WASHINGTON, Oct. 5, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Research!America's - www.researchamerica.org - 16th Annual Advocacy Awards event will convene leaders from government, academia, industry and health advocacy organizations to honor some of the leading medical and health research advocates of our time. The event will take place on the evening of Wednesday, March 14, 2012, at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, DC.
The 2012 Advocacy Award winners are Scott Johnson, president and founder, Myelin Repair Foundation; Sanjay Gupta, MD, chief medical correspondent, CNN; Donald Lindberg, MD, director, National Library of Medicine; Margaret Foti, MD, PhD, CEO, American Association for Cancer Research; and the Food Allergy Initiative (FAI). A sixth Advocacy Award winner will be named by Research!America's Board of Directors in December 2011.
"This year's awardees have significantly raised the bar on scientific and policy achievements in their respective fields and shone a spotlight on the immeasurable benefits of research," said Mary Woolley, president and CEO of Research!America." We strongly believe their accomplishments will inspire others to be bold and innovative in advancing research and making it a high priority for our nation."
Business strategist, entrepreneur and patient advocate Scott Johnson, president and founder of the Myelin Repair Foundation (MRF), will receive Research!America's 2012 Gordon and Llura Gund Leadership Award for his leadership in founding MRF, for implementing a new model at MRF to more rapidly deliver treatments to patients with chronic diseases, and for raising the visibility of research for neurological diseases.
Sanjay Gupta, MD, the Emmy-Award winning chief medical correspondent for CNN, will be honored with Research!America's 2012 Isadore Rosenfeld Award for Impact on Public Opinion for bringing to light the importance of medical and health research and adding clarity and context to health-related issues through his reporting on health and medical news.
Donald Lindberg, MD, director of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and former director of the White House High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) Program, will receive Research!America's 2012 Builders of Science Award for pioneering the application of computer technology to medicine which has revolutionized healthcare.
Margaret Foti, MD, PhD, CEO of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), will be honored with Research!America's 2012 Raymond and Beverly Sackler Award for Sustained National Leadership for carving out a leadership role for AACR in the science policy arena and for her tireless and effective advocacy for federal research funding in her 30 year tenure as the CEO of AACR.
The Food Allergy Initiative (FAI) will receive Research!America's 2012 Paul G. Rogers Distinguished Organization Advocacy Award for its pioneering role in advancing food allergy research, including successful advocacy campaigns that have led to a significant increase in federal research funding and to federal and local legislation that creates safer environments for people with food allergies. FAI executive director Mary Jane Marchisotto will accept the award on behalf of the organization.
The annual Research!America Advocacy Awards program was established in 1996 by the Board of Directors to honor outstanding advocates for medical, health and scientific research. Recognized individuals and organizations are those whose leadership efforts have been notably effective in advancing our nation's commitment to research.
Research!America is the nation's largest nonprofit public education and advocacy alliance working to make research to improve health a higher national priority. Founded in 1989, Research!America is supported by member organizations that represent the voices of 125 million Americans. Visit www.researchamerica.org .
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