Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize

The Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize, named for the late Ernest Beutler, MD, a past president of ASH and physician-scientist for more than 50 years, is a two-part lectureship that recognizes major translational advances related to a single topic. This award honors two individuals, one recognized for enabling advances in basic science, and the other recognized for using clinical science or translational research to carry the basic science advances through to tangible improvements in patient care.

For this award, appropriate selection of both the topic and the two presenters is critical to ensure the relevance and success of the presentations for ASH membership. Because this award involves a dedicated lecture during the meeting, the chosen individuals must not only represent leaders in the topic of the lecture, but they must also have effective communication skills. Furthermore, because the ASH membership encompasses a broad diversity of interests, the topics chosen for the Beutler Lecture and Prize must reflect the society’s current or future priorities. The Awards Committee first considers the topic and then identifies the two individuals who will best represent and communicate the two aspects of the presentation as stipulated by the award requirements.

Because of the complexity of this award, nominations must include a topic and two lecturers (basic and clinical/translational). The study section will consider alternative presenters on a topic and may accept portions of a nomination (such as the topic, or the topic and one named individual). Please note that submission of the nominee's current CV and the annotated NIH biosketch with “Contributions to Science” (if available) is required.

Key Dates

Nomination Deadline for Ernest Beutler Lecture and PrizeJuly 15, 2026
Award Notification for RecipientsMarch 2027
Presentation of Awards for RecipientsDecember 2027

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion

  • Nominees and nominators do not need to be ASH members to be considered.
  • Nominees of all nationalities and all countries of residence are eligible; however, all nomination materials must be submitted in English.

Exclusion

  • Self-nominations and posthumous nominations will not be accepted.
  • Past recipients are not eligible for the same award they received previously.
  • Recipients may only receive one honorific award per year.
  • Voting members of the ASH Executive Committee and the ASH Awards Committee are ineligible for an honorific award during their tenure.

Additional Guidance

Before getting started, please review the Honorific Award Nominations Guidance document, which provides detailed information about each award and guidance on crafting an effective nomination letter.

The following documents are required in order to submit a nomination package:

  • A completed nomination form
  • A copy of each nominee's current CV or a copy of the nominee's NIH biosketch annotated with “Contributions to Science (if available)” is required
  • A letter of nomination summarizing proposed topic and the proposed speakers. Because of the complexity of this award, nominations must include a topic and two lecturers (basic and clinical/translational). The study section will consider alternative presenters on a topic. Please refer to the Honorific Award Nominations Guidance document for recommendations on writing an effective nomination letter.
  • Optional: Up to two additional letters of support will be accepted but are not required; multiple people are allowed to sign one letter.

If you are having trouble completing or submitting your nomination, please email awards@hematology.org to request assistance. 

The Pioneer Behind the Award Name

Ernest Beutler, MD

Ernest Beutler, MD, (1928-2008) was a hematologist, biomedical scientist, and past president of ASH whose own extensive research career was marked by significant discoveries about several diseases, including anemias, Gaucher disease, and Tay-Sachs disease.

 

Dr. Beutler pioneered a number of medical treatments, including bone marrow transplantation techniques. He also taught himself to write code and developed the software for the first comprehensive bibliographic retrieval system — later commercialized as Reference Manager — used by publishing scientists. He was the chairman of medicine at the City of Hope Medical Center in Duarte, California, and later served as professor and chairman of the Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California.

 

“Hematology was my father’s center of gravity, and the American Society of Hematology was something of an extended family to him,” his son Bruce Beutler, MD, wrote in an essay published by the National Library of Medicine. To learn more about Dr. Beutler, visit this biographical webpage, which includes several articles and an oral history transcript.

Questions?

For assistance or more information about ASH Honorific Awards, please contact the Awards Department at awards@hematology.org or 202-776-0544.