AWARDS & ACCOLADES
Cynthia Sears Receives Alexander Fleming Award for Lifetime Achievement
Sears honored by the Infectious Diseases Society of America for leadership, mentorship, editorial role and innovative research on the connection between the host microbiome and colon cancer
Dr. Cynthia Sears
Published in
IDeas Magazine -
Winter 2026
In a ceremony that opened IDWeek 2025, Cynthia Sears, M.D., professor of medicine and oncology, was honored by the Infectious Diseases Society of America with the Alexander Fleming Award for Lifetime Achievement, which is among the most prestigious awards in the field of infectious diseases.
Sears launched her career studying diarrheal diseases, and her interest in the gut microbiome led to discoveries that helped illuminate how microbial communities residing in the gut influence immune responses that promote tumor development. In a landmark study, Sears characterized the immune response to Bacteroides fragilis. That study found that T helper type 17 T cell responses induce inflammation that promotes tumor growth, and that this process is common across several types of cancer.
In further studies of this process, Sears made novel and important contributions to the field by identifying the association of colorectal cancer with immune responses to several types of gut bacteria, including Clostridioides difficile.
This foundational work in understanding the microbiome’s role in cancer is critical for identifying biomarkers that can forecast cancer risk, and it may lead to development of therapeutic strategies that are tailored to individual microbial makeup for more personalized treatment approaches.
Sears’ work has been published in high-impact factor journals including Science, Nature, Nature Medicine, Nature Cancer, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Annals of Internal Medicine, Cancer Journal and the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
In addition to her contributions to research, the award recognizes Sears for her leadership in the field and in the Infectious Diseases Society of America. From 2004–2007, she served on the society’s board of directors; from 2010–15, she served as treasurer; and in 2019, she led the society as president. In her role, she has worked to advance antimicrobial resistance and stewardship and pandemic preparedness policies nationally. She served as associate editor of Clinical Infectious Diseases from 2000–2016, and she has served as editor-in-chief of The Journal of Infectious Diseases since 2022.
Perhaps her greatest imprint on the field is in her role as a dedicated mentor for dozens of junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows and students, in whom she sparks curiosity and enthusiasm, and early career researchers whom she inspires in their pursuit of rewarding and successful careers. In recognition of her commitment to career development, Sears received the Kimmel Cancer Center’s prestigious mentoring award.
Sears is an elected member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and an inducted member of the American Association of Physicians.
Sears launched her career studying diarrheal diseases, and her interest in the gut microbiome led to discoveries that helped illuminate how microbial communities residing in the gut influence immune responses that promote tumor development. In a landmark study, Sears characterized the immune response to Bacteroides fragilis. That study found that T helper type 17 T cell responses induce inflammation that promotes tumor growth, and that this process is common across several types of cancer.
In further studies of this process, Sears made novel and important contributions to the field by identifying the association of colorectal cancer with immune responses to several types of gut bacteria, including Clostridioides difficile.
This foundational work in understanding the microbiome’s role in cancer is critical for identifying biomarkers that can forecast cancer risk, and it may lead to development of therapeutic strategies that are tailored to individual microbial makeup for more personalized treatment approaches.
Sears’ work has been published in high-impact factor journals including Science, Nature, Nature Medicine, Nature Cancer, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Annals of Internal Medicine, Cancer Journal and the Journal of Infectious Diseases.
In addition to her contributions to research, the award recognizes Sears for her leadership in the field and in the Infectious Diseases Society of America. From 2004–2007, she served on the society’s board of directors; from 2010–15, she served as treasurer; and in 2019, she led the society as president. In her role, she has worked to advance antimicrobial resistance and stewardship and pandemic preparedness policies nationally. She served as associate editor of Clinical Infectious Diseases from 2000–2016, and she has served as editor-in-chief of The Journal of Infectious Diseases since 2022.
Perhaps her greatest imprint on the field is in her role as a dedicated mentor for dozens of junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows and students, in whom she sparks curiosity and enthusiasm, and early career researchers whom she inspires in their pursuit of rewarding and successful careers. In recognition of her commitment to career development, Sears received the Kimmel Cancer Center’s prestigious mentoring award.
Sears is an elected member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and an inducted member of the American Association of Physicians.