Awards and Lectures

Norman Cousins Award

The Norman Cousins Award is the highest honor given by the PsychoNeuroImmunology Research Society to an individual for outstanding contributions to research in psychoneuroimmunology. Norman Cousins was an articulate spokesman and advocate for psychoneuroimmunology, whose support and generosity has facilitated the career development of many investigators in this interdisciplinary field of endeavor.

To contribute to the advancement of knowledge in psychoneuroimmunology, Ellen Cousins, Norman’s wife, created the Norman Cousins Memorial Fund, and the California Wellness Foundation provided the endowment for the Norman Cousins Memorial Award and Lecture to be delivered as a highlight of the annual meeting of the PsychoNeuroImmunology Research Society. 

The award recipient, to be announced at the PNIRS 2024 Annual Meeting, will present the Norman Cousins Memorial Lecture at the PNIRS 2025 meeting and receive a $1,000 award. Eligibility: Regular and Emeritus members of PNIRS are eligible. Current PNIRS officers are not eligible for nomination.

Recipients of the Norman Cousins Award:

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Robert Ader New Investigator Award

In honor of Dr. Robert Ader, a pioneer in the field of psychoneuroimmunology, the PsychoNeuroImmunology Research Society presents the Robert Ader New Investigator Award.

This prestigious award is presented to an outstanding new research scientist who has made exciting basic science or clinical contributions to the field of PNI. The award honors Dr. Ader’s innovation and creativity as a scientist and recognizes his contributions to the instantiation of PNI as a meaningful endeavor dedicated to the betterment of health and the prevention of disease.  

The award entails a dedicated lecture and provides an honorarium from a generous gift by the Fund of Psychoneuroimmunology.

The award recipient, to be announced at the PNIRS 2024 Annual Meeting, will present an invited lecture at the PNIRS 2025 meeting and receive a $500 award. Eligibility: Regular members within 10 years of completing their terminal degree (e.g. Ph.D., M.D.) are eligible. Current PNIRS officers are not eligible for nomination. 

Recipients of the New Investigator's Award:

1997 – Robert H. Bonneau, n/a
1998 – Monika Fleshner, n/a
1999 – Jeffery Woods, n/a
2000 – Firdaus Dhabhar, n/a

 
Recipients of the Ader New Investigator Award:

2001 – Annemieke Kavelaars, n/a
2003 – Kurt Ackerman,Volume 17, Issue 3, June 2003, Pages 141–151
2004 – Lucille Capuron, Volume 18, Issue 3, May 2004, Pages 205–213
2005 – Susan Lutgendorf, Volume 19, Issue 3, May 2005, Pages 185–194         
2006 – Marian Kohut, Volume 20, Issue 3, May 2006, Pages 201–209
2007 – Julienne Bower, Volume 21, Issue 3, March 2007, Pages 251–258
2008 – Suzanne Segerstrom, Volume 22, Issue 3, March 2008, Pages 279–284
2009 – Jonathan Godbout, Volume 23, Issue 3, March 2009, Pages 309–317
2010 – Staci Bilbo, Volume 24, Issue 3, March 2010, Pages 329–338
2011 – Jonathan Kipnis, Volume 25, Issue 3, March 2011, Pages 379–385
2012 – Michael Bailey, Volume 26, Issue 3, March 2012, Pages 371–382
2013 – Mark Hutchinson, Volume 30, May 2013, Pages 3–11
2014 – Rohan Walker, Volume 37, March 2014, Pages 1–14
2015 – Aric Prather, Volume 43, January 2015, Page 10
2016 – Lisa Christian, Volume 51, January 2016, Pages v
2017 – Chris Fagundes, Volume 59, January 2017, Pages vi
2018 – Peter Grace, Volume 67, January 2018, Pages viii
2019 – Judith Carroll, Volume 75, January 2019, Pages iii-v
2020 – Eric Wohleb
2021 – Julie Lasselin
2022 – Keely Muscatell
2023 – Luba Sominsky
2024 – Jessica Bolton

*All citations listed above are in the official journal of the PNIRS: Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.  

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BBI Impact Award

Professor Keith W. Kelley, spouse Sara and daughter Megan established the Brain, Behavior, and Immunity Impact Award. The goal is to promote submission and publication of high-quality, cutting-edge research in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity and to increase visibility and participation in the Psychoneuroimmunology Research Society. The winner is the corresponding author of the paper with the most citations from those articles published three and four years prior to the award. For example, the 2019 award winner, announced in 2018, is the corresponding author of the paper that achieved the highest level of citations in 2017 to papers published in 2016 and 2015. The Kelley Family provides an annual gift of $5,000 per year and a commemorative plaque for the PNIRS to present to the winner of the Brain, Behavior, and Immunity Impact Award at the annual PNIRS meeting. 

2017 – Caroline de Theije, article link, photo

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Michael Irwin Equity and Diversity Travel Awards

Michael Irwin Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Awards

PNIRS is committed to increasing the number of academics/researchers from underrepresented groups and supporting research excellence dedicated to issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion.

In support of this commitment, PNIRS is announcing the 2024 Michael Irwin Equity and Diversity Travel Awards. These awards have been made possibly by a generous donation from Professor Michael Irwin, Cousins Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience.

The intent of these travel awards is to facilitate attendance by academics/researchers at the annual PNIRS conference who are a) from underrepresented groups and/or b) conduct research dedicated to issues related to equity and diversity. The goal of these awards is to facilitate greater awareness about the public health issues related to diverse communities, and to support and encourage psychoneuroimmunology research that is dedicated to having a significant impact on diverse and underrepresented communities.

Awards will be used to contribute to the cost of attendance at the PNIRS annual conference. Awardees must submit an abstract, register for the meeting and attend the PNIRS conference to be eligible for the award. This opportunity is available to individuals who self-identify as being from underrepresented, communities, or whose research focuses on issues related to equity, diversity, and inclusion. The concept of diversity includes, but is not limited to, characteristics such as national origin, race, ethnicity, disability, ethnicity, gender, age religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, veteran status, educational background, and family structures. In addition to travel support, awardees will be paired with PNIRS conference “guides.” These guides will ensure that the sponsored awardees optimize their conference experience and provide a point-of contact and mentorship within the field of PNIRS.

Eligibility criteria:
Open to academics, student and graduates from traditionally underrepresented demographic groups, or academics, student and graduates conducting research in the areas of equity and diversity. To be eligible awardees must submit an abstract, register for the meeting, attend the PNIRS conference for the current year and not be a previous award winner.

Application process:
Awardees will be selected through a competitive application process that includes self-identification of the applicant’s diversity background (e.g., personal characteristics/background, history of significant contributions to diversity), and/or identification of research focus. Applications will be called for at the time of Abstract Submission for the PNIRS annual conference. To be inclusive, we will consider applications from under-represented nominees with self-identified diversity characteristics such as ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, faith, social standing, and other personal attributes.

The award winner will be chosen based upon:
a) Dedication to a multicultural/diversity focus in research and /or
b) Self-identification of diversity background.

EDI principals

• Equity is defined as the removal of systemic barriers and biases enabling all individuals to have equal opportunity to access and benefit from the program.
• To achieve this, all individuals who participate in the research ecosystem must develop a strong understanding of the systemic barriers faced by individuals from underrepresented groups (e.g. women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples, racialized minorities, individuals from the LGBTQ2+ community) and put in place impactful measures to address these barriers.

• Diversity is defined as differences in race, colour, place of origin, religion, immigrant and newcomer status, ethnic origin, ability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and age.
• A diversity of perspectives and lived experiences is fundamental to achieving research excellence.

• Inclusion is defined as the practice of ensuring that all individuals are valued and respected for their contributions and are equally supported.
• Ensuring that all team members are integrated and supported is fundamental to achieving research and training excellence.

Commitment to EDI principals
With these goals in mind, PNIRS is committed to:

• Promoting the integration of EDI-related considerations in research design and practices;
• Increasing equitable and inclusive participation in the research system, including on research teams; and
• Collecting the data and conducting the analyses needed to include EDI considerations in decision-making.

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PNIRS Trainee Scholar (Early Career) Travel Awards

The intent of the PNIRS Trainee Scholar Travel Awards is to facilitate attendance by trainee members at the PNIRS annual meeting. To be eligible for an award, awardees must be a PNIRS trainee member, register for the annual meeting, submit an abstract and attend the PNIRS annual meeting for the current year. Awardees will be selected by the scientific affairs committee using the abstract scoring process as a guide. Awards will vary annually and are to be used to contribute to the trainees' cost of attendance at the PNIRS annual meeting.

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