The Benirschke Perinatal Pathology Award

This award will first be presented at the Spring 2020 Society for Pediatric Pathology meeting, and then every spring and fall thereafter.

The award is open to any presenter including medical students, pathologists-in-training, junior or senior pathologists, and clinical or basic science investigators. No formal application or nominations are necessary. The Awards Committee will choose the award based on the abstracts submitted and their presentations.

Click here to read the press release about the Benirschke Perinatal Pathology Award

The Benirschke Perinatal Pathology Award Winners

Year Name Title
2010, Fall W. Tony Parks, M.D., Magee-Women’s Hospital University of Pittsburg Pittsburg, PA LAIR2-positive extravillous trophoblast migrate to the implantation site and invade maternal decidual vessels.
2011, Fall Monique De Paepe, M.D., Women and Infants Hospital Providence, RI Resilience of the human fetal lung following stillbirth: Potential relevance for pulmonary regenerative medicine
2012, Fall Karen Chisholm, M.D., Stanford University Stanford, CA Diagnosis of congenital CMV using PCR performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded placental tissue.
2013, Fall Csaba Galambos, M.D., Children’s Hospital Colorado Aurora, CO Histologic evidence of intrapulmonary anastomotic vessels by three-dimensional reconstruction in severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia
2014, Fall Rebecca Lee Linn, M.D., McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University Chicago, IL Adherent basal plate myometrial fibers (BPMYO) in the delivered placenta: a risk factor for development of subsequent placenta accreta
2015, Fall W. Tony Parks, M.D., Magee-Women’s Hospital University of Pittsburg Pittsburg, PA Vascular-mediated preterm birth is associated with subclinical atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk factors after pregnancy.
2016, Fall W. Tony Parks, M.D., Magee-Women’s Hospital University of Pittsburg Pittsburg, PA Maternal Prepregnancy Obesity and Maternal Vascular Malperfusion of the Placenta: a Study of >10,000 Recent Deliveries
2017, Fall Ona Faye-Petersen, M.D., Univeristy of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL Placental Microbiome, Cord Blood Microbiome, and Meconium Microbiome Are All Distinct at Term
2018, Fall Michal Leckie, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada Utilization of a synoptic report to improve placental pathology examination
2020, Spring Crystal Bockoven, MD, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, IL Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Retrospective Analysis of in Vivo MRI and Placental Pathology
2020, Fall Linda Ernst, MD, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, Illinois Formulating a Meaningful and Comprehensive Placental Pathology Classification Which Addresses Multiplicity, Grade and Temporal Distribution of Lesions
2021, Spring

Jim Wright, MD, PhD, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

 Characterization of vitelline vessel remnant (VVR) circulation in the umbilical cord and documentation that VVR-derived funisitis is a sensitive and specific predictor of histological evidence of amniotic fluid infection. 
2021, Fall

Tsz Chu, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

Association of Placental Pathology with Growth Arrest Line Formation in Fetal Growth Restriction
2022, Spring

Jefferson Terry, MD, PhD, BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Placental Interferon Signaling is Involved in Chronic Intervillositis of Unknown Etiology
2022, Fall

Linda Ernst, MD, NorthShore University Health System

Tapering of the Ductus Arteriosus in Stillbirth: Correlations with Placental Pathology and Cause of Death
2023, Spring

Charlotte F. Kim, MD Texas Children's Hospital

 Umbilical Cord Abnormalities and Placental Inflammation Associated with Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy
2023, Fall

Linda Ernst, MD, Northshore University Health System

 Patterns of gene expression in chorionic villous tissue based on placental pathology
2024, Spring

Ansa Mehreen, Endeavor Health

Pregnancy Loss Associated with COVID-19 infection: Correlations with viral RNA in placental and fetal tissue