11th Annual Stem Cell Action Awards presented at the World Stem Cell Summit

Regenerative Medicine Foundation honored the stem cell community’s top innovators, leaders, and champions at the Stem Cell Action Awards Dinner at the annual 2015 World Stem Cell Summit. Since 2005, the awards have recognized dedicated individuals and organizations that have made distinguished contributions to the cause of stem cell research, including stem cell advocates, elected officials, philanthropists and scientists.

The 2015 Stem Cell Action Award Honorees included Robert M. Nerem (Leadership), Ann Murphy (Education), Tory Williams & the Alabama Institute of Medicine (Advocacy), Jeanne Loring (Advocacy), CURE CP (Inspiration).

Sponsor the Stem Cell Action Awards Dinner.  Reserve your table today. Contact Alan Fernandez, Genetics Policy Institute (650)847-1640 and/or alan@genpol.org to learn more.

For a full list of previous awardees, please click here.

2015 Stem Cell Action Award Honorees

Leadership Award: Robert M. Nerem, PhD – Bob has a long and distinguished career in engineering for medicine. A giant in the field of cellular and tissue engineering, Bob began at Georgia Tech in 1987 as a Professor and Parker H. Petit Distinguished Chair for Engineering in Medicine. He is the founder of the Georgia Tech/Emory Center for the Engineering of Living Tissues which has evolved into the Center for Regenerative Engineering and Medicine (REM), a joint collaboration between Emory University, Georgia Tech and The University of Georgia, with a mission to fundamentally transform the treatment of human diseases and injuries through the development and translation of new technologies that enhance the body’s ability to heal itself. The integration of engineering technologies, biological discoveries, and clinical expertise and infrastructure will establish Georgia as a national leader in regenerative clinical therapies.

Education Award: Ann Murphy, PhD – Ann co-founded AlphaMed Press in 1983 and launched STEM CELLS, the first journal devoted entirely to the subject. With offices in Durham, NC, San Francisco, CA, and Belfast, NI, Ann publishes and is the managing editor of two other international peer-reviewed journals with globally recognized editorial boards dedicated to advancing research and education in their focused disciplines: The Oncologist and STEM CELLS Translational Medicine (the official journal partner of the Regenerative Medicine Foundation). In 2000, Ann co-founded the Society for Translational Oncology to fill the gap between discovery of new cancer treatments and their global translation into oncology practice. The Oncologist is its official journal.

Advocacy Award: Tory Williams & the Alabama Institute of Medicine – Born and raised in the small town of Millry, Alabama, Tory Williams is a proud mother or 4. She co-founded with Roman Reed the nonprofit Alabama Institute of Medicine (AIM). She played a leadership role in the passage of the TJ Atchison Spinal Cord Injury Act, also known as “TJ’s Law” which provided over $800,000 in funding for spinal cord injury in Alabama. Even while battling polycystic kidney disease (PKD), Tory found time and strength to author a compelling book, Inevitable Collision- The Inspiring Story That Brought Stem Cell Research to Conservative America.

Advocacy Award: Jeanne Loring, PhD – Jeanne is Professor and founding Director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine at The Scripps Research Institute. She is a bold and outspoken advocate, educator and gifted scientist. Her research team studies genomics and epigenomics of hESCs and iPSCs. As part of the “Frozen Zoo” project her lab generated the first reprogrammed cells from endangered species. Her translational projects include stem cell applications for Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, autism, Alzheimer disease, and addiction. Under her guidance, her lab is creating collections of cell lines for disease modeling and ethnicity-associated drug toxicity studies. Jeanne is also involved in the societal issues associated with stem cell research, including the ethics of stem cell generation and clinical use, the legal implications of stem cell patents, and educating the public about the dangers of unregulated stem cell treatments. She has served on the ethics boards of Merck KGaA and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and is a long-standing member of the GPI Science Advisory Board.

Inspiration Award: CURE CP – Cerebral palsy (CP) is a broad term used to describe a group of chronic “palsies” — disorders that impair control of movement due to damage to the developing brain. CP is one of the most common causes of chronic childhood disability, affecting 1 in 323 children (second only to autism). Cure CP, a nonprofit organization, undertakes and supports initiatives at leading, American research institutions developing therapeutic methodologies for the treatment of CP. Through passionate, grassroots advocacy and fundraising, Cure CP undertakes and supports forward-thinking research, including current, ongoing clinical trials at Duke University School of Medicine and UTHealth. Founded by two Atlanta-based families with children affected by CP, Cure CP and its dedicated volunteers seek a better life and future for children and adults with cerebral palsy.