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Northwestern accepting nominations for $200,000 Nemmers Prize in Medical Science

Northwestern University is accepting nominations for its $200,000 Mechthild Esser Nemmers Prize in Medical Science. The biennial prize will be awarded in fall 2022.

Candidacy for the 2022 Nemmers Prize is open to physician-scientists whose body of research exhibits outstanding achievement in their disciplines as demonstrated by works of lasting significance. Individuals of all nationalities and institutional affiliations are eligible, except current or recent members of the Northwestern faculty, past recipients of the Mechthild Esser Nemmers Prize and recipients of the Nobel Prize. 

The 2022 recipient of the Nemmers Prize will deliver a public lecture and participate in other scholarly activities at Northwestern. 

Distinguished past recipients are: 

  • Dr. Huda Zoghbi (2016), a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and professor at Baylor College of Medicine known for her groundbreaking research on Rett syndrome and other neurological disorders;
  • Dr. Stuart Orkin (2018), a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Boston Children's Hospital and professor at Harvard Medical School, known for his landmark discoveries into blood cell development and the genetic basis of blood disorders;
  • Dr. David Sabatini (2020), professor of biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Member of the Whitehead Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator known for his landmark discoveries in the area of cell signaling and growth regulation.

“At Feinberg, we are committed to the pursuit of finding answers to devastating diseases to improve the future of human health through scientific discovery and innovation,” said Dr. Eric Neilson, vice president for medical affairs and the Lewis Landsberg Dean at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “We look forward to honoring another outstanding investigator whose novel discoveries can lead to answers, contributing to tomorrow’s cures, and the improvement of heath for future generations, globally.”

“The Mechthild Esser Nemmers Prize in Medical Science honors not only the painstaking work that takes place in scientific laboratories, but more importantly, the indelible impact these achievements have on society,” said Northwestern Provost Kathleen Hagerty. “Northwestern University is proud to consider the nominations of scientists who have committed themselves to this noble pursuit, improving the lives of people around the globe with each discovery.”

This award is made possible by a generous gift to Northwestern by the late Erwin Esser Nemmers and the late Frederic Esser Nemmers. The Nemmers Prize in Medical Science is the fourth Nemmers prize established by Northwestern and joins the Erwin Plein Nemmers Prize in Economics, the Frederic Esser Nemmers Prize in Mathematics, the Michael Ludwig Nemmers Prize in Music and the new Nemmers Prize in Earth Sciences, now the fifth Nemmers prize at Northwestern.

Nominations for the prize will be accepted until November 1, 2021. Nominating letters of no more than one page should describe the nominee’s professional experience, accomplishments, qualifications for the award and a curriculum vitae of the nominee. Nominations from experts in the field and institutional nominations are welcome; direct applications will not be accepted.

Nominations can be submitted at www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/nemmers.