Walter J. Curran, Jr. will receive the Brain Tumor Foundation for Children"s "Visionary Award" for 2012.

Curran is executive director of Emory"s Winship Cancer Institute and a radiation oncologist.

He is receiving the award based on his work at Winship on brain tumor research and for his role in helping to bring a proton beam therapy treatment center to Atlanta, scheduled to open in 2015. Curran has spent years studying how to best identify better treatment options for brain tumor patients and how to reduce the side-effects of radiation, particularly for treating children.

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Elizabeth Downes is being inducted into the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners" 2012 Fellowship class.

Downes is assistant professor in the School of Nursing. She has extensive experience in international nursing and in providing health care to Atlanta"s refugee population and migrant farm workers in rural Georgia.

Induction into the AANP Fellowship is considered one of the highest honors for nurse practitioners. Fellows are elected through a highly selective process that recognizes nurse practitioner leaders who have made outstanding contributions to health care.

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Neil Shulman will receive a 2012 Africa Heritage Evergreen Lifetime Achievement Award.

Shulman is associate professor of medicine.

The award is being presented by the African Heritage Foundation in conjunction with Africa Day in Atlanta. Shulman is being honored for organizing the annual Global Health and Humanitarian Summit.

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Acclaim" recognizes the accomplishments of staff and faculty. Listings may include awards and prizes; election to boards and societies; and similarly notable accomplishment in the wider community. To submit an item for the weekly "Acclaim" column, contact emory.report@emory.edu.