Two biomedical scientists are the first women to receive the $500,000 Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research, the largest award in American medicine.
The prize was awarded this morning to Elizabeth Blackburn, of the University of California at San Francisco, and Joan Steitz, of Yale University. The award, which is presented by the Albany Medical Center, in New York, honors their molecular-biology research, which could advance treatment for a variety of diseases.
Morris Silverman created the prize in 2000 with a $50-million donation to the medical center. The prize recognizes scientists who are pre-eminent in the field and whose work has significant implications in medicine. All recipients of the award since it was first presented, in 2001, have been men. —Hurley Goodall
