Awards – American Pediatric Society

APS Awards

John Howland Award

John Howland Award

CALL OPENS MAY – JUNE

The John Howland Award, named in honor of Dr. John Howland [1873-1926] is the highest honor given by the American Pediatric Society. Since 1952, when Dr. Edwards Park received the inaugural award, this prestigious award—with its accompanying medal—has been bestowed annually upon an esteemed pediatric leader whose significant contributions have advanced child health and the profession of pediatrics.

Nomination Criteria

Article II of the APS Constitution forms the basis for the selection criteria:

The objectives of this Society shall be to bring together men and women for the advancement of the study of children and their diseases, for the prevention of illness and the promotion of health in childhood, for the promotion of pediatric education and research, and to honor those who, by their contributions to pediatrics, have aided in its advancement.

Award Information

The award will be presented annually to one individual during the APS Presidential Plenary at the PAS meeting and the awardee is honored at the APS Howland Gala.
The award includes the Howland Medal, a $5000 honorarium, economy-level airfare, hotel accommodations (in a PAS contracted hotel) for 4 nights, and complimentary PAS meeting registration.
Awardee will be invited to serve on the Nominating Committee.

Nomination Procedures

A Call for APS Howland Award Nominations is sent to the APS membership-at-large.
- Note: Nominator must be an APS member in good standing. Members of the Selection Committee or Council are not permitted to submit nominations or provide letters of support.
Initial Nomination Requirements
- Current Curriculum Vitae of the Nominee and Complete Bibliography.
- Completed Online Award Nomination Form.
- Two Page Letter of Nomination signed by the Nominator.
APS Nominating Committee selects up to three (3) finalists.
Nominators of the finalist candidates are asked to complete and submit a full nomination packet to include:
- Three (3) Unique Letters of Support (not copied from others) from APS Members.
  - Active, Honorary and Emeritus APS members are eligible to submit support letters for one Howland nominee per year.
  - APS Officers and Council Members are not eligible to submit support letters.
- At least two (2) but no more than five (5) scholarly publications authored by nominee.
The awardee is selected by the APS Council at its Fall Council meeting and the awardee and the nominator are informed by the APS President.

Re-nomination Instructions

The ORIGINAL Nominator must submit a completed APS John Howland Award Nomination Form and a letter requesting that the Nominee be re-considered. It is the Nominator’s responsibility to submit the Nomination Form, including any updated information. After five (5) successive years of nomination, nominations may be resubmitted to the APS Nominating Committee only after a waiting period of three (3) years.

Howland Visiting Professor Program

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN: October 14 – November 9, 2025

APPLY

Since 1952, the APS has honored more than 76 distinguished pediatric leaders with the APS John Howland Award – the Society’s highest honor – for their significant
contributions to advancing child health.

To further extend the impact of this prestigious award, APS is reinstating the Howland Visiting Professor Program, originally launched in 2019. This program supports hosting the APS John Howland Awardee at one APS Member’s academic institution each year. A grant of up to $5,000 is available to help cover travel, honoraria, and related expenses incurred by the hosting institution.

Program Goals

Promote child health by sharing the expertise of APS Howland Awardees beyond the PAS Meeting
Encourage APS Members to actively recognize and engage with the Howland Awardee
Provide meaningful value to APS Members and their institutions

Timeline

Applications Open: October 13
Deadline: November 9
Selection Announced: December 15
Visit Completed: Within 12 months of announcement

Eligibility

APS Members in good standing who are faculty at a North American academic institution capable of hosting a Visiting Professor are eligible to apply.

Application Requirements:

Benefit to APS Member & Institution
Briefly describe how the visit will benefit the APS member and their institution.
Draft Itinerary
Outline a proposed 1–2 day schedule for the visit.
Deliverables
List expected outcomes beyond the agenda (e.g., lectures, mentoring).
Support of APS Mission
Explain how the visit supports the APS mission.
Support of APS Strategic Plan
Describe alignment with APS strategic goals.
Engagement Plan
Share how you’ll engage current APS members and attract future ones.
Evaluation Agreement
A post-visit report is required within 2 months, including:
- Activities offered (e.g., lectures, workshops)
- Outcomes (e.g., attendance, feedback, impact)
Institutional Commitment
Include a letter confirming:
- Commitment to host
- Agreement to cover costs beyond the $5,000 award

Norman J. Siegel New Member Outstanding Science Award

The Norman J. Siegel New Member Outstanding Science Award is presented to recognize a APS New Member for considerable contribution to pediatric science. As one of the world’s leading nephrologists, Siegel was an outstanding teacher and mentor nurturing the early careers of numerous fellows and residents. Not only was he a leader within the medical community, but he also educated parents of those children he treated and left a lasting impression on families.

Criteria

Must currently be involved in research and present significant contributions in the field of pediatrics in the form of peer-reviewed publications
Must be actively involved in the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) proceedings.
Must be a newly elected APS member.

Procedures

The award will be presented to one individual annually.
The recipient must attend the PAS Meeting.
Complimentary registration.
The award will be presented with a plaque and an honorarium of $2,000 during the APS Plenary and Awards Session at the PAS Meeting. The awardee will deliver a 15-20 presentation.

David G. Nichols Health Equity Award

David G. Nichols Health Equity Award

CALL OPENS MAY – JUNE

Purpose:
This award was established to honor the career of David G. Nichols, MD, MBA, former President and CEO of the American Board of Pediatrics.

This award recognizes a pediatrician who has demonstrated excellence in advancing child# and adolescent health, well-being, and equity through quality improvement, advocacy, practice, or research.

Award:
Award recipients will be honored at the Pediatric Academic Societies (“PAS”) Meeting, and their presentations will be published in Pediatric Research, the official journal of the APS. The recipient receives a $1,000 honorarium, a plaque, economy travel to the PAS Meeting, 2 nights in a PAS-contracted hotel, and 2 complimentary PAS Meeting registrations (for the awardee and 1 guest).

Eligibility:
• The nominee must be a pediatrician who has demonstrated excellence in advancing child and adolescent health, well-being, and equity through quality improvement, advocacy, practice, or research.
• The nominee’s career should demonstrate major contributions that effectively address the disparities in child health care and outcomes.
• The nominee’s work should demonstrate engagement with patients, families, communities, or populations.
• The nominee’s impact should be broad-based and measurable.
• The nominee’s work should be scalable.
• APS membership is not required to be a nominee.

Nomination Packet
The full nomination packet should be submitted at the time of nomination to include:
• Nominee’s CV
• One nomination letter from an APS member in good standing.
• Three letters of support (APS member or non-member authors will be accepted.) Submitted materials should speak directly to the eligibility criteria.

*Note: Nominator must be an APS member in good standing. Members of the Selection Committee or Council are not permitted to submit nominations or provide letters of support.

Re-nomination Instructions:
The ORIGINAL nominator may resubmit a completed award nomination (including any updated information) and a letter requesting that the nominee be re-considered. After five (5) successive years of nomination, nominations may be resubmitted to the Selection Committee only after a waiting period of three (3) years.

Mary Ellen Avery Neonatal Research Award (APS and SPR Joint Award)

Mary Ellen Avery Neonatal Research Award

CALL OPENS MAY – JUNE

In 2013, the APS and SPR established and endowed the Mary Ellen Avery Award. This award honors Dr. Avery’s outstanding lifetime achievements and seminal contributions to neonatal health through her discovery of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), her research and academic leadership, and her outstanding service to pediatrics and neonatology.

With this award the APS and SPR seek to recognize a pediatric investigator who has made important contributions to neonatal health through basic or translational research.

Eligibility:

Pediatric investigator with a sustained record of excellence as a neonatal health investigator.
Record of substantive:
- Neonatal health research contributions.
- Impact on the field.
- National and international recognition.

Nomination:

Detailed Letter of Nomination*
Three Letters of Support*
Letters should provide ample evidence of a Nominee’s substantive:
- Neonatal health research contributions.
- Impact on the field.
- National and international recognition.
Nominee curriculum vitae with bibliography of published works.
- An asterisk (*) should identify the five papers that the Nominee’s 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:

The Committee for the Mary Ellen Avery Award is solely responsible for selection.

Award:

Scientific presentation (15-minutes) at PAS Meeting session.
$1,000 honorarium and plaque presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Meeting.
Complimentary PAS Meeting registration.
Economy airfare (up to $750) to PAS Meeting.
Two-nights at PAS hotel.
Awardee will be invited to serve on the Selection Committee.

Joseph W. St. Geme, Jr. Leadership Award (FOPO Award)

CALL OPEN: OCT 15 – NOV 7

Submit Nomination

The Federation of Pediatric Organizations (FOPO) is composed of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Academic Pediatric Association, American Pediatric Society, American Board of Pediatrics, Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs, Association of Pediatric Program Directors, and Society for Pediatric Research. The purpose of FOPO is to promote optimal health for children by building on the efforts and expertise of the member organizations, and on the relationships between the member organizations to accomplish shared goals.

The Joseph W. St. Geme, Jr. Leadership Award was created in honor of Dr. St. Geme to recognize a pediatrician who is a role model for others to emulate as a clinician, an educator, and/or an investigator. Recipients of this award have had a record of broad and sustained contributions to pediatrics that have had or will have a major impact on child health. Most importantly, the award recognizes those individuals who have “created a future” within the field.

The criteria for the selection of the Joseph W. St. Geme, Jr., MD Leadership Award recipient are as follows:

The individual must be a pediatrician who is perceived as a role model for others to emulate, as a clinician, an educator, and/or an investigator.
The individual must be a leader who has “created a future” for pediatrics and for children and has played an active role in one or more organizations sponsoring this award.
The individual should preferably have a record of broad sustained contributions to pediatrics that have had or will have a major impact on child health.
The individual must be currently active in pediatrics.
The individual can be a retired member of any of the pediatric organizations sponsoring this award.
The individual must not be an active FOPO Board member. Click here for a full list of current FOPO Board members.

Nomination Materials

1 primary nomination letter from primary nominator from the pediatric community describing why their candidate meets the St. Geme criteria.
Up to 2 additional letters of support (these can include any extenuating circumstances as to why the candidate should be selected or a summary of multiple support letters).
Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Read More…

Current Award Recipients

2025 John Howland Award Recipient

Bonnie W. Ramsey MD
Professor Emerita, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine and
Senior Advisor of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation supported Therapeutics Development Network and the
University of Washington NIH supported Institute of Translational Health Sciences

Press Release

2025 Norman J. Siegel New Member Outstanding Science Award Recipient

Beth A. Tarini, MD, MS, MBA
Co-Director, Center for Translational Research | Children’s National Research Institute | Children’s National Hospital
Richard L. and Agnes F. Hudson Chair in Health Services Research
Director of Resident Research | Children’s National Hospital
Professor of Pediatrics (with Tenure) | The George Washington University

Press Release

2025 David G. Nichols Health Equity Award Recipient

Maria Trent, MD, MPH, FAAP, FSAHM
Senior Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusive Excellence
Director, Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine
Adolescent Health T32 Training Director
Bloomberg Professor of American Health, Pediatrics, and Nursing
Johns Hopkins University

Press Release

2026 Mary Ellen Avery Neonatal Research Award Recipient (APS/SPR Joint Award)

Wendy K. Chung, MD PhD
Chief, Department of Pediatrics
Boston Children’s Hospital
Mary Ellen Avery Professor of Pediatrics
Harvard Medical School

Press Release

2025 Joseph W. St. Geme, Jr. Leadership Award Recipient (FOPO Award)