Overview
The Genetics Society of America Medal honors an individual member of the Society for outstanding contributions to the field of genetics in the last 15 years. GSA established the Medal in 1981 to recognize members who exemplify the ingenuity of the GSA membership through elegant and highly meaningful contributions to modern genetics.
Nomination Process
When the nomination period is open, you will find a link to the nomination form at the top of this page. Using the form:
- Describe the candidate’s important contribution to modern genetics (word limit: 500).
- List the name of the candidate, their current institution, their email address, and phone number.
- Upload the candidate’s CV.
- Provide a secondary nominator’s name and email address. The secondary nominator will receive an email allowing them to log in and upload their letter of support.
- Once the secondary nominator has successfully uploaded their letter of support, you will receive an email to remind you to submit the completed nomination.
Once GSA receives all the necessary materials, the Board of Directors will review the nominations and select a recipient.
All nominations will remain active for three years. That means the nominee will be considered for the Medal in the year you nominate them and also in the following two years.
Eligibility
To be considered for the Genetics Society of America Medal, both the nominator and the nominee must be members of GSA. Nominees must have made an important, recent contribution to modern genetics.
Selection Criteria
Reviewers consider the following criteria when selecting a recipient:
- Has the applicant or nominee made an important contribution to modern genetics within the last 15 years?
Important Dates
Nominations are due October 18, 2021. Letters of recommendation are due October 20, 2021.
Past Recipients
| 2022 | Margaret Fuller, Stanford University School of Medicine |
| 2021 | Douglas Koshland, University of California, Berkeley |
| 2020 | Bonnie Bassler, Princeton University |
| 2019 | Anne Villeneuve, Stanford University |
| 2018 | Mariana Wolfner, Cornell University |
| 2017 | David Kingsley, Stanford University and HHMI |
| 2016 | Detlef Weigel, Max Plank Institute for Developmental Biology |
| 2015 | Steven Henikoff, Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center, University of Washington, and HHMI |
| 2014 | Angelika B. Amon, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and HHMI |
| 2013 | Elaine A. Ostrander, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health |
| 2012 | Joanne Chory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies |
| 2011 | John R. Carlson, Yale University |
| 2010 | Barbara J. Meyer, University of California, Berkeley |
| 2009 | Marian Carlson, Columbia University and HHMI |
| 2008 | Susan Lindquist, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and HHMI |
| 2007 | Shirley M. Tilghman, Princeton University |
| 2006 | Victor Ambros, Dartmouth Medical School |
| 2005 | Stephen J. Elledge, Harvard Medical School |
| 2004 | Trudy F. C. Mackay, North Carolina State University |
| 2003 | Jeffrey C. Hall, Brandeis University |
| 2002 | Andrew Z. Fire, Carnegie Institution of Washington |
| 2001 | H. Robert Horvitz, Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| 2000 | Jack Szostak, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School |
| 1999 | Charles H. Langley, University of California, Davis |
| 1998 | Ronald W. Davis, Stanford University School of Medicine |
| 1997 | Christine Guthrie, University of California, San Francisco |
| 1996 | Elliot Meyerowitz, California Institute of Technology |
| 1995 | Eric Wieschaus, Princeton University |
| 1994 | Leland H. Hartwell, University of Washington |
| 1993 | Jonathan R. Beckwith, Harvard University |
| 1992 | Maynard V. Olson, University of Washington |
| 1991 | Bruce S. Baker, Stanford University |
| 1990 | Nancy Kleckner, Harvard University |
| 1989 | Allan C. Spradling, Carnegie Institution of Washington |
| 1988 | David Botstein, Stanford University |
| Ira Herskowitz, University of California, San Francisco | |
| 1987 | Sydney Brenner, University of Cambridge, UK |
| 1986 | Gerald Rubin, University of California, Berkeley |
| 1985 | Philip Leder, Harvard University |
| 1984 | David S. Hogness, Stanford University |
| 1983 | Charles Yanofsky, Stanford University |
| 1982 | Gerald R. Fink, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| 1981 | Beatrice Mintz, Institute for Cancer Research, Philadelphia |