May 14, 2004

2004 Claflin winners announced

For women, parenthood in itself is an enormous undertaking that demands unprecedented time and dedication. Combined with a prominent career in medical research, the obstacles women may face are wide and varied. In 1996, the Claflin Distinguished Scholar Awards Program was established to address these challenges, and this year six junior faculty members from a variety of MGH departments were selected to receive the award.

The Claflin Awards are granted each year to junior faculty who are at the most vulnerable point in their academic careers: their child-rearing years. The 2004 winners are: Irene Georgakoudi, PhD, from MGH Dermatology; Nelly Pitteloud, MD, from MGH Medicine and Reproductive Endocrinology; Laurence G. Rahme, PhD, MGH Department of Surgery; Anne N. Thorndike, MD, MPH, MGH General Medicine Unit; and Adele C. Viguera, MD, MPD, MGH Department of Psychiatry.

The awards — facilitated by the Office for Women's Careers — were named in tribute to Jane Claflin, an honorary MGH trustee who helped launch the initiative to increase funding for junior women faculty. The goal of the stipends — funded by the MGH Executive Committee on Research (ECOR) — is to provide transitional funding for women hoping to advance to senior positions in academic medicine.

A review group of the subcommittee on Review of Research and Proposals recently announced the 2004 winners. Each recipient will receive $30,000 per year to support their research efforts for two years.