Distinguished Achievement Award in Basic Science
Established in 1968, this recognition prize honors a senior investigator who has made major accomplishments in basic research that have significantly advanced the science and/or practice of gastroenterology. For the purpose of this award, the term “gastroenterology” encompasses any gastrointestinal discipline, including hepatology. To read about all 2020 AGA recognition prize winners, please read the press release.
Nominations are closed for the year. We will announce the 2021 recipients in January.
Description
Created in 1968, the Distinguised Achievment Award in Basic Science recognizes an individual whose accomplishments in basic research have significantly advanced the science and practice of gastroenterology. Since 2013, the prize has been awarded annually.
Eligibility
Nominees must be current AGA members and have demonstrated exemplary service to AGA, such as committee service and/or AGA fellowship. Candidates need not be gastroenterologists and consideration will be given to scientists and medical professionals from all fields; however, the nominee’s contributions must have significantly impacted the understanding of basic biology as it relates to the gastrointestinal tract.
Selection process
The recipient is selected by the AGA Governing Board. Nominees will be reviewed using the eligibility criteria listed above.
Recognition
The recipient will receive a $5,000 honorarium and will be recognized at the AGA Awards Ceremony during Digestive Disease Week®. AGA will reimburse the recipient’s travel expenses and provide hotel accommodations for up to two nights. Travel expenses for one guest will also be reimbursed.
Nomination deadline and submission process
All nominations must be submitted online by a primary nominator who is an AGA member. The names of additional AGA members who support the nomination should be listed on the nomination form.
The following supporting materials must be uploaded with the nomination form in PDF format. Please title the files using the nominee’s last name, first initial and the type of file (i.e., DoeJ_Letter.pdf, DoeJ_CV.pdf).
- A nomination letter, not to exceed two pages, signed by the primary nominator and additional AGA members who support the nomination. If the letter has multiple signatures, additional signature pages beyond the two-page limit are allowed.
- Nominee’s curriculum vitae.
Members of the AGA Governing Board may not nominate or support another AGA member’s nomination.
CONTACT
Please forward all questions about this and other AGA recognition awards to 301-941-2619 or via email at awards@gastro.org.
Recipients (1968–2020)
| 2020 | R. Balfour Sartor, MD |
| 2019 | Harry B. Greenberg, MD: Viral Pathogenesis |
| 2018 | T. Jake Liang, MD, AGAF: Viral Hepatitis |
| 2017 | Juanita Merchant, MD, PhD: Gastric Physiology and Pathophysiology |
| 2016 | Mark Donowitz, MD, AGAF: Intestinal Sodium Absorption/Diarrhea |
| 2014 | John A. Williams, MD, PhD: Regulation of the Exocrine Pancreas |
| 2013 | Pelayo Correa, MD: Pathology and Epidemiology of Gastrointestinal Cancers |
| 2011 | Sidney J. Winawer: Polyps and the Prevention of Colorectal Cancer |
| 2010 | Mary K. Estes, PhD: Gastroenteritis Virus Pathogenesis and New Vaccines |
| 2008 | John G. Forte: Discovery and Characterization of the H,K-ATPase |
| 2007 | Daniel K. Podolsky: Healing and Repair within the GI Tract |
| 2005 | Henry J. Binder: Colonic Ion Transport/Diarrhea |
| 2004 | Raymond DuBois, Jr.: COX-2 |
| 2001 | Nicholas F. LaRusso: Cholangiopathies |
| 2002 | Gabriel M. Makhlouf: Regulation of Gastrointestinal Function by Gut Peptides |
| 1998 | John Walsh: Neurohumoral Control of Gastric Secretion in Humans or Animals/Human Peptic Ulcer Disease |
| 1996 | Young S. Kim: Mucosal Glycoproteins |
| 1995 | Barry Marshall: Helicobacter Pylori |
| 1993 | James D. Jamieson: Exocytosis from the Pancreatic Acinar Cell: The Outs and Ins of It |
| 1991 | Jeffrey Gordon: The Use of Transgenic Mice to Study Gut Epithelial Cell Differentiation |
| 1990 | Martin C. Carey: Reflections from Moving Objects: Micelles in Bile and Gut Revisisted |
| 1989 | James L. Boyer: What Makes Bile Flow? |
| 1987 | Joseph H. Szurszewski: Myo-Neural Mechanisms of GI Motility and Dysmotility, Predictors and Disease |
| 1986 | Michael D. Levitt: Gaseous Insights into Intestinal Physiology |
| 1984 | Michael Field: The Cell Biology of Diarrheal Disease |
| 1983 | Kurt Isselbacher: Biochemical Studies of the Structure and Function of the Gut |
| 1981 | Warren Strober: Immunoregulatory Defects in Inflammatory Diseases of the Gastrointestinal Tract |
| 1980 | Rudi Schmid: Bilirubin: Old and New |
| 1978 | John M. Dietschy: The Biological and Clinical Importance of Diffusion Barriers |
| 1977 | Cyrus E. Rubin: Blood and Guts: More than a Quarter Century of Morphologic Research |
| 1975 | Jared M. Diamond: Functional Organization of Epithelia: Dead End Channels and Leaky Cement |
| 1974 | James McGuigan: Development and Current Status of Radioimmunoassay of Gastrin |
| 1973 | Charles S. Lieber: Hepatic Injury and Metabolic Adaptation in Alcoholism |
| 1972 | Donald M. Small: Biliary Lipids, Bile and Gallstones |
| 1971 | John S. Fordtran: Models for the Intestinal Transport of Ions, Water and Sugars |
| 1970 | Alan F. Hofmann: Functions and Dysfunctions of Bile Acids |
| 1969 | Robert K. Crane: Digestive Absorptive Function: Lessons from the Brush Border |
| 1968 | Irwin M. Ariazs: Inheritable Jaundice in Man and Other Animals |
