and has helped develop disaster plans integrating burn care principles.

ABA Burn Prevention Award

Illinois Fire Safety Alliance

The ABA Burn Prevention Award honors organizations that achieve measurable success in reducing burn injuries, partnerships, and public education efforts. The Illinois Fire Safety Alliance offers free, year-round programs for children, adults, and families called Camp I Am Me, creating a safe, non-judgmental environment where survivors can build confidence, connect with others, and access the support they need.

Recognizing Excellence: NBAW 2026 Social Media Video Award Recipients

The National Burn Awareness Week (NBAW) Social Media Video Awards continued in 2026, recognizing creative and impactful storytelling that advances burn prevention education. Selected by the ABA’s Burn Prevention Committee, the 2026 award recipients demonstrated how video content can raise awareness, inspire action, and reach a wider audience.

Self-Produced Video Winner:

Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (@scvalleyhealthcare  ) – “Adventures with Captain Cool” 

Agency-Produced Video Winner:

Jackson Health System (@jacksonhealth  ) – “Prevention Matters”

Honorable Mention:

Amber Shojaie and Colleen Cox   – “The Workplace Burn Olympics”         

ABA Research Paper Awards

These awards recognize excellence and innovation across disciplines.

Albert T. McManus Burn Microbiology Paper Award
Lian Daniel N. Manalo, B.S.

Peter Brigham Burn Epidemiology Best Paper Award
Maya Matheny, B.S.

Clinical Research Paper Award
Joseph O. Grobowski, B.A.

Robert B. Lindberg Basic Scientist Paper Award
Babita Parajuli, B.S.

Carl A. Moyer Resident Paper Award
Julia Kleinhapl, MD

Burn Care Quality Program (BCQP) Best Paper Award
Francesco M. Egro, MD

ABA/Shriners Best Pediatric Burn Paper Award
Madeleine McGwin, MSPH

ABA Archives History Manuscript Award
Ashley E. Buchholz, BSN, RN, CBRN

Celebrating Creativity: NBAW 2026 Poster Contest Award Recipients

The NBAW Poster Contest continued to provide a platform for burn survivors and children to share messages of awareness, resilience, and prevention through art forms. Each submission featured a unique perspective and underscored the importance of engaging younger voices in burn prevention education.

Congratulations to the 2026 poster contest award recipients:

1st Place: Shiran Katabi

2nd Place: Montserrat Morales Escobar

3rd Place: Jessica Smith

Recognizing Certified Burn Therapists

8 years ago, the Burn Therapist Certification (BT-C) program was launched, which highlights advanced expertise in burn rehabilitation and a continued commitment to learning. Today, 56 therapists hold this distinction.

Celebrating Certified Burn Nurses

Now in its third year, the ABA’s burn nursing initiative has continued to develop thanks to the leadership of Gretchen Carrougher and a dedicated team of nurses.  As volunteers, they strengthened standards, achieved American Nurses Association recognition, and supported both the core curriculum and the CBRN exam. The third class of Certified Burn Registered Nurses was recognized at the Annual Meeting.

Honoring the 2026 ABA Fellows

Twenty new burn surgeons were inducted as Fellows of the American Burn Association (FABA). This distinction allows physicians to demonstrate specialization in burn care through advanced training, meaningful contributions, and continued commitment to the field. Congratulations to the Class of 2026!

These honorees reflect the dedication, expertise, and compassion that define the burn care community. The ABA proudly recognizes their achievements and the lasting impact they continue to make in the lives of patients, families, and colleagues.