Awards

The Mike McClure Pioneer Award is awarded by the Board of Scientific Counselors of the Frontiers in Reproduction Program, as a consensus of the Board and Faculty, to an outstanding scientist who has pioneered pathways of exploration in reproduction research. It signifies a tangible measure of peer-respect for the opening of new research directions that significantly advanced knowledge in the Reproductive Sciences and, in particular, the global impact of the scientist’s research program on supporting the research training and career development of young scholars who will themselves seek to define even newer frontiers. Starting in 2007, the keynote address given by the recipient of the Pioneer Award during the Annual FIR Symposium was named “The Mike McClure Pioneer Lecture” to honor and acknowledge the contributions that Dr. McClure has made to the Reproductive Sciences in general and FIR in particular.

The Mike McClure Pioneer Awardees

1998
Ralph Brinster, M.D., Ph.D. The University of Pennsylvania
Anne McClaren, D.Phil. Cambridge University

1999
M. Azim Surani, Ph.D. Cambridge University

2000
Janet Rossant, Ph.D. Samuel Lumenfeld Research Institute

2001
Alan H. Handyside, Ph.D. The University of Leeds

2002
Allen Enders, Ph.D. University of California at Davis

2003
JoAnne Richards, Ph.D. Baylor College of Medicine

2004
Mary Ellen Avery, Ph.D. Harvard University
Michael E. McClure, Ph.D. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Jerome F. Strauss III, M.D., Ph.D. The University of Pennsylvania

2005
Bert W. O’Malley, M.D. Baylor College of Medicine

2006
William F. Crowley, M.D. Massachusetts General Hospital

2007
John Eppig, Ph.D. The Jackson Laboratory

Neena Schwartz, Ph.D Northwestern University

2008
Mario Ascoli, Ph.D. The University of Iowa

2009
Jay Cross, Ph.D. University of Calgary

2010
David Page, Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2011
Richard R. Behringer, Ph.D. M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

2012
Ryuzo Yanagimachi, D.Sc. University of Hawaii

2013
Susan Fisher, Ph.D. University of California, San Francisco

2014
Blanche Capel, Ph.D. Duke University

2015
Marco Conti, M.D. University of California at San Francisco

2016
Richard Schultz, Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania

2017
Laurinda Jaffe, Ph.D. University of Connecticut Health Sciences Ctr

2018
Linda Giudice, MD, PhD, University of California at San Francisco

2019
Patricia K. Donahoe, M.D., Harvard Medical School

2020
Jurrien Dean, M.D., National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

2022
Patricia Hunt, Ph.D., Washington State University

2023
Allan E. Herbison, Ph.D., Cambridge University

2024
Anne Croy, D.V.M, Ph.D., Queen’s University (Canada)

The Jerry Strauss Beacon Award is awarded by the Board of Scientific Counselors of the Frontiers in Reproduction Research Program, as a consensus of the Board and Faculty, to an individual who has served as an outstanding source of enlightenment and guidance to the national reproductive sciences communities’ Frontier’s in Reproduction (FIR) Research Program. Furthermore, this award acknowledges the efforts made by the recipient in advancing young scholars’ research careers in the field of reproductive sciences research, and establishes him or her as a nationally valued source of illumination and guidance – a Beacon – in the development of research careers in the reproductive sciences. The award signifies a tangible measure of peer- scientist respect for the international impact of the individuals support for the research training and career development of young scholars seeking to go forth and define new frontiers in reproduction research.

The Jerry Strauss Beacon Awardees

1998
Michael E. McClure, Ph.D. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

1999
Christopher Payne, Oregon Health Sciences University

2000
Martin Ionescu-Pioggia, Ph.D. Burroughs Wellcome Fund

2001
Jerome F. Strauss III, M.D., Ph.D. The University of Pennsylvania

2002
Sheldon J. Segal, Ph.D. The Population Council

2003
Gerald Schatten, Ph.D. The University of Pittsburgh
Joan S. Hunt, Ph.D. The University of Kansas Medical Center
Kelly E. Mayo, Ph.D. Northwestern University

2004
Martha B. Peterson, Marine Biological Laboratory
Herbert Luther, Marine Biological Laboratory
Rudi Rottenfusser, Zeiss

2005
Asgerally Fazleabas, Ph.D. The University of Illinois at Chicago

2006
John Biggers, D.Sc., Ph.D.Harvard University

2008
Mike Griswold, Ph.D. Washington State University

2009
John H. Nilson, Ph.D. Washington State University
Koji Yoshinaga, Ph.D. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

2010
Pat Hunt, Ph.D. Washington State University
Rolly Simpson, Burrougsh Wellcome Fund

2011
Jeffery A. Bowen, Ph.D. Bridgewater State University

2012
Francesco DeMayo, Ph.D. Baylor College of Medicine
Ken Korach, Ph.D. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

2013
Teresa Woodruff, Ph.D. Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
David Albertini, Ph.D. University of Kansas Medical Center

2014
Lois Salomonsen, Ph.D Prince Henry’s Institute

2015
Charles Lockwood, M.D., University of Souther Florida Morsani College of Medicine

2016
Robert Rebar, M.D. Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine

2017
Sally Camper, Ph.D. University of Michigan

2018
Mitch Eddy, PhD., National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Mary Ann Handel, PhD., the Jackson Laboratory

2019
Mario Ascoli, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor, Iowa University

2020
Fuller Bazer, Ph.D., Texas A&M University
Dorianne Chrysler Mebane, Ed.M., FIR/MBL

2022
Paula Cohen, Ph.D., Cornell University
Paula Stein, Ph.D., National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

2023
JoAnne Richards, Ph.D., Baylor College of Medicine

2024
Gloria Perez, Ph.D.  from Michigan State University
Harvey Florman, Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts

This award was established in 2005 and is presented in alternating years by the FIR Board and Course Directors in recognition of outstanding contributions to the field of Reproductive Biology and Medicine made by a former FIR student. This individual also delivers a lecture at the FIR symposium.

The Rolly Simpson Distinguished Alumni Awardees

2005
Lisa Halvorson, M.D. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, FIR98

2008
Holly A. Lavoie, Ph.D. University of South Carolina, FIR01

2009
Kristina Adams Waldorf, M.D. University of Washington, FIR03

2011
Errol Norwitz, M.D. Tufts University School of Medicine, FIR03

2013
Kevin Sinclair, Ds.C., Ph.D University of Nottingham, FIR01

2015
Joao Ramalho-Santos, Ph.D. University of Coimbra, FIR98

2017
Melissa J. Perry, ScD., M.H.S. George Washington University, FIR03

2019
Karen Schindler, Ph.D., Rutgers University, FIR07

2022
Amanda Sferruzzi-Perri, Ph.D., Cambridge University

2024
Francesca Duncan, Ph.D., Northwestern University, FIR04

Named for Dr. Luigi Mastroianni, former Chair of OB/GYN at the University of Pennsylvania, a pioneer in the treatment of infertility via in vitro fertilization (IVF), and a long time MBL Corporation member. An eloquent advocate for Reproductive Sciences and Women’s reproductive rights, Dr. Mastroianni was also very interested in the art of communicating/explaining science to the public at large, as he was aware of the growing influence of science and technology in our daily lives. The Luigi Mastroianni Memorial Lecturer is selected annually by the Board of Scientific Counselors of the Frontiers in Reproduction Program in consensus with course directors. This memorial lecture opens the annual FIR Symposium and features a notable individual who has contributed to the knowledge and understanding of reproductive sciences research and practice thorough contributions in the realms of academic, policy, clinical practice or journalism.

The Luigi Mastroianni Memorial Lecturers

2009
Paul M. Wassarman, PhD, Mount Sinai School of Medicine,

2010
Victor D, Vacquier, Jr., PhD, Scripps Institute of Oceanography

2011
Not held

2012
Art Caplan, PhD, University of Pennsylvania

2013
Rudolph Jaenisch, M.D., Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, MIT

2014
John Bohannon, Science writer, Science and Wired

2015
Liza Mundy, Journalist and New York Times Bestselling Author

2016
Gideon Gill, Journalist, Managing Editor, STAT

2017
Jerome F. Strauss III, M.D., Ph.D. Virginia Commonwealth University

2018
Sara Lewis, PhD, Tufts University

2019
Gunther Wagner, Ph.D., Yale University

2022
Félix Rey, Ph.D.. Pasteur institute

2023
Kay Elder, Ph.D., Cambridge University

2024
Christian Sardet, Ph.D. Laboratory of Cell Biology at the Marine Station of Villefranche-sur-mer

The Anita Payne Scholarship was established in 2012 by SSR through the bequest of renowned reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Anita H. Payne. This award annually supports expenses for a current member of SSR admitted to FIR as a trainee. The award recipient is determined by the FIR Admissions Committee in consensus with the leadership of SSR.

Anita Payne/SSR Scholarship Recipients

2012
Yosi Aisen, Ph.D. University of Texas at Austin

2013
Raquel Gonzalez Herrero, D.V.M., Ph.D. University of Calgary

2014
Rasmani Hazra, Ph.D. University of Sydney

2015
Alisa Suen, B.S., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

2016
Sophea Heng, B.S. Hudson Institute of Medical Research

2017
Andrew Kelleher, B.S., University of Missouri

2018
Heather Talbott, Ph.D., Oregon Health and Sciences University

2019
Christian Andersen, B.S., University of Georgia

2022
Farners Amargant, Ph.D., Northwestern University

2023
Shweta Dipali, B.S., Northwestern University

2024
Emily Zaniker, B.S., Northwestern University

2025
Jules Balough, B.S., University of Pittsburgh

The Gates Foundation/SSR Scholarship was established in 2019 by SSR through an award from the Gates Foundation to SSR. This award annually supports expenses for a current member of SSR admitted to FIR as a trainee. This award is reserved to researchers from developing countries. The award recipient is determined by the FIR Admissions Committee in consensus with the leadership of SSR.

Gates Foundation/SSR Scholarship recipients

2019
Nikola Sekulovski, Macedonia, University of Southern Illinois-Carbondale

2022
Paula Balestrini, CONICET, Argentina

2023
Andreina Arias, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile

2024
Enitome Bafor, Nigeria, NIEHS
Kenley Joule Pierre, Haiti, University of Laval

2025
Camila Lopez Duarte, Columbia, University of Florida
Bethania Davila Ruiz, Venezuela, North Dakota State University

The Male Contraceptive Initiative (MCI) scholarship was established in 2019 by MCI. This scholarship consists of a $5,000 award to support expenses for the highest-ranking applicant admitted to FIR who is conducting research on non-hormonal sperm contraception. The award recipient is determined by the FIR Admissions Committee in consensus with the leadership of MCI.

Male Contraceptive Initiative (MCI) scholarship recipients

2019
Lis Puga Molina, Washington University, St. Louis

2022
Will Skinner,  University of California, Berkeley

2024
Martina Jabloñski, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental, Argentina

2025
Analia Novero, Instituto de Biologia Molecular y Celular de Rosario, Argentina