Gertrude Elion Medicinal Chemistry Award

The Gertrude Elion Medicinal Chemistry Award, sponsored by the ACS Division of Medicinal Chemistry, honors Gertrude Elion's pioneering role in advancing drug discovery and development to recognize the outstanding achievements of present-day medicinal chemists, and to inspire others to achieve excellence. The award is open to a living scientist, in the U.S. or abroad, whose research has had a substantial impact on the field of medicinal chemistry and drug discovery. Normally, the Award is intended for established scientists whereupon a substantial body of creative work is available. Gertrude Elion (1918–1999) pioneered the rational drug design approach to discover several effective drugs for treating leukemia, gout, malaria, herpes, and many other illnesses. She received the 1988 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for discovering important principles of drug treatment. The award includes an engraved plaque, a $6,000 honorarium, and travel expenses incidental to receiving the award at the Fall National Meeting on even-numbered years. Awardees will be invited to the MEDI Award Symposium for a lecture, where they will be given the recognition plaque.