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Mary Ellen Avery Neonatal Research Award

Established in 2013 by the American Pediatric Society (APS) and the Society for Pediatric Research® (SPR), the Mary Ellen Avery Neonatal Research Award honors Dr. Mary Ellen Avery’s lifetime achievements and seminar contributions to neonatal health. Dr. Avery’s discovery of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) transformed neonatal health. This award recognizes a pediatric investigator who has made significant contributions to neonatal health through basic or translational research.

Submission Deadline: June 23, 2025

Award

  • Scientific presentation (15-minutes) at Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Meeting
  • $1,000 honorarium and plaque presented at the PAS Meeting
  • Economy airfare (up to $750) to PAS Meeting and two nights at PAS hotel
  • Complimentary PAS Meeting registration
  • Award recipient will be invited to serve on the Selection Committee 
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Eligibility Criteria

  • Pediatric investigator with a sustained record of excellence in neonatal health research
  • Record of substantive:
  • Contributions to neonatal health research
  • Impact on the field
  • National and international recognition 

Nomination Requirements

Detailed Letter of Nomination*

Three Letters of Support*

Letters should provide ample evidence of a nominee’s substantive:

  • Contributions to neonatal health research
  • Impact on the field
  • National and international recognition


Nominee curriculum vitae (CV) with bibliography of published works

  • An asterisk (*) should identify the five papers that the nominee regards as his/her most significant contributions
  • Research productivity by the nominee’s mentees should be indicated by highlighting the names of these individuals in each publication 


* Note: Members of the Selection Committee or Council are not permitted to submit nominations or provide letters of support. Additionally, the Nominator may not write a letter of support.

Selection Process

  • The Committee for the Mary Ellen Avery Award is solely responsible for selection
  • Selection is made in February
SubMit a Nomination

Current Recipient

Dr. Cynthia Bearer is the William & Lois Briggs Chair of Neonatology and Chief, Division of Neonatology, Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital and Professor of Pediatrics & Neurosciences at Case Western Reserve University. She has made significant contributions to neonatal health through basic and translational research for multiple conditions impacting the developing brain, such as fetal alcohol syndrome, hyperbilirubinemia, and toxic environmental exposures.

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Cynthia Bearer, MD, PhD
Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, Case Western Reserve University

  • 2024 | Donna M Ferriero
  • 2023 | Kurt H. Albertine
  • 2022 | Michael A. Heymann
  • 2021 | Stella Kourembanas
  • 2020 | No awardee: PAS 2020 was cancelled.
  • 2019 | Robert Ballard & Phillip Ballard
  • 2018 | Richard Martin
  • 2017 | Alan H. Jobe
  • 2016 | Steven H. Abman
  • 2015 | Jeffrey A. Whitsett
  • 2014 | John A. Clements