Awards

The Awards Committee shall select recipients for professional awards issued by the College. 

Applications for the 2021 Award will be accepted through July 31, 2021.  For questions contact Xinzhi Zhang at [email protected].

Please send nomination letters and candidates’ curriculum vitae as PDF files attached to an email to:

Xinzhi Zhang, MD, PhD, FACE
Awards Committee Chair
American College of Epidemiology
[email protected]

The Abraham Lilienfeld Award

The College's most prestigious award is given in honor of Abraham Lilienfeld, a founder of the American College of Epidemiology and a renowned teacher and scholar. The Lilienfeld Award is conferred each year at the Annual Meeting. The Lilienfeld Award recipient is invited to address Fellows and Members of the College during the Annual Meeting Award Luncheon. Lilienfeld Awardees are recognized as lifetime Honorary Fellows of the College and receive an honorarium. In addition, the costs of attending the Annual Meeting (transportation and accommodation) will be reimbursed and registration expenses will be waived. Disclaimer: If the meeting moves to a virtual format, registration will be waived, but travel reimbursement will not apply.

Eligibility Criteria

An eligible nominee should be a senior leader who has made extraordinary contributions to the field of epidemiology over the course of her/his career, through both teaching or mentoring and research or scholarship. Self‐nominations are not accepted.

Nomination Procedure

  • Nominations must be made by an active ACE member (Associate, Member, Fellow, Honorary Fellow, or Emeritus)
  • Nominations consist of a letter highlighting the nominee’s achievements and/or contributions pertinent to the award, and a current curriculum vitae
  • The nominator may include up to two supporting letters
  • Please supply complete nomination packages only

Annual Outstanding Contributions to Epidemiology Award

Award Description

This award recognizes an active epidemiologist for outstanding contributions to the field in one of three areas: 1) methods development; 2) etiologic research; or 3) applied epidemiology. The award is conferred each year at the Annual Meeting and the recipient is invited to deliver a platform talk to the College during the regular program. The Award includes an honorarium. In addition, the costs of attending the Annual Meeting (transportation and accommodation) will be reimbursed, and registration expenses will be waived.  Disclaimer: If the meeting moves to a virtual format, registration will be waived, but travel reimbursement will not apply.

Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for each award area are described below:

  • Methods Development: An award for Outstanding Contribution in Methods Development recognizes one epidemiologist for exemplary work in theoretical or applied research methodology that has demonstrably advanced the practice of epidemiology. Eligible nominees should have a strong record of peer‐reviewed publications on methods in epidemiology or related disciplines (e.g., statistics, social sciences, etc.).
  • Etiologic Research: An award for Outstanding Contribution in Etiologic Research recognizes one epidemiologist for research that has led to advances in the general understanding of the etiology of a specific health condition or group of conditions of public health significance. Eligible nominees should have a strong record of peer-reviewed publications on etiologic research in epidemiology or related disciplines (e.g., clinical, basic science, etc.).
  • Applied Epidemiology: An award for Outstanding Contribution in Applied Epidemiology recognizes one active epidemiologist for contributions that resulted in translating epidemiologic evidence to clinical, public health, or health policy applications. A strong record of peer‐reviewed publications is not required to describe the impact of this translational work, but evidence of the meritorious contributions of the nominee should be documented. Documentation should be accessible or provided to the committee for review and may include unpublished reports or gray literature as well as traditional publications.

Nomination Procedure

Active ACE members (Associate, Member, Fellow, Honorary Fellow or Emeritus) are invited to nominate eligible candidates for this award. Nominations should include:

  • A statement of the Award category: Methods Development, Etiologic Research, or Applied Epidemiology
  • A narrative description of the particular contribution or collection of contributions prompting the nomination. For example, a single high‐impact publication could be sufficient for a nomination, as could a collection of work. Regardless, this description should document how the contribution has influenced the field of epidemiology and/or related fields as well as any direct population health impact.
  • Examples of work (e.g., papers, reports, etc.) do not need to be attached to the nomination letter, but a select list of relevant examples that can be accessed by the committee would be helpful.
  • A copy of the nominee’s curriculum vitae should be submitted with the nomination letter.
  • The nominator may include up to two supporting letters
  • Self‐nominations are not accepted.

Annual Student Paper Prize

Award Description

Individuals are invited to submit samples of their unpublished, original research, completed during graduate epidemiology training, for consideration for the Student Paper prize.  In addition to a cover letter from the applicant, the application package must include a letter from the student’s advisor detailing the roles of the applicant and any coauthors in designing and carrying out the research under consideration. The research should be described in a standard scientific paper, formatted according to Annals of Epidemiology guidelines (http://www.annalsofepidemiology.org/). The award consists of financial support for attending the Annual Meeting (cost of travel and accommodations will be reimbursed, and meeting registration will be waived), the opportunity to present the paper during the Meeting, and expedited review of the paper for possible publication in the Annals of Epidemiology.  Publishing in the Annals is not required.  Disclaimer: If the meeting moves to a virtual format, travel reimbursement will not apply but expedited review for possible publication will be granted.  

Eligibility Criteria

  • The first author of the submitted paper must be eligible for ACE Associate Member status and enrolled in a master’s or doctoral epidemiology training program, or have completed training no later than January of the calendar year of the annual meeting.
  • Work must have been completed during the student’s training program, contain original research, and be suitable for publication.
  • The paper may be under review, but cannot be published at the time of submission.

Special Award

Award Description

The field of epidemiology’s expanse is broad. In an effort to acknowledge the breadth of the field and researchers who often submit to topic-focused journals, each year the Special Award will highlight a selected topic. For example, a topic may be rural drug addiction and treatment. ACE leadership and Committee members will reach out to programs, schools, and agencies to nominate individuals with such expertise. This may also be useful as a mechanism to collaborate with other topical associations (e.g., American Association of Addiction Medicine).

  1. 2021 ACE Special Award will recognize a distinguished epidemiologist who has made extraordinary contributions to the field of epidemiology addressing COVID-19 pandemic. 
  • Potential topics might be:
  • COVID-19
  • Drug abuse and treatment
  • Cancer risk
  • Environmental exposure and disease risk
  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Obesity
  • Reproductive health
  • Others

Eligibility Criteria

An eligible nominee should be a senior leader who has made extraordinary contributions to the field of epidemiology designated in the special award. Self‐nominations are not accepted.

Nomination Procedure

  • Nominations consist of
    • A letter highlighting the nominee’s achievements and/or contributions pertinent to the award
    • A current curriculum vitae of the nominee
    • Up to two additional supporting letters if desired (optional)
  • Please submit the complete nomination as one package

 

Abraham Lilienfeld Award


Student Prize Paper Award


Special Award: Critical and Sensitive Windows for Health Across the Lifespan


Outstanding Contributions to Epidemiology Award


Other Award Winners