The Lasker Awards have been awarded annually since 1945 to living persons who have made major contributions to medical science or who have performed public service on behalf of medicine. They are administered by the Lasker Foundation, which was founded by Albert Lasker and his wife Mary Woodard Lasker (later a medical research activist). The awards are sometimes referred to as "America's Nobels". The Lasker Awards have gained a reputation for identifying future winners of the Nobel Prize. Eighty-six Lasker laureates have received the Nobel Prize, including 32 in the last two decades.The Lasker Foundation – 2008 Special Achievement Award
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Claire Pomeroy Claire Pomeroy is the president and chief executive officer of the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation. She is a professor emeritus at the University of California Davis. During her academic career, her research focused on HIV/AIDS. Education Pome ...

is the current president of the Lasker Foundation.

Award

The award is given in four branches of medical science: # Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award # Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award # Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service Award (Renamed in 2011 from Mary Woodard Lasker Public Service Award. Renamed in 2000 from Albert Lasker Public Service Award.) # ''

Lasker-Koshland Special Achievement Award in Medical Science The Albert Lasker Special Achievement Award is one of the four Lasker Awards given by the Lasker Foundation for medical research in the United States. The first award was given in 1994; it is not awarded every year. In 2008, the award was renamed ...

(1994–)''(optional) The awards carry an honorarium of $250,000 for each category. A collection of papers from the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation were donated to the National Library of Medicine by Mrs. Albert D. Lasker in April 1985. In addition to the main awards, there are historical awards that are no longer awarded.

Recent awards

Recent winners include the following:

Historical awards

Awards no longer made include Special Public Health Awards, Special Awards, Group Awards, and Lasker Awards made by the

International Society for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

, the

National Committee Against Mental Illness National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

, and Planned Parenthood - World Population. Awards were also presented for medical journalism.

Special Public Health awards

*1975 – Merck Sharp and Dohme Research Laboratories: Jr.,

James M. Sprague James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

John E. Baer John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

Frederick C. Novello Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederick ...

*1980 –

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) is the third largest Institute of the National Institutes of Health, located in Bethesda, Maryland, United States. It is tasked with allocating about $3.6 billion in FY 2020 in tax revenue to ...

*1984 –

Dorothy T. Krieger Dorothy T. Krieger was an American academic and endocrine researcher who served as a professor and director of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Her major contribution was her discovery of treatment for Cushing's Disease. Early life and career K ...

, Kevin McLaughlin Jr. *1987 – Centennial Salute to the National Institutes of Health

Special awards

*1947 – Thomas Parran Jr. *1949 –

Haven Emerson Haven Emerson (1896-1957) was an American educator. Biography Emerson was educated at Harvard University and Columbia University's College of Physicians & Surgeons (P&S), where he later served as an associate in physiology and medicine. During hi ...

*1952 – Charles-Edward Amory Winslow *1956 – Alan Gregg *1959 –

J. Lister Hill Joseph Lister Hill (December 29, 1894 – December 20, 1984) was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented Alabama in the U.S. Congress for more than forty-five years, as both a U.S. Representative (1923–1938) a ...

and

John E. Fogarty John Edward Fogarty (March 23, 1913 – January 10, 1967) was a United States Congress, Congressman from Rhode Island for 26 years. He was a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. John Edward Fogarty was influential in ...

Group awards

*1946 – National Institutes of Health; National Regional Research Laboratory of the US Department of Agriculture; Board for the Coordination of Malarial Studies;

Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine Bureau ( ) may refer to: Agencies and organizations *Government agency * Public administration * News bureau, an office for gathering or distributing news, generally for a given geographical location * Bureau (European Parliament), the administ ...

of the US Department of Agriculture; Army Epidemiological Board *1947 – British

Ministry of Health Ministry of Health may refer to: Note: Italics indicate now-defunct ministries. * Ministry of Health (Argentina) * Ministry of Health (Armenia) * Australia: ** Ministry of Health (New South Wales) * Ministry of Health (The Bahamas) * Ministry of ...

and Ministry of Food; United States Committee on Joint Causes of Death *1948 – Veterans Administration's Department of Medicine and Surgery *1949 –

American Academy of Pediatrics The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is an American professional association of pediatricians, headquartered in Itasca, Illinois. It maintains its Department of Federal Affairs office in Washington, D.C. Background The Academy was founded ...

; Life Insurance Medical Research Fund *1950 –

International Health Division The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, after the Carn ...

of The Rockefeller Foundation *1951 – Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York;

Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an international mutual aid fellowship of alcoholics dedicated to abstinence-based recovery from alcoholism through its spiritually-inclined Twelve Step program. Following its Twelve Traditions, AA is non-professi ...

*1953 –

Division of Research Grants The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) is the portal for United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant applications and their review for scientific merit. The CSR organizes the peer review groups or study sections that evaluate the majori ...

of the National Institutes of Health; University Laboratory of Physical Chemistry Related to Medicine at Harvard University *1954 – Streptococcal Disease Laboratory,

Armed Forces Epidemiological Board Armed (May, 1941–1964) was an American Thoroughbred gelding race horse who was the American Horse of the Year in 1947 and Champion Older Male Horse in both 1946 and 1947. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in ...

, Francis E. Warren Air Force Base: Charles H. Rammelkamp Jr., Director *1956 – Food and Drug Administration; Medical Care Program, Welfare and Retirement Fund of the United Mine Workers of America *1960 – Crippled Children's Program of the Children's Bureau; Chronic Disease Program of the

California State Department of Public Health The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is the state department responsible for public health in California. It is a subdivision of the California Health and Human Services Agency. It enforces some of the laws in the California Healt ...

(

Lester Breslow Lester Breslow (March 17, 1915 in Bismarck, North Dakota, USA – April 9, 2012 in Los Angeles, California, USA) was an American physician who promoted public health. Breslow's career had a significant impact. He is credited with pioneering chron ...

)

International Society for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled

*1954 –

Henry H. Kessler Henry Howard Kessler (April 10, 1896 – January 18, 1978) was an American physician, surgeon, and pioneer in rehabilitation medicine and orthopedic surgery. He focused on treating the whole person, rather than just the physical ailment. He found ...

Juan Farill ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of '' John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanis ...

Viscount Nuffield A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...

*1957 –

Howard A. Rusk Howard A. Rusk (April 9, 1901 – November 4, 1989) was a prominent physician and founder of the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine. He is considered to be the founder of rehabilitation medicine. Born in Brookfield, Missouri, Rusk was act ...

Fabian W. G. Langenskiold Fabian may refer to: People * Fabian (name), including a list of people with the given name or surname * Pope Fabian (died 250), Catholic saint * Fabian Forte (born 1943), 1950s American teen idol, singer and actor, known by the mononym Fabian * ...

, World Veterans Federation *1960 –

Mary E. Switzer Mary Elizabeth Switzer (February 16, 1900 - October 16, 1971) was an American public administrator and social reformer. She is best remembered for her work on the 1954 Vocational Rehabilitation Act, which provided a great expansion of vocationa ...

, Gudmund Harlem, Paul W. Brand *1963 –

Renato de Costa Bomfim Renatus is a first name of Latin origin which means "born again" (natus = born). In Italian, Portuguese and Spanish it exists in masculine and feminine forms: Renato and Renata. In French they have been translated to René and Renée. Renata ...

Kurt Jansson The German Wikipedia (german: Deutschsprachige Wikipedia) is the German-language edition of Wikipedia, a free and publicly editable online encyclopedia. Founded on March 16, 2001, it is the second-oldest Wikipedia (after the English Wikipedia), ...

Leonard W. Mayo Leonard or ''Leo'' is a common English masculine given name and a surname. The given name and surname originate from the Old High German ''Leonhard'' containing the prefix ''levon'' ("lion") from the Greek Λέων ("lion") through the Latin '' ...

*1966 –

Poul Stochholm Poul is a Danish language, Danish masculine given name. It is the Danish cognate of the name Paul (name), Paul. Poul may refer to: People *Poul Andersen (resistance member), Poul Andersen (1922–2006), Danish printer *Poul Anderson (1926–2001 ...

Wiktor Dega Wiktor Dega (7 December 1896 – 16 February 1995) was a Polish surgeon and orthopedist who was well known for his work on polio. Dega served as an expert for the World Health Organization and was one of the founders of the Polish Orthopedic Societ ...

Eugene J. Taylor Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Eugene (actress) (born 1981), Kim Yoo-jin, South Korean actress and former member of the sin ...

*1969 –

Gustav Gringas Gustav, Gustaf or Gustave may refer to: *Gustav (name), a male given name of Old Swedish origin Art, entertainment, and media *Primeval (film), ''Primeval'' (film), a 2007 American horror film *Gustav (film series), ''Gustav'' (film series), a Hu ...

, Mr and Mrs

Raden Soeharso is a Japanese termRaden.

Andre Trannoy, International Labour Organization *1972 –

James F. Garrett James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

, Kamala V. Nimbkar,

Jean Regniers Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

National Committee Against Mental Illness

*1944 –

William C. Menninger William Claire Menninger (October 15, 1899 – September 6, 1966) was a co-founder with his brother Karl and his father of The Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas, an internationally known center for treatment of behavioral disorders. Life ...

*1945 –

G. Brock Chisholm George Brock Chisholm (18 May 1896 – 4 February 1971) was a Canadian psychiatrist, medical practitioner, World War I veteran, and the first director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO). He was the 13th Canadian Surgeon General and t ...

John Rawlings Rees John Rawlings Rees, (25 June 1890 – 11 April 1969), also known as 'Jack' or 'J.R.', was a British civilian and military psychiatrist. Early life Born in Leicester to the Methodist minister Reverend Montgomery Rees and his wife Catharine Mil ...

*1946 –

W. Horsley Gantt William Andrew Horsley Gantt (24 October 1892 – 26 February 1980) was an American physiologist and psychiatrist. At the time of his death in 1980, he was one of only two surviving students of Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov. He spent fifty-six ...

, Jules H. Masserman,

Walter Lerch Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...

, Douglass Rice Sharpe,

Lawrence K. Frank Lawrence Kelso Frank (December 6, 1890 – September 23, 1968) was an American social scientist, Administrator (business), administrator, and parent educator, particularly known as vice-president of the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation and together with ...

*1947 –

Catherine MacKenzie Catherine Dunlop MacKenzie ( – 24 October 1949) was a Canadian-born journalist who worked in New York City. Biography MacKenzie was born in the small town of Baddeck, Nova Scotia, around 1894. Baddeck was the site of Alexander Graham Bel ...

*1948 –

C. Anderson Aldrich C. or c. may refer to: * Century, sometimes abbreviated as ''c.'' or ''C.'', a period of 100 years * Cent (currency), abbreviated ''c.'' or ''¢'', a monetary unit that equals of the basic unit of many currencies * Caius or Gaius, abbreviated as ...

, Mike Gorman,

Al Ostrow AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media * Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera * Al (''Fullmetal ...

*1949 –

Mildred C. Scoville Mildred may refer to: People * Mildred (name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) * Saint Mildrith, 8th-century Abbess of Minster-in-Thanet * Milred (died 774), Anglo-Saxon prelate, Bishop of Worcester * Henry M ...

Albert Deutsch Albert Deutsch (1905–1961) was an American journalist and social historian. He received a George Polk Award for "Science Reporting" in 1948. Background Albert Deutsch was born on October 23, 1905, on the lower East Side of New York City to immi ...

Planned Parenthood - World Population

*1945 – John McLeod, Felix J. Underwood *1946 –

Robert Latou Dickinson Robert Latou Dickinson (1861–1950) was an American obstetrician and gynecologist, surgeon, maternal health educator, artist, sculptor and medical illustrator, and research scientist. Early life Robert Latou Dickinson was born on February 21 ...

Irl Cephas Riggin IRL may refer to: Places * Republic of Ireland (ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code) * Irlam railway station (National Rail station code IRL), England Organizations * International Rugby League, the governing body for the sport of rugby league * Indu ...

*1947 –

Alan F. Guttmacher Alan Frank Guttmacher (19 May 1898 – 18 March 1974) was an American obstetrician/gynecologist. He served as president of Planned Parenthood and vice-president of the American Eugenics Society. Guttmacher founded the American Association of Planne ...

Abraham Stone Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jews ...

*1948 – John Rock,

Richard N. Pierson Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'str ...

*1949 –

George M. Cooper George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

Carl G. Hartman Carl may refer to: * Carl, Georgia, city in USA * Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community *Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name * Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of ...

*1950 –

Margaret Sanger Margaret Higgins Sanger (born Margaret Louise Higgins; September 14, 1879September 6, 1966), also known as Margaret Sanger Slee, was an American birth control activist, sex educator, writer, and nurse. Sanger popularized the term "birth control ...

, Bessie L. Moses *1951 –

Guy Irving Burch Guy or GUY may refer to: Personal names * Guy (given name) * Guy (surname) * That Guy (...), the New Zealand street performer Leigh Hart Places * Guy, Alberta, a Canadian hamlet * Guy, Arkansas, US, a city * Guy, Indiana, US, an unincorpo ...

, William Vogt *1952 –

John William Roy Norton John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

Herbert Thoms Herbert Thoms (1885-1972) was an obstetrician and gynecologist who was an early advocate for natural childbirth and birth control. Thoms was chairman of the medical advisory council of the Connecticut Planned Parenthood League in 1961, when the lea ...

Eleanor Bellows Pillsbury Eleanor Bellows Pillsbury (January 16, 1913August 27, 1971) was an American activist who was the president of Planned Parenthood from 1950 to 1953 and helped create the International Planned Parenthood Federation. Early life Pillsbury was bo ...

*1953 – Harry Emerson Fosdick, Elise Ottesen-Jensen *1954 –

Dhanvanthi Rama Rau Dhanvanthi, Lady Rama Rau (1893–1987) was founder and president of the Family Planning Association of India and the International Planned Parenthood Federation. She was married to Sir Benegal Rama Rau, the noted civil servant, and was th ...

M. C. Chang ( ; ; pl. ; ; 1512, from Middle French , literally "my lord") is an honorific title that was used to refer to or address the eldest living brother of the king in the French royal court. It has now become the customary French title of respec ...

Howard C. Taylor Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probab ...

*1955 –

Warren O. Nelson A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval Ang ...

Robert Carter Cook Robert Carter Cook (April 9, 1898 – January 7, 1991) was an American geneticist and demographer. He was editor of the ''Journal of Heredity'' for 40 years, a lecturer in medical genetics and biology at George Washington University, and director ...

*1958 –

Harrison S. Brown Harrison Scott Brown (September 26, 1917 – December 8, 1986) was an American nuclear chemist and geochemist. He was a political activist, who lectured and wrote on the issues of arms limitation, natural resources and world hunger. During Worl ...

*1959 –

Julian Huxley Sir Julian Sorell Huxley (22 June 1887 – 14 February 1975) was an English evolutionary biologist, eugenicist, and internationalist. He was a proponent of natural selection, and a leading figure in the mid-twentieth century modern synthesis. ...

*1960 – Gregory Pincus *1961 –

John D. Rockefeller, III John Davison Rockefeller III (March 21, 1906 – July 10, 1978) was an American philanthropist. Rockefeller was the eldest son and second child of John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller as well as a grandson of Standard Oil co-found ...

*1964 – Cass Canfield *1965 –

C. Lee Buxton Charles Lee Buxton (October 14, 1904 – July 7, 1969) was an American gynecologist, professor at the Yale School of Medicine, and appellant in US Supreme Court case ''Griswold v. Connecticut''. He best known as a birth control advocate and, alon ...

, Estelle T. Griswold

References

External links

The Lasker Foundation
- Official site
Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation - Albert Lasker Awards Archives (1944-)
��National Library of Medicine finding aid {{Authority control Medicine awards Awards established in 1945 1945 establishments in the United States