Awards and Recognitions

2013 Lee C. Howley Sr. Prize for Arthritis Research

  Deadline for Nominations has passed

Nomination Guidelines

The Lee C. Howley Sr. Prize for Research in Arthritis recognizes those researchers whose contributions during the previous five years have represented a significant advance in the understanding, treatment or prevention of arthritis and rheumatic diseases. It is a fitting memorial tribute to Lee C. Howley Sr., former chairman of Revco D.S., Inc., who was instrumental in the establishment of the Revco Arthritis Research Center at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Arthritis Foundation extends its gratitude to the Howley family on behalf of the estimated 50 million Americans who have arthritis for making the Lee C. Howley Sr. Prize for Research in Arthritis possible. The recognition that this program offers for excellence in arthritis research will ensure that the search will continue for cures to the more than 100 forms of arthritis and the rheumatic diseases. The Howley family's expression of commitment offers hope that one day the problems of arthritis will be solved.

The recipient of the 2012 Lee C. Howley Sr. Prize for Arthritis Research is George C. Tsokos, MD, Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Chief of Rheumatology Division, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Over the past two decades at Walter Reed and Harvard University, Dr. Tsokos has systematically characterized biochemical and molecular abnormalities in immune cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and furthered the understanding of the disease’s origin. His studies have identified novel treatment targets and disease biomarkers to improve the lives of patients.

Previous recipients include Alisa Erika Koch, MD, Andrew D. Luster, MD, PhD, Wayne M. Yokoyama, MD, John O’Shea, MD, Gerard Karsenty, MD, PhD, Michel Nussenzweig, MD, PhD, Gary Koretzky, MD, David Wofsy, MD, Gary Firestein, MD, Chella David, PhD, David Felson, MD, MPH, Jeffrey Ravetch, MD, David V. Goeddel, PhD, Betty Diamond, MD, Peter Lipsky, MD, David S. Pisetsky, MD, PhD, Daniel Kastner, MD, PhD, Morris Reichlin, MD, Matthew H. Liang, MD, MPH, William P. Arend, MD, Arthur Weiss, MD, PhD, Michael B. Brenner, MD, Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, Barton F. Haynes, MD, K. Frank Austen, MD, Allen C. Steere, MD, Darwin J. Prockop, MD, PhD, John P. Atkinson, MD, Douglas T. Fearon, MD, Robert J. Winchester, MD, Eng M. Tan, MD, Mart Mannik, MD, Dennis A. Carson, MD, Hugh O. McDevitt, MD,C. William Castor, MD, Joan A. Steitz, PhD, Michael Lerner, MD, PhD, and John A. Hardin, MD.                  View Past Award Recipients

Purpose: The purpose of this award is to recognize an outstanding contribution to research that represents a major advance in the understanding, treatment or prevention of arthritis and rheumatic diseases.

Sponsoring Organization:  Support is provided by a generous endowment by the Howley Family.

Eligibility: An investigator is eligible for nomination if he or she has performed major research in a clinical or scientific field directly related to the rheumatic diseases in facilities located within the U.S. during the five years immediately preceding September 2, 2013.

Restrictions: The award will ordinarily be made to a single individual. In exceptional situations, the prize committee may recommend either:

• Dividing the award equally among more than one investigator from a single research group.
• Dividing the award among individuals from more than one research group who have made critical contributions to the same research area or problem.

Basis of Judgment: The awardee will be chosen primarily on the basis of the following criteria:

• Significance of the work to understanding and treatment of rheumatic disease and to initiating and sustaining the field of arthritis research.
• Originality and innovative insight on the part of the investigator into a major scientific problem.
• Intellectual and scientific independence of the investigator clear evidence that he or she is the prime intellectual and organizational force behind the particular research effort cited.
• The magnitude and quality of other career research efforts by the investigator, whether or not related to the major scientific achievement, will be given some weight in case of a close decision.

Nominations: Nominations can be made by any individual who is thoroughly familiar with the work of the nominee and must be co-sponsored by another such individual. One of these individuals should ordinarily be associated with an institution at which some of the work was performed and the other nominator from a different institution.

Award Procedure: The award includes a cash prize in the amount of $10,000 and will be presented at the Evening of Honors dinner on Friday, November 22, 2013, in Nashville, TN.

Download Nomination Guidelines