INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana University School of Medicine is pleased to announce the call for nominations into the 2022 August M. Watanabe prize in translational research. Leaders at the school made the announcement as part of the September 24, 2021, Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) Annual Meeting. This year’s $100,00 prize winner, Nancy J. Brown, Jean and David W. Wallace Dean of the Yale School of Medicine and C.N.H. Long Professor of Internal Medicine, will be the keynote speaker at the Indiana CTSI event. Brown’s research helped inform the focus of this year’s annual meeting titled: Preventing the Smoldering Pandemic of Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome.
“The Watanabe Prize showcases our commitment at IU School of Medicine to celebrating and supporting the best translational research in the nation,” said IU School of Medicine Dean Jay L. Hess, MD, PhD, MHSA. “Our honorees are at the top of their fields and have shepherded scientific discoveries into new therapies for patients. Through this award, honorees are able to share their knowledge and inspire our IU community.”
The following researchers from across the state, also shared their findings on the topic of obesity and the metabolic syndrome as part of the Indiana CTSI annual meeting:
- Bernice Pescosolido, PhD, Principal Investigator and Indiana University Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Stephen Carter, PhD, Assistant Professor, Indiana University Bloomington School of Public Health, Person-to-Person Health Interview Study Findings; Obesity Disproportionality Affecting Minorities
- Giles Duffield, PhD, Associate Professor Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame Dysfunction of the Circadian Clock that Underlies Several Disease States, including Obesity and Diabetes
- Dennis Savaiano, PhD, Director of the Connections IN Health/Indiana State Department of Health Coalition Development Program and Lily Darbishire, MPH, RDN, PhD candidate, Department of Nutrition Science, both from Purdue University, Indiana CTSI and State Department of Health Community Coalitions’ Approach to Prevention and Treatment of Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome
- Chandan Sen, PhD, IU Distinguished Professor, Associate Vice President for Military and Applied Research, Indiana University School of Medicine and Executive Director, IU Health Comprehensive Wound Center, Shoulder-to-Shoulder Against the Menace of Diabetic Ulcer
- The complete annual meeting agenda is available on the Indiana CTSI website.
“Having a researcher as prestigious as Dr. Nancy J. Brown present as the keynote speaker for our Indiana CTSI annual meeting is a tremendous benefit to researchers within our organization and across the state,” said Sarah Wiehe, MD, MPH, co-director of the Indiana CTSI. “Learning more about her research outcomes will help us develop new ways of thinking about potential approaches to new treatments and strategies for a healthier Indiana.”
The August M. Watanabe award is given to an investigator who has made a significant contribution to the field of translational science. The winner will receive $100,000 and will be spending time in Indianapolis from September 14-16, 2022, as a visiting dignitary to share knowledge with audiences at IU School of Medicine and its partner institutions. The deadline for 2022 prize nominations is January 21, 2022.
IU School of Medicine wants to encourage all researchers to consider nominating a member of the scientific or medical community who has demonstrated outstanding accomplishments in translational research. The Watanabe Prize is granted to a senior investigator whose influential research deserves major recognition. Researchers are able to submit nominations easily through the IU School of Medicine website.
The Watanabe prize is named in honor of the late August M. Watanabe, a pioneer in the field of translational research in both academia and industry who impacted the health of people around the world as a leader at Indiana University School of Medicine and Eli Lilly and Company. The Watanabe Prize in Translational Research was created to memorialize Dr. Watanabe’s exceptional dedication to scientific inquiry and his determined advocacy of translational research.
Contact: Christine Drury, cldrury@iu.edu 317-385-9227 (cell)
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About the IU School of Medicine
IU School of Medicine is the largest medical school in the U.S. and is annually ranked among the top medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The school offers high-quality medical education, access to leading medical research and rich campus life in nine Indiana cities, including rural and urban locations consistently recognized for livability.
About the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute
The Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) brings together the state’s brightest minds to solve Indiana’s most pressing health challenges through research. It is a statewide partnership among Indiana University, Purdue University, the University of Notre Dame and numerous life sciences businesses, government entities, and community organizations. The Indiana CTSI engages with the public at every level of research—from basic science to patient care. It has been continuously funded by multimillion-dollar grants from the National Institutes of Health since the Indiana CTSI’s founding in 2008 and is housed at the Indiana University School of Medicine. For more information, visit indianactsi.org.
