Newswise — Richard L. Gamelli, MD, FACS, senior vice president and provost of the Health Sciences Division at Loyola University Chicago, has been named president of the International Society for Burn Injuries (ISBI). Dr. Gamelli previously served as treasurer of the ISBI and is a past president of the American Burn Association (ABA).

Dr. Gamelli accepted the nomination of president at the ISBI annual meeting in Scotland in September and will serve a two-year term. Established in 1960, the ISBI aims to disseminate knowledge on burn prevention and treatment.

“I have devoted my medical career to the advancement of care of burn patients and I accept this presidency with great ambition to continue to further that mission,” Dr. Gamelli said. “It is a great honor to be nominated by my peers to champion this international organization.”

Dr. Gamelli is one of the nation’s leading authorities on burn injury and its treatment. His research at Loyola centers on the effects of burn injury and infection on myelopoiesis, which has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for over 20 years. He is a past member of the NIH Center for Scientific Review’s Surgery, Anesthesia and Trauma Study Section.

He earned his medical degree from the University of Vermont, College of Medicine, where he was elected to the University board of trustees this March.

Dr. Gamelli, who is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Burn Care and Research, is a member of several other editorial boards, including Shock, Annals of Surgery, BURNS, and Journal of the American College of Surgeons

In addition to the ISBI, Dr. Gamelli holds membership in dozens of medical and scientific societies, including the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, American Surgical Association and the ABA. He also is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

At Loyola, Dr. Gamelli is the Robert J. Freeark Professor of Surgery, director of the Burn & Shock Trauma Research Institute and chief of the Burn Center at Loyola University Medical Center. Dr. Gamelli previously held the positions of chair, Department of Surgery; dean, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago.