The ICIS-Pfizer Award for Excellence in Interferon and Cytokine Research (formerly the Seymour & Vivian Milstein Award)
The ICIS-Pfizer Award for Excellence in Interferon and Cytokine Research (formerly the Seymour & Vivian Milstein Award from 1988 – 2020), represents the pinnacle of scientific achievement in interferon and cytokine research since 1988. This award is bestowed upon a leading biomedical research scientist who has made outstanding contributions to interferon and cytokine research, either in a basic or applied field. Many laureates have made seminal advancements that have enabled the successful treatment of disease or have the potential to lead to significant health benefits.
For more information about past Milstein Award winners, please click here.
ICIS-BIOLEGEND William E. Paul Award for Excellence in Cytokine Research
K. Christopher Garcia, PhD has been chosen as the 2021 ICIS-BioLegend William E. Paul Award winner
Wiliam E. Paul, MD, (1936–2015)
The ICIS-Biolegend William E. Paul Award for Excellence in Cytokine Research is dedicated to William E. Paul, M.D., who died on September 18, 2015 at age 79. Dr. Paul’s extraordinary contributions to the field of cytokine research are best summarized by this paper published in the Journal of Immunology on December 15, 2015.
This award was established in 2016 and is given to an investigator that has made significant contributions to cytokine and interferon research throughout their career through the generosity of BioLegend.
The award consists of $2,500 and a crystal block with the 3 D structure of IL-4, the cytokine most associated with Dr. Paul’s research, as well as up to $2,500 in travel expense reimbursement and complimentary registration to attend and present at the Annual Meeting.
The ICIS-BioLegend William E. Paul Award represents the pinnacle of scientific achievement in cytokine research. The William E. Paul Award is bestowed upon a leading biomedical research scientist who has made outstanding contributions to cytokine research, either in a basic or applied field as demonstrated by publications, oral presentations and consistent scientific advancements in cytokine biology throughout their career, through the generosity of BioLegend. The awardee is selected by the ICIS Awards Committee based on nominations received from the international scientific community. The selection is based on strength and consistency throughout their career of cytokine research publications in peer reviewed journals, contributions to cytokine biology through the publication of reviews and book chapters, long term evidence of presenting their work on cytokine biology to the international community in oral presentations and leadership in the field as demonstrated by organization of cytokine biology meetings and chairing of sessions focused on cytokine biology at national/international meetings.
ICIS-LUMINEX John R. Kettman Award for Excellence in Interferon & Cytokine Research
2021 ICIS-Luminex John R. Kettman Award for Excellence in Interferon & Cytokine Research Mid-career recognizes Marion Pepper, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Immunology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
John R. Kettman
This award generously supported by Luminex Corporation, recognizes a mid-career investigator who has made outstanding contributions to the field of interferon or cytokine biology. The awardee will receive a $5,000 cash prize to include meeting registration and travel support to the ICIS annual meeting for presentation of his or her research in an award lecture. The award is named after Dr. John R (Jack) Kettman, an immunologist who was instrumental in the development of Luminex’s technologies and the Luminex Corporation.
A nominee must be an ICIS member in good standing* who is within 15 years from their terminal degree (Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent). A nominee must be an independent research scientist (PI); postdoctoral fellows are not eligible. Eligibility of the nominee will be checked at time of nomination and before presentation of award.
- Letters of nomination should be sent to the ICIS President via the Submission Form. The nomination package should include a full CV of the nominee and a letter of nomination detailing the accomplishments of the nominee and reasons for the nomination. A candidate may be nominated by more than one ICIS member.
It should be noted that the awardees will be judged based on the following criteria which should be included in the nomination letter:
- outstanding publications and ground-breaking discoveries in the field
- collective contributions to the field of cytokine biology
* Member dues paid through the end of 2021.
# This award is intended for a mid-career researcher with a maximum of 15 years post-degree. It is, however, recognized that there may have been family-related, personal, or other circumstances resulting in extended time out of the laboratory. Exceptions to the 15-year limit will be considered based on a description of any special circumstances. Please email with inquiries.
NEW ICIS Mentorship Award
The NEW ICIS Mentorship Award honors Howard A. Young, PhD, Senior Investigator at the Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, USA
- Intellectual growth and development
- Career development
- Professional guidance
- Advocacy
- Positive role modeling
- Intellectual growth and development
- To be eligible, the person needs a minimum of three mentees who are willing to write a supporting letter (one page, single spaced) on how this person has impacted their development, career and lives.
- Both the nominee and the corresponding nominator must be ICIS members (not a member, apply today)
- Nominees may include academic, government or industry members
- Nominees should have a sustained record of mentoring over time
- Self-nominations and posthumous nominations will not be accepted.
- Candidates that were nominated in the preceding year but did not win the award are automatically reconsidered as eligible in the ensuing year.
- The nomination must be made by a Regular, Industry or Student/Postdoc Member of the Society and include a minimum of two additional letters of nomination. The winner of this award will be announced at the annual meeting.
- To be eligible, the person needs a minimum of three mentees who are willing to write a supporting letter (one page, single spaced) on how this person has impacted their development, career and lives.
The Awardee will receive an ICIS Crystal and travel costs to attend the Society’s Annual Meeting up to $1500, and complimentary meeting registration for the year of the award. Mentees are invited to present the Award to their Mentor at the Annual Awards Ceremony.
ICIS Distinguished Service Award
Nancy C. Reich Marshall, PhD, Professor, Microbiology & Immunology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, USA
Fellow of The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Fellow of The American Academy of Microbiology (AAM)
The ICIS will on occasion bestow this honor on an ICIS member who has made an extraordinary contribution to the Society. The individual will have devoted significant time and energy over a period of years to elevating the goals of the Society in furthering research on interferon, cytokines and chemokines. Nominations should be communicated to the Awards Committee of the ICIS.
ICIS Honorary Lifetime Membership Award
Nominations are solicited for Honorary Life Memberships in the ICIS. Each year an individual will be awarded Life Membership as a tribute to his/her contributions to the field. Nominees should be individuals who have made substantive contributions to the cytokine/chemokine/interferon field over much of their careers, either in basic, clinical or applied research. Honorary members are esteemed members of the Society and provide us with an historical perspective and valued research tradition. Honorary Life Members are accorded all rights and privileges of active members, are exempted from Society dues and are listed in the dedicated Honorary Life Members section of the Society web site. The winner(s) is elected by vote of the ICIS Council and will be an invited speaker(s) at the next ICIS meeting.
Young Investigator, Trainee and Abstract Awards
2020 Award Winners
Gregory F. Sonnenberg, PhD, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY USA
ICIS 2020 Honorary Lifetime Membership Award bestowed on Anne O’Garra
Anne O’Garra, FRS, FMedSci Senior Group Leader, Laboratory of Immunoregulation & Infection The Francis Crick Institute, London, England
2019 Seymour & Vivian Milstein Award for Excellence in Interferon and Cytokine Research
The ICIS recognizes two world leaders in deciphering the fundamental mechanisms of innate immunity in directing cytokine driven responses Read More
Akiko Iwasaki, PhD. Waldemar Von Zedtwitz Professor of Immunobiology; Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology; and Dermatology; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University, New Haven, USA
2019 ICIS Young Investigator Awardees:
ICIS BioLegend William E. Paul Award for Excellence in Cytokine Research
This award is given to an investigator that has made significant contributions to cytokine and interferon research throughout their career. Through the generosity of BioLegend the award consists of $2500 and up to $2500 travel reimbursement to present an awards presentation at the Annual Meeting, and a crystal block with the 3 D structure of IL-4, the cytokine most associated with Dr. Paul’s research.
2019 BioLegend William E. Paul Award for Excellence in Cytokine Research:
2018 ICIS-BioLegend William E. Paul Awardee: Giorgio Trinchieri, MD, NIH, National Cancer Institute, Program Director, Cancer and Inflammation Program. NIH Distinguished Investigator, Head, Cancer Immunobiology Section
Dr. Trinchieri (middle) receives the 2018 BioLegend William E. Paul Award Crystal from ICIS Awards Committee Co-chairs Bryan Williams and Kate Fitzgerald. Cytokines 2018 Awards Presentation.
Session Chairs Weiping Jiang (L) and John O’Shea (R), awarding the 1st ICIS-BIOLEGEND BILL PAUL AWARD to Richard Locksley, UCSF, after his lecture, “New pathways in type 2 immunity” on Tuesday, 18 October, 2016.
2016 ICIS BioLegend William E. Paul Awardee Inaugural prize – Richard Locksley, UCSF, San Francisco, USA
2018 ICIS Prestigious Awards
For 30 years, the Milstein Awards have represented the pinnacle of scientific achievement in interferon and cytokine research and are conferred each year by the International Society of Interferon and Cytokine Research (now the International Cytokine and Interferon Society, ICIS) at a special event during its annual meeting.
The Milstein family, Vivian, her late husband Seymour, their son Philip and their daughter Connie are well-known philanthropists in the United States and abroad. For more than 50 years they have provided essential support for institutions and organizations at a time when funds from government agencies have been drying up.
Among the research and healthcare-focused institutions that the Milstein family has championed are the New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center; Columbia University and the University College of Physicians and Surgeons; Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center; the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services; and CURE (Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy).The preeminent Seymour & Vivian Milstein Award for Excellence in Interferon and Cytokine Research, commonly known as The Milstein Award, recognizes individuals who have made exceptional contributions to interferon and cytokine research, either in a basic or applied field. Many of these achievements have led to the advancement of human health. The Milstein family also supports The Milstein Young Investigator Awards to recognize the work of individuals who have made an impact on interferon and cytokine research early in their careers, and The Milstein Travel Awards to give those who may not otherwise be able to attend the Annual Meeting of the ICIS an opportunity to share the most current interferon and cytokine knowledge with peers around from the world.Seymour Milstein’s early insights into the critical importance of interferons led him to Sidney Pestka, M.D., one of the scientists at the forefront of interferon research and an active member of the former ISICR. Seymour Milstein’s interest in fostering continued investigations in this emerging field, and the Milstein family’s tradition of support for organizations dedicated to patient care and scientific research, motivated him and his wife Vivian to establish The Milstein Awards in 1988, two years after interferon was first approved for the treatment of hairy cell leukemia.Since that time, it has been widely recognized that interferons and the larger class of cytokines play critical roles in the development and progression of many major diseases including cancer, viral diseases such as hepatitis and influenza, and autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis and lupus.
Award: $10,000 from the Milstein Family Grant. ICIS Crystal and travel reimbursement as well as meeting registration waived for the year of the Award from ICIS. Oral presentation during the Opening Ceremony of the meeting immediately following presentation of the Award.
The Milstein Young Investigator Awards
ICIS members who will attend the upcoming annual conference and who have received a Ph.D or M.D. within the previous 10 years are eligible. Every year up to five awards are granted to individuals who have made notable contributions to either basic or clinical research. This award ($1500 each) is provided by a generous gift of the Milstein Family. ICIS members may apply themselves or nominate other eligible members for Milstein Young Investigator Awards. A CV and letter of recommendation (including confirmation of eligibility) should accompany the application.
ICIS-BIOLEGEND WILLIAM E. PAUL AWARD
Sponsored by:
The Sidney & Joan Pestka Graduate and Post-Graduate Awards for Excellence in Interferon and Cytokine Research Sponsored by PBL Assay Science
The Sidney & Joan Pestka Graduate and Post-Graduate Awards are targeted to graduate students and post-doctoral fellows who have begun to make an impact in interferon and cytokine research. The Awards were originally designed to fill the gap among the awards offered by the ICIS to more senior investigators—the Young Investigator Award, the Christina Fleishmann Award, Honorary Membership, and The Seymour and Vivian Milstein Award. Candidates must be actively working in interferon/cytokine research but need not be ICIS members.
Awards: Each award amounts to a $3500 cash award, $1500 travel grant, a $2500 PBL Assay Science product credit for each awardee, and a complementary one-year ICIS membership.
Each awardee will receive a check in the amount of $5000 payable to the awardee at the annual ICIS Awards Ceremony. Should an awardee not attend the annual ICIS meeting, a travel grant will not be awarded and that awardee will receive a check in the amount of $3500 following the ICIS meeting. Each awardee will also receive a $2500 product credit from PBL Assay Science good for one year from the date of the award. This is an annual award, and a recipient may receive an award only once. An individual who receives the Graduate Award, however, remains eligible for the Post-Graduate Award. One award will be given to a graduate student and one award to a post-doctoral fellow where candidates of suitable caliber are identified. In years where a suitable candidate is not identified, an award will not be bestowed.
2017 Sidney & Joan Pestka Award Winners
The Christina Fleischmann Award to Young Women Investigators
The rules for this ICIS award are the same as for the Milstein Young Investigator Award (see above) except for gender and the candidate must have received a Ph.D or M.D. degree within the previous 10 years. This award is made possible through the generosity of the Fleischmann Family and is dedicated to the memory of ISICR member and outstanding interferon research scientist Christina Fleischmann. This award is open to young women investigators working in the cytokine, chemokine and interferon biology.
2017 Dr. Christina Fleischmann Award Winner, Susan Carpenter, Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz., Santa Cruz, United States.
2017 Dr. Christina Fleischmann Award Winner more information
