Establishment of Awards

Distinguished Achievement
Established and presented in 1978, this award is presented to an active older individual to call attention to the obvious, but often overlooked, fact that older individuals can live full, productive, useful lives.

Denham Harman Research Award
This award, which was established in 1978, is named after Dr. Denham Harmon, one of the co-founders of AGE. The award honors a person who has made significant contributions to biomedical aging research.

Walter R. Nicolai Award
Through the generosity of the Paul F. Glenn Foundation, this award was established in 1982 in the name of Walter Nicolai (a long-time board member of AGE who was killed in a skiing accident in 1982) for meritorious research by a graduate or medical student in the area of biomedical gerontology.

Paul F. Glenn Award
To award a post-doctoral candidate who has made special contributions to biomedical aging research. This award was established in 1985 to honor Mr. Paul F. Glenn for his long-term active support of biomedical aging research through the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research.

Clinical Research Award
This award is given in joint presentation with the American College of Clinical Gerontology and the American Aging Association and was established in 1989.

Journalism Award
This award was established in 1992 to honor journalists who have contributed significantly to the general public’s knowledge and understanding of biomedical aging research and its potential to enhance our lives.

Leonard Hayflick Award
This lectureship was established in 1995 by Dr. Michael Fossel in homage to Dr. Leonard Hayflick, to recognize an individual’s research and prominence in the field and is intended to answer three questions each year:

1. What were the most important unanswered research questions in aging?
2. In the context of what we know, what makes these the most important questions?
3. How, specifically, can we set out to address these questions?

The Hayflick award is to give new researchers and graduate students a "map" of where the field should go, why, and how to get there, all from the point of view of someone with sufficient perspective and intelligence to offer such advice.

Research Fund
The Research Fund was established in 1987 by Arthur K. Balin, MD, PhD, FACP with the first donation. The interest of the fund will be available for the direct support of basic and clinical research designated to productive and functional life span of people.

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Exceptional Mentor in Aging Award 

One of the primary missions of American Aging Association (AGE) is to promote junior investigators in the field of aging. The field has benefited and continues to strengthen with the positive and nurturing environments provided by outstanding mentors. This award honors those that have made significant contributions to the training of students, postdocs and scientists in the field of aging through exceptional mentoring. The person honored by this award has successfully guided and shaped the careers of individuals in the field of aging. 

Criteria

1) The nominee and nominator must be current members of the American Aging Association.

2) The nominator must be >5 years beyond training if trained in nominee’s laboratory; no time limit applies if the nominator has been trained independent of the nominee. 

3) The nominator must convey why the nominee was/is a great mentor not only to the nominator but more broadly. 

4) The nominee must have trained individuals who have had or are currently significantly impacting the field [publications, awards, grant support, impact on curricula (course design, workshops), meeting organization, ‘biology of aging influencer’, or other impactful influence on aging research-related activities]. 

5) The career trajectory of former trainees will be considered, thus CV’s of the nominator together with supporting letters and CVs from current or former trainees must be included. 

Nominations for this award are due January 1, 2021. The nomination packet should include the CV of the nominee, a primary nomination letter and nominator CV, and at least three supporting letters and CVs from current or former mentees or peers. Email all materials to Holly Brown-Borg at [email protected].

Established in 1978 this award was named in honor of Dr. Denham Harman, a co-founder of AGE and honors a person who has made significant contributions to biomedical aging research.

All members of the American Aging Association are eligible to nominate individuals for the awards.

Materials required for nomination include a nomination letter outlining why this individual is deserving of the award, a current CV of the individual and at least two supporting letters. Before nominating a person, please take a look at the website for the list of past awardees. Please note that if an individual has received the Denham Harman Award previously, the nomination will have to justify the contributions of this person since the last award. Once the materials have been collected, the nominator should send the documents to Holly Brown-Borg at [email protected].

The Awards Committee will review eligibility, compile the documents and create a slate of candidates for the AGE Board on which to vote. 

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Distinguished Achievement

Established and presented in 1978, this award is presented to an active individual to call attention to the obvious, but often overlooked, fact that older individuals can live full, productive, useful lives.

 

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Other awards not under consideration this year:

Excellence in Journalism Award

Established and presented in 1992, this award is presented to honor journalists who have contributed significantly to the general public's knowledge and understanding of biomedical aging research and its potential to enhance our lives

Leonard Hayflick Lectureship

Established in 1995 by Dr. Michael Fossel in homage to Dr. Leonard Hayflick, and presented in 1996 , this award is presented to recognize an individual's research and prominence in the field and is intended to answer what were the most important unanswered research questions in aging; what makes these the most important questions and how can we set out to address these questions

Clinical Research

The too-infrequent confluence of clinical studies with basic research provides some opportunities to recognize those who particularly focus their work in line with the Association Mission.

Clinical ResearchTravel Awards

Those students who whose need assistance whose work is of a quality that their attendance warrants subsidization.

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Awards Presented at Annual Meeting