Description: This award honors Edward W. Carney, Past President of the Teratology Society, for his exemplary dedication and service to the Society and the field of teratology. The Edward W. Carney Distinguished Service Award will recognize an individual who has provided distinguished service to The Teratology Society.

The recipient must:

1. have been a member of the Society for at least ten (10) years;
2. have served the Society in the past in some of the following categories: Chair of a Standing Committee; Officer of the Society; Member of Council; Editor of one of our Journals;
3. provide evidence of a productive career in Teratology; and
4. demonstrate leadership in the discipline, as evidenced by participation in national and international review committees or public advisory groups and/or the training of predoctoral and/or postdoctoral fellows in teratology.

1. A letter of nomination from a member of the Teratology Society identifying how the nominee meets the eligibility criteria.
2. A second letter of reference must be provided from another individual who is familiar with the nominee's career.

2. Teratology Society headquarters will provide the Awards Committee with a list of members who meet the eligibility requirements for the award as they relate to membership status and service to the society. Chairs of committees on which eligible candidates have served will be contacted to facilitate nomination of eligible candidates, and for suggestions for individuals to provide supporting letters of nomination (i.e., a second letter of reference). The Awards Committee will then further evaluate the eligible candidates for their publications, funding success, and other evidence of a distinguished scientific career.

The Awards Committee will request supporting documentation from each nominee, to include past accomplishments of the nominee (i.e., curriculum vitae), current research interests and projects, and a statement on how nominee believes his/her career will advance discovery in birth defects research.

A complete nomination package will consist of:

1. A letter of nomination from a member of the Teratology Society identifying how the nominee meets the eligibility criteria.
2. A second letter of reference must be provided from another individual who is familiar with the nominee’s career.
3. A copy of the nominee’s curriculum vitae.
4. A statement on how the nominee believes his/her career will advance discovery in birth defects research.
5. Other information as requested by the Awards Committee.

Judging process: The Awards Committee will select the recipient of this award using the criteria listed above.

Nominations are due December 31. Nominations should be sent to the Chair of the Awards Committee, Suzanne E. Fenton, PhD (fentonse@niehs.nih.gov).

Description: This award honors F. Clarke Fraser, one of the founding members of the Teratology Society, for his many contributions to the field of developmental toxicology. The award is presented during the annual meeting of the Teratology Society. The awardee will give a presentation related to his/her research. It is intended that the presentation will serve as a demonstration to pre- and postdoctoral students of the development of an independent career in birth defects research.

Eligibility requirements: Criteria for the award include being active in the Teratology Society and evidence of a successful independent research career, as demonstrated, for example, by high quality publications in peer-reviewed journals, obtaining funding for research endeavors, an established teaching program, an active graduate student program, or being generally recognized as an expert in the field. Individuals working in academia, government, and industry will be equally eligible to compete for this award. Candidates must be within ten years of the date their last formal training in a field directly related to the disciplines of Birth Defects, Developmental Biology, Epidemiology or Teratology (e.g., degree conferral, postdoctoral fellowship, residency program, etc.) and must be nominated by a member of the Teratology Society. Letters of nomination should be sent to the chair of the Awards Committee.  

Teratology Society headquarters will provide the Awards Committee with a list of members who meet the eligibility requirements for the award as they relate to membership status and service to the society. Chairs of committees on which eligible candidates have served will be contacted to facilitate nomination of eligible candidates, and for suggestions for individuals to provide supporting letters of nomination (i.e., a second letter of reference). The Awards Committee will then further evaluate the eligible candidates for their publications, funding success, and other evidence of an independent scientific career.

The Awards Committee will request supporting documentation from each nominated candidate, to include past accomplishments of the candidate (i.e., curriculum vitae), current research interests and projects, and a statement on how candidate believes his/her career will advance discovery in birth defects research.

The candidate’s information package should consist of the following items:

1. A letter of nomination from a member of the Teratology Society.
2. A second letter of reference must be provided from another individual who is familiar with the candidate's research career.
3. A copy of the candidate's curriculum vitae in PDF format.
4. Three representative publications of the candidate as PDF documents. The candidate need not be the first author on all publications, but it should be clear that the candidate has played a major role in the design and implementation of a research idea that has led or is likely to lead to an advance in birth defects research.
5. The candidate may supply a summary of his/her research career with a description of future research directions (optional).

Judging process: The award winner, if any, will be chosen by the Awards Committee, using the criteria listed above under "Eligibility."

Nominations are due December 31. Nominations should be sent to the Chair of the Awards Committee, Suzanne E. Fenton, PhD (fentonse@niehs.nih.gov).

Jointly Sponsored by the Developmental Neurotoxicology Society and the Teratology Society

Description: This award honors the legacy of Dr. Patricia Rodier, a past President of the Developmental Neurotoxicology Society and a Council member of the Teratology Society. The award is presented during the annual joint-meeting of the Developmental Neurotoxicology Society and Teratology Society. The awardee will give a presentation related to his/her research at a jointly-sponsored session at the annual meetings. It is intended that the presentation will serve as a demonstration of independent mid-career research in neurobehavioral teratology, birth defects, or other related fields.

Eligibility requirements: Criteria for the award include evidence of a successful independent research career, as demonstrated, for example, by high quality publications in peer-reviewed journals, obtaining independent funding for research endeavors, an established teaching program, an active mentorship of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, young investigators, and/or trainees, or being generally recognized as an expert in the field. Individuals working in academia, government, and industry will be equally eligible to compete for this award. Candidates must be between at least ten years and no more than twenty years from the date of their last formal training (e.g., degree conferral, completion of their postdoctoral fellowship, residency program, clinical fellowship, etc.) and must be nominated by a member of either the Developmental Neurotoxicology Society or the Teratology Society. Letters of nomination should be sent to the Chairs of the Awards Committees of both Societies and should include past accomplishments of the candidate, current research interests and projects, information on mentoring, and information on how the nominator believes the candidate's career has advanced discovery in the field of birth defects or neurodevelopmental research. Given the research emphasis of Dr. Rodier and her devotion to educating students and postdoctoral fellows, special consideration will be given to nominees who meet the following criteria (although these criteria are not mandatory):

1. Conducts research involving the central nervous system, especially those who combine structure and function in their research, and
2. Can demonstrate their commitment to mentorship of students, postdoctoral fellows, young investigators, and/or trainees.

The nominee does not have to be a member of either the Developmental Neurotoxicology Society or the Teratology Society.

The proposal package should consist of the following items:

1. A letter of nomination from a member of either the Developmental Neurotoxicology Society or the Teratology Society.
2. A second letter of reference must be provided from another individual who is familiar with the candidate's research career.
3. A copy of the candidate's curriculum vitae in PDF format.
4. Documents that provide evidence of a successful independent research career if not included in the curriculum vitae (see eligibility criteria above).
5. The candidate may supply a summary of his/her research career with a description of future research directions (optional).
   

Judging process: The award winner, if any, will be selected each year by the members of the Awards Committees of the Developmental Neurotoxicology Society and the Teratology Society, with adoption by the respective Councils, using the criteria listed above under "Eligibility."

Nominations are due December 31.

Nominations should be sent to Suzanne E. Fenton, PhD (fentonse@niehs.nih.gov), Teratology Society Awards Committee Chair

Awardee Benefits:

1. A plaque that includes the names of both Societies, the name of the award, a brief statement of the purpose of the award, and the name of the recipient
2. A $500 honorarium, airfare, 2 nights’ lodging, joint registration to attend both Societies’ Annual Meetings (each Society covers 50% of the expenses associated with the plaque and other benefits)
3. Platform presentation at the Annual meeting

Any questions can be directed to tshq@teratology.org.

Description: This award recognizes innovative and translational research at the intersection of at least two of the following areas: basic science, new technologies, clinical research, policy, and outreach. The award is presented during the Annual Meeting of the Teratology Society. The finalists (senior authors or his/her designees) for the award will give platform presentations related to their research. It is intended that the presentations will serve as a demonstration of cutting edge developmental/birth defects research.

Eligibility, Submission and Judging Process: To be considered for this award, one must submit an abstract to the Teratology Society Annual Meeting by the regular deadline (February 15). The research to be presented should have a translational focus (see above description). Individuals working in academia, government, and industry will be equally eligible to compete for this award.

During the regular abstract review process, abstracts meeting the basic criteria for this award will be identified by the Program Committee and sent to the Awards Committee. Selection of three finalists for the award will be made by the Awards Committee. Finalists will be noted in the Annual Meeting Program and announced prior to the Annual Meeting. Presentations of the finalists will be attended by the Awards Committee members at the Annual Meeting, and the final awardee will be announced and recognized at the Annual Meeting.  

Awardee Benefits: A cash prize of $500 and a recognition certificate will be presented to the awardee at the Annual Meeting. In addition, the awardee will receive one-year complimentary membership in the Teratology Society.

Restriction: Previous Innovator Award recipients are not eligible for three years post-award.

Any questions can be directed to tshq@teratology.org.

Description: This annual award is presented in recognition of the best paper accepted or published in the journal Birth Defects Research. The dual purpose of the award is to provide recognition to the authors of the best paper and to encourage authors trained in various disciplines to submit high quality papers to Birth Defects Research. The award amount is $1,500. The essence of the winning publication will be presented and discussed by the primary author at an award ceremony at the annual meeting of the Teratology Society. Mrs. James G. Wilson is a tireless supporter of the Teratology Society and through the James G. Wilson Foundation has provided the generous resources for this prestigious award.

Eligibility requirements: Publication of one or more papers in the journal Birth Defects Research in the 12 months (January 1 - December 31) of the year prior to the selection.

Judging process: Papers to be considered for this award are nominated by the editor and the section editors of Birth Defects Research. The winning publication is selected by the Teratology Society's Publication Committee based on its originality, approach and impact. The primary focus of the publication must be on research on the mechanisms of dysmorphology and/or developmental susceptibility, and it must have significant impact on the discipline.

Description: The Birth Defects Research Distinguished Scholar Awards were created with a generous annual contribution from Wiley Publishing, the publisher of the Society’s journal Birth Defects Research. The awards recognize senior authors for the importance, impact, and relevance of their published works in the field of birth defects research. The dual purpose of the awards is to provide recognition to the authors of high impact papers and to encourage authors trained in various disciplines to submit high quality papers to Birth Defects Research. The number of citations for papers published in the journal over a 5-10 year period prior to the year of the awards is the basis for preliminary selection, but other factors (see below) are considered by the selection committee. Both original research articles and review articles will be considered, and the selection committee will have the flexibility to make awards to authors of both types of articles. Attention is given to ensuring the awards reflect the diversity of research published in the journal (e.g., clinical and nonclinical). Two awards of $1500 each are given and may be divided among multiple authors and may be accepted in the form of cash or reimbursement in-kind (i.e., for Teratology Society meeting registration, airfare, and/or hotel room). The award recipients will be recognized at the annual meeting of the Teratology Society, but the award recipients are not required to be in attendance. The recipients need not be members of the Teratology Society.

Judging process: Authors for the individual awards are selected by the Awards Committee. Papers published in the journal during the prior 5-10 years will be initially evaluated for the number of citations to date. The period for counting citations will end on January 1 of the year in which the awards will be announced. The Awards Committee endeavors to weigh the overall impact on the field of birth defects research of the most highly cited papers, the overall publication record, and the publication record in BDR of the authors in consideration. Other factors to be considered include: other prior and concurrent publications, the innovation, originality, and depth of the analyses performed, and prior awards from the Teratology Society. Previous Birth Defects Research Distinguished Scholar Award recipients will be ineligible for a period of three years for the specific body of research recognized by prior award/s.

Description: This Fellowship was established to recognize Dr. Narsingh Agnish's contributions to the Teratology Society, and particularly to the implementation of the Education Course. The fellowship is awarded to a long-standing member of the Teratology Society who has made a major contribution to education in the field of teratology or a related discipline. The Fellow shall be selected by the Awards and Education Committees of the Teratology Society.

Description: This lecture is presented to facilitate the discussion of new and old teratogens during the annual meeting. The lecturer and the lecture topic are selected by the Program Committee.

Teratogen Update Lectures are available at http://www.teratology.org/teratogen.asp.

Description: Each year the Teratology Society awards money to students and postdoctoral fellows to assist them with their travel expenses to attend the Teratology Society Annual Meeting. Students and postdoctoral fellows who have an abstract that is accepted for presentation and present the abstract during the meeting, as either a platform or poster presentation, are eligible for a Travel Award of $500. Applicants should be enrolled in a program leading to a graduate degree in a field of study related to teratology or should be postdoctoral fellows in such a field.

Eligibility requirements: Applicants should be enrolled in a program leading to a graduate degree in a field of study related to teratology or should be a postdoctoral fellow in such a field and should intend to attend the Teratology Society Annual Meeting. Applicants wishing to be considered for a Travel Award must indicate that they will be applying for the award when submitting their abstract for presentation at the Annual Meeting. Abstracts are submitted electronically using an online submission system. During the submission process you will be instructed to check the boxes for the award(s) you wish to apply for and given instructions on how to provide the required additional information to the chair of the Student Affairs Committee.

Applicants are also required to be Teratology Society members. Student membership requirements consist of sponsorship by a member of the Teratology Society and the signature of the applicant's Major Professor whose signature verifies that the applicant is a student or postdoctoral fellow in good standing and is working in the field of teratology. The Major Professor also will provide the expected date of graduation or fulfillment of fellowship. Student members are requested to apply for Regular or Associate membership status at the first Annual Meeting of the Society after they graduate or after fulfillment of their postdoctoral fellowship. Those students who choose not to apply for Regular or Associate membership status by the time of the succeeding Annual Meeting will have their membership inactivated. For information about applying for membership please visit the Teratology Society website.

Students/postdoctoral fellows who apply for a Travel Award must be members of the Teratology Society at the time of the meeting. The applicants will be instructed to have their mentor submit a letter of recommendation; without this they are not eligible to be considered for a Travel Award. The letter should include the following information:

• a specific statement to confirm applicant is currently enrolled at the sponsoring institution or still in the formal training phase of their education
• a brief description of the curriculum of study and/or research program
• an assessment of the qualities that would single out the applicant for recognition by the Teratology Society
• optionally, additional introduction, methods, results, discussion, and/or two pages of illustrative materials

Award process: All applications are reviewed by the Student Affairs Committee to ensure their completeness and that all of the requirements have been met. Members of the Student Affairs Committee attend each student and postdoctoral platform and poster presentation to ensure that the applicant presents their abstract at their appointed time. Travel Award recipients who fail to meet this requirement will be ineligible to receive the award.

Purpose: The goal of the Edward W. Carney Trainee Award Fund is to encourage education and training in reproductive and developmental toxicology. The fund will be used to support graduate student or postdoctoral scholar travel to meetings that offer significant educational opportunities in the field of Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology, such as the annual meetings of SOT and the Teratology Society.

Eligibility: Recipients must be current graduate students or postdoctoral scholars at the time of the award submission. Individuals who are not a member of the Society of Toxicology and/or the Teratology Society are eligible, but those who are or who are in the process of becoming a member will be given preferential consideration.

Submission: Submission files should include 3 documents. (1) A cover letter with personal statement describing how the current project fits into their overall thesis, training, and career goals. (2) A copy of the abstract to be presented as part of the travel award. Preferential consideration will be given to scholars that have already submitted abstracts. (3) A letter of recommendation from the student's primary academic advisor or mentor is highly encouraged.

Judging Criteria: Award recipient(s) will be selected based on the scientific quality of the abstract, overall impact to the fields of reproductive and developmental toxicology or teratology, and career goals in these fields. Current career status will be taken under consideration in the judging process (i.e. - graduate student vs. postdoctoral fellow).

Award Deadline: There are two yearly application deadlines for the Edward W. Carney Trainee Award. The submission deadline for travel to the Teratology Annual Meeting is February 15th and deadline for travel to the Society of Toxicology Annual Meeting is November 15th. If applying for travel support to another relevant meeting, applicants should submit their application to either of the February or November deadline prior to the desired meeting.

Contact Individual(s): The SOT Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology Specialty Section President, Kary Thompson and Teratology Society President, Alan Hoberman will serve as the Co-Chairs of the Award Committee and primary points of contact for the respective societies. Applications for travel support for the Teratology Society meeting should be emailed to tshq@teratology.org with "Edward W. Carney Trainee Fund Application" noted in the Subject Line of the cover email. The submission deadline for travel to the Teratology Annual Meeting is February 15.

Disbursement and Notification Process: The Co-Chairs of the Award Committee will ensure that the winner(s) receive their award in a timely manner. It is expected that the winner(s) of the Edward W. Carney Trainee Award will be announced and/or acknowledged at the RDTSS Annual SOT Meeting Reception, the Teratology Society Annual Meeting, or at the annual meeting for which the travel award was granted, if different.

Description: This award is presented to a student or postdoctoral fellow in recognition of scholarship in teratology and service to the Teratology Society and includes a cash prize. An important aspect of the a ward is recognition by fellow trainees, who are polled on which nominee should receive the a ward. The Marie W. Taubeneck Fund established in memory of Dr. Taubeneck supports this award.

Eligibility: This award is open to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows (hereafter “trainees”) who are members of the Society and is based on the following considerations:

• Level of involvement in the Teratology Society
• Attendance at a minimum of one Teratology Society meeting
• Leadership among and mentoring of fellow trainees
• Level of enthusiasm for developmental and reproductive sciences
• Courage to pursue new methods and areas of research
• Is a trainee at the time of nomination

*Leadership among fellow trainees may be demonstrated in any number of ways, both formally and informally. Below are a few examples of the type of leadership and mentoring that help fellow trainees feel welcome and supported in our Society.

• Actively engaged with fellow trainees at the meeting
• Facilitate interactions with other trainees
• Openly share experiences, both positive and negative, with fellow trainees to support, or even commiserate with them
• Seek out and welcome trainees attending their first meeting
• Support aspiring scientists in your lab, university or community

Nomination and Application Process
Nominations: Nominees for the award will be identified by polling Society members, mentors, committee chairs, and trainees. Nomination letters should include a brief description of the trainee’s activities with regard to the eligibility considerations. Nomination letters should be sent to Teratology Society Headquarters no later than March 31.

Applications: Trainees who wish to be considered for this award should provide a letter that includes a brief description of their activities with regard to the eligibility considerations. Application letters should be sent to Teratology Society Headquarters no later than March 31.

Nominees and applicants considered to be eligible for the award will be notified and requested to provide a brief biographical summary for the ballot, highlighting activities related to eligibility, particularly in the areas of involvement, leadership, and mentoring.

Judging process: A poll will be conducted of all trainees in attendance at the Annual Meeting. The final selection will be made by the Student Affairs Committee taking into consideration the trainee poll and eligibility criteria.

Description: Two students (graduate students in an accredited degree-granting program or postdoctoral fellows) will be selected based on their platform presentations at the annual Teratology Society meeting to receive an award of $500.

Eligibility requirements: See eligibility requirements for Student and Postdoctoral Fellow Travel Awards. Applicants must also submit a letter of intent indicating that the work to be presented has not previously been presented elsewhere.

Judging process: Award winners will be selected by the Student Affairs Committee.

Description: This is an award for the best poster presentation by a student or postdoctoral fellow at the annual meetings of the Teratology Society (TS) and Developmental Neurotoxicology Society (DNTS). It is jointly sponsored by the Middle Atlantic Reproduction and Teratology Association (MARTA) and sanofi-aventis. Currently the award consists of a plaque and $250, although the monetary award is subject to change.

Jim Bradford was a past-President of MARTA, Sigma Xi and on Committees of the Teratology Society. He was Director of R&D Operations at Sanofi at the time of his death. Jim mentored several current members of the Teratology Society and was a pioneer in Industrial Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology (DART) Testing. Jim was the consummate scientist, well respected and universally liked.

Eligibility requirements: Currently the award is presented for the best student (undergraduate or graduate) and post-doctoral posters presented at the joint TS/DNTS meeting.

Judging process: Judging is based on the poster subject and impact, clarity of presentation, and appearance, and on the presenter's understanding/knowledge (evaluated by answers to questions from the judges).