Awards

Vay Liang & Frisca Go Award for Lifetime Achievement

The Vay Liang & Frisca Go Award for Lifetime Achievement is the most esteemed recognition conferred by the American Pancreatic Association, representing the highest honor within the pancreatology community. Named in honor of Dr. Vay Liang and Mrs. Frisca Go, this award acknowledges individuals who have demonstrated exceptional dedication and excellence across research, education, clinical practice, and mentorship. It commemorates the pioneering spirit of its namesakes, whose contributions have laid the foundation for advancements in pancreas research and the establishment of a thriving community. Through this award, the APA celebrates the recipient’s profound impact on the field of pancreatology.

Donations may be made to the Vay Liang & Frisca Go endowment here.

O. Joe Hines, MD

O. Joe Hines, MD, FACS, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery at UCLA, Executive Medical Director, and William P. Longmire, Jr., Chair in Surgery. Dr. Hines attended the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. He trained in general surgery at UCLA, including two years of research in gastrointestinal physiology, and was then recruited to the UCLA faculty in 1997. While at UCLA, he received the Department Golden Scalpel Award for teaching excellence and the UCLA School of Medicine Award for Excellence in Education and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Sherman M. Mellinkoff Faculty Award.

His research has focused on angiogenesis, cytokines, and pancreatic carcinogenesis, including the role of diet in modulating these processes. Dr. Hines’ research has been consistently funded by NIH, and he has served on the NIH Scientific Review Committee Tumor Progression and Metastasis. Dr. Hines is past-President of the American Pancreatic Association and the Chair of the American Pancreatic Association Foundation. He served as Chair of the American Board of Surgery, President of the Society of University Surgeons, President of the Southern California Chapter of the American College of Surgeons and was appointed to the Board of Governors of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Hines was awarded the American College of Surgeons Traveling Fellowship to Germany in 2005 and was a James IV Traveling Fellow in 2011. He serves on the editorial boards of Surgery and Annals of Surgery and is an editor of Maignot’s Abdominal Operations.

Yoshifumi Takeyama, MD, PhD

Dr. Takeyama graduated from Kobe University and received his MD from Kobe University School of Medicine in 1981. He aspired to be a gastrointestinal surgeon and joined the First Department of Surgery which Professor Yoichi Saito chaired. Professor Saito was one of the leaders in pancreatic surgery in Japan. After 1-year residency, he entered Graduate School of Kobe University, and investigated the intracellular stimulustransmission mechanism under the guidance of Professor Yasutomi Nishizuka who was the discoverer of protein kinase C. Dr. Takeyama got his PhD degree for the elucidation of the molecular mechanism of the stimulatory action of bile acids on the exocrine pancreatic secretion in 1988. In 1985, he studied abroad for two years in the Department of Artificial Organs in the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio, USA for two years with his family and investigated the artificial metabolic support using extracorporeal circulation technique under the guidance of Professor Yukihiko Nose.

After returning to Japan, Dr. Takeyama was trained as a gastrointestinal surgeon and devoted himself to the clinical and basic research of acute pancreatitis at the First Department of Surgery in Kobe University. He was promoted to Assistant Professor in 1992 and subsequently became Associate Professor at Kobe University. In 2003, he was assigned to the Department of HBP Surgery at Kindai University School of Medicine as an associate professor.  He was promoted to clinical professor in 2008 and became a professor and chairman in 2010. During this period, he performed over one thousand highly difficult operations in HBP surgery and treated over two hundred patients with acute and chronic pancreatitis surgically.

Since 2003, Dr. Takeyama has been an active member of the Research Committee of Intractable Pancreatic Diseases in Japan  and served as Chairman from 2014-2016. He joined the Japan Pancreas Society in 1990, serving as Editor-in-Chief of the academic journal “Suizo” from 2009-2018.  He was a council member from 2015-2024 and President from 2020-2024. He has been attending the APA annual meetings since 1998, becoming an active member in 2008. He also served as Council of IAP and President from 2020-2022, hosting the 2022 IAP meeting in Kyoto. As editorial committee member, Dr. Takeyama  was involved in the development of every version of the Japanese Guidelines for acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis.  He has published over 200 manuscripts in pancreatology and gastrointestinal surgery.

Dr. Takeyama has been interested in medical education for a long time and has been a member of the Japan Society of Medical Education since 2004, serving on the council from 2013-2016. He also served as Chaiman of the Postgraduate Center in Kindai University Hospital from 2015-2022.

Dr. Takeyama grew up at the foot of Mt. Rokko located on the north side of Kobe city, which is his hometown.  He loves nature,  particularly mountain climbing. He is also interested in visiting the pilgrimage route or old road, and now enjoys walking these routes with his wife in his free time.

Dr. Takeyama has two sons (Kohei and Shogo), three granddaughters (Mizuki, Fuka, Kaori), and one grandson (Joichiro). He and his beloved wife Junko, who is a professional performer with the Japanese classical music “Jiuta”, have been happily married for 40 years and reside in Kobe city at the southern foot of the beautiful Mt. Rokko.

Yupei Zhao, MD

Dr. Zhao is a distinguished Professor of Surgery and Chief Physician. He has made substantial contributions to clinical and scientific research and education in the fields of pancreatic surgery and pancreatic oncology. Dr. Zhao was the first to establish and promote the multidisciplinary treatment model for pancreatic diseases in Chinese hospitals. He spearheaded the standardization of diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic diseases by leading the formulation of consensuses, guidelines, and national standards in China. Dr. Zhao is also the pioneer of laparoscopic and robotic pancreatic surgery in China, which has significantly advanced the progress of minimally invasive pancreatic surgery. Moreover, Dr. Zhao led the establishment of the Chinese Pancreatic Association (CAP), uniting pancreatic centers across China to collaborate on numerous national research programs and clinical trials. He also initiated the foundation of the China Pancreas Data Center, which serves as a national platform. Over the past four decades, Dr. Zhao has trained hundreds of professionals and students in major pancreatic centers across China, thereby contributing to the development of a talent pipeline in the field of pancreatic diseases in China.

Dr. Zhao currently serves as the Chairman of the Chinese Society of Surgery, Chairman of the Chinese Pancreatic Surgery Association, Director of the National Facility for Translational Medicine (PUMCH), Director of the State Key Laboratory of Complex, Severe and Rare Diseases, and Chairman of the China Alliance for Rare Diseases. Dr. Zhao founded the Journal of Pancreatology, the only international journal in the field of pancreatic diseases in China and has served as editor-in-chief of many other journals. In addition, Dr. Zhao has received a number of national awards, including the State Scientific and Technological Progress Award, and honorary fellowships from many organizations such as the International College of Surgeons.

PAST RECIPIENTS

2023:  Darwin L. Conwell MD, MSc, FACG
2022:   Carlos Fernández-del Castillo MD
2021:   Markus M. Lerch MD, FRCP
2020:   Anna S. Gukosvskaya PhD
2019:   Suresh Chari MD
             Tooru Shimosegawa MD, PhD
2018:   Martin L. Freeman MD
2017:   Rodger A. Liddle MD
2016:   Chris E. Forsmark MD
2015:   Stephen Pandol MD
2014:   William Chey MD
             Ashok Saluja PhD
2013:   Michael Steer MD
             Masao Tanaka MD, PhD
2012:   Horst F. Kern MD
             Murray Korc MD
2011:   Andrew L. Warshaw MD
2010:   Peter A. Banks MD
2009:   Fred S. Gorelick MD
              Katsusuke Satake MD
2008:   Daniel S. Longnecker MD
2007:   Howard A. Reber MD
2006:   Tadashi Takeuchi MD, PhD
              Phillip P. Toskes
2005:   John A. Williams MD, PhD
2004:   Paul D. Webster III MD
2003:   James D. Jamieson MD, PhD
2002:   Eugene P. Dimagno MD
2001:   Vay Liang W. Go MD