Public Service Award

About the Award

Nominations/Applications for all 2026 awards are now closed.

Self-Nominate

Nominate a Colleague

 

The American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) presents the Public Service Award to recognize outstanding national leadership and public service in support of biomedical research or the advocacy of sound research policies. The recipient is selected by the ASCB Public Policy Committee.

The nominator or self-nominator must be an ASCB member, but the candidate does not need to be an ASCB member or a scientist.

2025 Award Winner: Dr. Francis Collins

Award Details

The winner will be featured in a video during the 2026 Cell Bio Meeting Keynote Session and receives a certificate.

Who is Eligible

An individual who has demonstrated outstanding national leadership in support of biomedical research or the advocacy of sound research policies. Nominators and self-nominators must be ASCB members. The award winner may, but need not, be a scientist.

Selection Criteria

• Candidate has demonstrated national leadership in support of biomedical research.
• Candidate has an outstanding record of support for biomedical research advocacy.
• Candidate has an exceptional track record of support for sound scientific research policies.

How to Apply

Candidates may either self-apply or be nominated.

Required documentation

1. Nomination letter or Narrative statement (if self-applying) describing the candidate’s background, contributions, and qualifications for receiving the award, no longer than 2 pages.
2. A letter of support endorsing the candidate, no longer than 2 pages.
3. Candidate’s biosketch (NIH or similar format) no longer than 5 pages.
4. Statement describing the candidate’s demonstrated commitment to ASCB’s values, through either lived or learned experiences, no more than 2 pages.

Please Note

1. ASCB wants to ensure that the pool of award candidates is as diverse and inclusive as possible. The demographic questions are for internal reporting only and are not viewable by award reviewers. The questions are not mandatory, however we would appreciate your responses so that we can assess our level of inclusivity.
2. As a founder of the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) ASCB does not use journal impact factors or other journal-based metrics in the evaluation process for its awards. ASCB looks at an individual’s research contributions and impact on the field, rather than the prestige of the journals where work is published.

All Recent Awardee Photos