Lasker Award

Lasker Award

The Lasker Award is an annual award given by the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation to recognize the contributions of scientists, clinicians, and public servants who have made major advances in the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of human disease. The award is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious honors in the field of biomedical research.

History

The Lasker Awards were established in 1945 by Albert Lasker and his wife Mary Lasker, who were both passionate advocates for medical research. The awards were created to honor and promote the essential role of biomedical research in improving human health.

Categories

The Lasker Awards are presented in three categories:

• The Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award is given to those who have made significant contributions to the clinical practice of medicine.
• The Lasker-Basic Medical Research Award is given to scientists whose fundamental discoveries have both deepened our understanding of biology and opened up new ways to prevent or treat disease.
• The Lasker-Koshland Special Achievement Award in Medical Science is given to individuals with a lifetime of achievement in medical science and public service.

Selection Process

The winners of the Lasker Awards are selected by a panel of experts in the field, known as the Lasker Jury. The jury is composed of distinguished scientists and clinicians from around the world.

Significance

The Lasker Awards are often referred to as "America's Nobels" because of their reputation for identifying future winners of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. More than 80 Lasker laureates have gone on to receive the Nobel Prize.

Notable Recipients

Notable recipients of the Lasker Award include James Watson and Francis Crick, who won the award in 1960 for their discovery of the structure of DNA, and Albert Sabin, who won the award in 1965 for his development of the oral polio vaccine.

See Also

• List of Lasker Award winners
• Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation
• Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine