The Scientific Achievement Award is presented yearly for remarkable scientific achievements in human genetics that have occurred during the last 10 years. The work could be a single major discovery or may be a series of contributions on a similar or related topic. The awardee’s work should have had a demonstrable impact on the scientific direction of the field and/or other scientists. The awardee will receive a plaque and a monetary award of $10,000 at the Society’s Annual Meeting and it is customary to publish a manuscript of the presentation in The American Journal of Human Genetics. Formerly known as the Curt Stern Award.
All nominees must be current ASHG members. This award is given on a yearly basis but can be omitted in any given year at the discretion of the Board.
Required Nomination Materials
- a formal letter of nomination addressing why the candidate is qualified for this award (500 word maximum)
- the nominee’s CV
- at least one (up to three) reference letter from those who are familiar with the nominee’s contributions to human genetics (each 500 words maximum). One reference must be an ASHG member.
Judging Criteria
- The primary criterion is outstanding scientific achievements in human genetics that have occurred during the last 10 years.
- The work could be a single major discovery or may be a series of contributions on a similar or related topic.
- The awardee’s work should have had a demonstrable impact on the scientific direction of the field and/or other scientists.
- Although not a strict rule, awardees will generally have been an independent investigator for 10-20 years, and consideration will focus on scientific achievements as an independent investigator.
- Consideration should be given for hiatuses in research career (e.g. due to medical concerns, family care, disability, etc).