Professor Thomas J.A. Lehman, Chief, Pediatric Rheumatology, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY and professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Sanford Weill Medical College of Cornell University, NY, USA, holds 8 prestigious awards including the James T. Cassidy award of the American Academy of Pediatrics, for excellence in teaching, patient care, and training of the next generation of pediatric rheumatologists.