Albert & Mary Lasker Foundation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, May 9, 2000
CONTACT:
Kendall Christiansen at
Geto & de Milly, Inc.
212/686-4551
[email protected]
AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING PUBLIC SERVICE IN SUPPORT OF MEDICAL RESEARCH AND THE HEALTH SCIENCES ANNOUNCED
FIVE HONORS BESTOWED BY THE ALBERT & MARY LASKER FOUNDATION
NEW YORK, May 9, 2000 -- The Albert & Mary Lasker Foundation announced today the Lasker Awards for Public Service in Support of Medical Research and the Health Sciences. Five awards will be presented tonight at a dinner in Washington, DC to honor extraordinary contributions that sustain and enhance the nation's commitment to medical research. Jane Pauley, anchor for NBC News and "Dateline," will be mistress of ceremonies; the dinner will be held at the Westin Fairfax Hotel, with more than two hundred guests expected. Information about the Lasker Awards for Public Service in Support of Medical Research can be found at http://www.laskerfoundation.org.
This year's awards are presented to Congressman John E. Porter for Policy Leadership on behalf of funding for medical research; to The New York Times' Science Times for Increasing Public Understanding through sustained, comprehensive coverage of advances in understanding human health; and to Betty Ford and Dr. Harold Freeman for Advocacy that broadened society's understanding of and attention to significant issues of public health. A posthumous award will be presented to the late David Mahoney, Chairman/CEO of the Charles A. Dana Foundation, for Philanthropy that supports and educates about the importance of brain research. Mr. Mahoney passed away on Monday, May 1, 2000. The Awards were determined by a distinguished committee chaired by Dr. Daniel Koshland, former Editor of Science magazine and a member of the Lasker Foundation's Board of Trustees.
TIME Magazine is the presenting sponsor for the 2000 Lasker Awards for Public Service, and will feature the Awardees in the May 15th issue of TIME.
Nearly fifty Lasker Awards for Public Service have been presented since the first were awarded in 1946 to Alfred Newton Richards and Fred Soper; Richards oversaw projects involving the mass production of penicillin and the preparation of blood plasma during World War II, and Soper led the effort to eradicate insects that carried yellow fever and malaria. Previous Public Service Awardees have included Senators Mark Hatfield and Lowell Weicker, Congressmen Tip O'Neill and Melvin Laird, and public figures such as Lewis Thomas, Ann Landers, and Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
The Lasker Public Service Awards complement the Lasker Foundation's annual presentation of the distinguished Lasker Awards for Medical Research, which honor outstanding contributions for basic and clinical medical research, and special achievements. The Lasker Medical Research Awards are often regarded as "America's Nobels" because they have -- in more than sixty instances -- preceded a Nobel Prize for physiology or medical research. The Lasker Awards are determined by an international jury of renowned medical scientists.
The late Mary Lasker, who would have been 100 years old this year, is widely recognized for her distinguished public service over several decades of effective advocacy with Presidents and the leadership of the U.S. Congress, and her singular contribution to the sustained growth of the National Institutes of Health. At the dinner, a special video commemorating her life will be shown.
James Fordyce, President of the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation, announced that "The Public Service Awards, renamed in honor of Mary Lasker, celebrate what Mary herself meant to the nation through her unflagging commitment to the cause of biomedical research. Her legacy continues through champions, both scientists and non-scientists, who advocate and educate on behalf of medical research. Their support is essential for securing the future of this vital enterprise."
Dr. Daniel Koshland said, "While the individuals and institutions we honor this year are deserving of recognition, these Awards also represent the vital contributions of thousands of Americans from all walks of life to the cause of medical research."
The 2000 Mary Woodard Lasker Awards for Public Service in Support of Medical Research and the Health Sciences are as follows:
* The Lasker Award for Policy Leadership is awarded for wise and perceptive leadership on behalf of medical research funding and deep commitment to strengthening the scientific enterprise to the Honorable John Edward Porter, Member of Congress from the 10th District of Illinois. The legacy of Porter's two decades of outstanding leadership in Congress is one of increased hope for millions suffering from debilitating and life-threatening diseases. As Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee overseeing the NIH for the last six years, Representative Porter's dedication and passion on behalf of medical research have successfully garnered and sustained the largest funding increases in the history of the National Institutes of Health.
* The Lasker Award for Public Understanding is presented to the Science Times of The New York Times for sustained, comprehensive, and high-quality coverage of science, disease, and advances in understanding human health. For over two decades, the New York Times -- the nation's acknowledged "newspaper of record" -- has produced an expanded weekly section dedicated to coverage of scientific and medical news, supported by talented and dedicated reporters and editors, including Nicholas Wade, Lawrence Altman and Natalie Angier, among others. Science Times has gained a loyal readership among the general public by providing science news articles that are educational, inspiring, and entertaining. It succeeds in making medical research accessible to members of the lay public, allowing them to grasp the complexity of science and the extraordinary accomplishments of those leading efforts to understand human biology and conquer disease. Joseph Lelyveld, Managing Editor, and Cornelia Dean, current Editor of Science Times, will receive the award.
* The Lasker Award for Philanthropy will be received by William Safire, columnist for The New York Times, on behalf of David Mahoney for his visionary leadership in educating the public and the donor community about the importance of brain research and for directing funds for the support of neuroscience. "Mahoney is the Mary Lasker of this generation," said Nobel Laureate James Watson several years ago, referring to the activist leadership Mary Lasker provided in the field of medical research. As Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Charles A. Dana Foundation and the Eleanor Naylor Dana Charitable Trust, Mahoney was a philanthropic activist, inspiring others to follow his foundation's lead in funding brain research through generous giving. Under Mr. Mahoney's leadership, the Dana Foundation dedicated over $34 million in grants for brain research, and the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives -- a non-profit consortium of over 185 neuroscientists committed to advancing public understanding of the progress and promise of brain research -- was founded.
* The Lasker Awards for Advocacy are presented to Harold P. Freeman, M.D., and to Mrs. Betty Ford.
* Dr. Freeman is cited for enlightening health care providers and the public about the relationship between race, poverty, and cancer. He has devoted his life's work to addressing the injustices and discrimination imposed upon minority communities by the health care system. In a long and illustrious career including positions as President of the American Cancer Society and Director of Surgery at New York's Harlem Hospital Center, and currently as President of the President's Panel on Cancer, Dr. Freeman has been the nation's leading educator and authority on the interrelationship between race, poverty, and cancer. His work continues in his current position as President and Chief Executive Officer of North General Hospital in Harlem. His research has repeatedly identified socioeconomic factors, cultural practices, environmental exposures, and the manner in which people of color are treated in predominantly white institutions, as contributing factors to incidence of disease and premature death.
* Betty Ford is honored for marshaling her leadership and prestige to achieve lasting progress in research, medicine, and health education and treatment targeting alcohol and drug addiction and dependency. The former First Lady of the United States, Mrs. Ford used her public prominence to focus on health issues; her bout with breast cancer in 1974 led to her advocacy for education about breast cancer and other health problems that primarily afflict women. After leaving the White House, Mrs. Ford became a forceful spokesperson for improved awareness, education, and treatment for alcohol and drug dependency. In 1982, she co-founded the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California, a state-of-the-art drug and alcohol treatment center that she continues to co-chair. Her candid disclosure of her own struggle to overcome addition raised the nation's consciousness in dealing with alcohol and substance abuse.
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