AAI Excellence in Mentoring Award

  2024 Nominations Are Closed

A dedicated mentor significantly influences a trainee’s professional development and career. This award recognizes the importance of this mentor-trainee relationship. AAI honors the award recipient’s contributions to the profession through outstanding mentoring.

The award includes a plaque, meeting registration at the early rate, and travel support to the AAI annual meeting. This award will be presented at an Awards Presentation Program at the AAI annual meeting.

Eligibility

A nominee must be a Regular AAI member in good standing* who has demonstrated a career-long commitment to mentoring. Eligibility of the nominee will be checked at the time of nomination and before presentation of the award. Posthumous awards will not be considered.

A candidate must be nominated by a Regular AAI member in good standing* who was mentored by the nominee and is well acquainted with the nominee’s qualifications. Members may not nominate themselves. Members of the AAI Council and AAI Awards Committee may neither nominate nor recommend candidates, nor be nominated themselves.

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* Member dues paid through the end of 2024; 2023 dues must be paid by the time of submission and 2024 dues must be paid by November 30, 2023.

Nomination Instructions

Please send all documents as a single combined PDF file to awards@aai.org. Please be aware that the single, combined PDF must be no larger than 20MB. Packages that are not complete will not be considered.

Please include the following in the nomination package:

1. One (1) nomination letter of not more than three (3) pages, signed and submitted by a Regular AAI member in good standing who was mentored by the nominee, indicating the nominee’s qualifications for the award. The letter should provide a succinct career history and major scientific contributions, as well as a list of former and current trainees mentored by the nominee, including their names, positions with the mentor (e.g., post-doctoral fellow, student), dates of training, and current positions. Include the nominee’s complete and current contact information (Full name [first, middle initial, last], title and affiliation, mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address). The nomination letter must be from one individual and not include multiple endorsements within it. It should reflect the observations and opinions of the author. Please refrain from extensive reliance on quotations and observations of others. The letter may refer to a select list of former and current trainees, with the complete list of trainees included as a separate attachment.

2. Letters of recommendation from two (2) former trainees of the nominee. Each letter must include a brief description of career history relevant to mentoring received, as well as current positions and affiliations. Please use no more than two (2) pages to describe the mentoring provided by the nominee. Qualities that may be considered include: the nominee’s commitment to mentoring throughout his or her career, scientific guidance, willingness to advise on activities critical to career success (e.g., grant writing, manuscript preparation, oral presentations, teaching skills, career choices, etc.), continued interest in the professional advancement of former trainees, and success as a role model. Each letter must be from one individual and not include multiple endorsements within it.

3. The nominee’s curriculum vitae, including education and fellowships (institution, dates, degrees), important awards, relevant employment history, and selected bibliography (complete citations with titles).

Nominations will be accepted beginning August 1, 2023. Complete nomination packages must be received by 11:59 PM Eastern on September 20, 2023. Packages must be submitted by email as a single combined PDF file to awards@aai.org. Incomplete nomination packages or nominations that do not comply with the stated instructions will not be considered. AAI will not accept materials sent separately or through regular mail. Final award decisions are at the discretion of AAI.

AAI reserves the right to limit the number of nominations considered for any one candidate. In most cases, no more than two will be accepted, in order of their receipt. Please direct inquiries to awards@aai.org.

Previous nominations for this award may be renewed. Original nominator should direct an email to awards@aai.org, identifying the previous nominee, name of award, and year in which original nomination package was submitted to AAI.