NIH recognizes 20 recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers

Twenty scientists supported by the National Institutes of health will receive the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), presented by President Obama. PECASE is the highest honor given by the federal government to outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their independent research careers. Winners will be recognized at a White House ceremony today, May 5.

“The PECASE awardees are truly remarkable young scientists,” said NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D. “NIH is proud to support 20 recipients, and we look forward to the many biomedical breakthroughs their careers are certain to produce.”

Since the program began in 1996, NIH has funded a total of 253 PECASE recipients. The NIH awardees will take their place along with 85 other highly accomplished scientists from a total of 12 federal agencies. Of the 20 NIH honorees, 18 are new investigators working at institutions around the nation, and two hold positions in NIH intramural programs.

A complete list of NIH-supported PECASE recipients and program information is available athttp://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/pecase.htm.

The White House announcement is available at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/02/18/president-obama-honors-extraordinary-early-career-scientists(link is external).

The Office of the Director, the central office at NIH, is responsible for setting policy for NIH, which includes 27 Institutes and Centers. This involves planning, managing, and coordinating the programs and activities of all NIH components. The Office of the Director also includes program offices which are responsible for stimulating specific areas of research throughout NIH. Additional information is available at https://www.nih.gov/institutes-nih/nih-office-director.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

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