2026 Top 10 Clinical Research Achievement Awards
Clinical Research Forum’s annual competition highlights major advances resulting from the nation’s investment in research
Media Contact: Andrea Van Hook, avanhook@clinicalresearchforum.org
Washington, D.C. – January 20, 2026 – The Clinical Research (CR) Forum will honor ten
outstanding clinical research studies at the 2026 Top Ten Clinical Research Achievement
Awards in Washington, D.C. on May 11, 2026.
These 10 award-winning studies exemplify major advances resulting from the nation’s investment in research to benefit the health and welfare of its citizens. They reflect the influential work being conducted by investigators at nearly 60 research institutions and hospitals across the United States and at partner institutions from around the world. All nominated studies were published in peer-reviewed journals during 2025.
At the awards ceremony on May 11, three of the Top 10 studies will receive additional
recognition and cash prizes:
- The Herbert Pardes MD Clinical Research Excellence Award, named in memory of CR Forum board member, Dr. Herbert Pardes, for his profound impact on clinical research and academic medicine; this award, which comes with a $7,500 cash prize, is for the research study that best shows a high degree of innovation and creativity, advances in science, and has an impact upon human disease.
· The Distinguished Clinical Research Achievement Awards, presented to the top two studies that show creativity, innovation, or a novel approach that demonstrates an
immediate impact on the health and well-being of patients. Each study will receive a
$5,000 cash prize.
The Top 10 were selected based on the degree of innovation and novelty involved in the
advancement of science, contribution to the understanding of human disease, and potential impact upon the diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of disease. Several of the Top 10 were supported by Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Programs, a national initiative run by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that aims to accelerate the translation of research discoveries into improved patient care by supporting a network of medical institutions focused on advancing clinical and translational science, effectively bringing more treatments to patients faster through collaborative research efforts across laboratories, clinics, and communities.
2026 Top 10 Clinical Research Achievement Awardees (in alphabetical order by title):
AI-guided precision parenteral nutrition for neonatal intensive care units – Nima Aghaeepour, B.Sc., PhD, Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University
Blinatumomab in Standard-Risk B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Children – Mignon Loh, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington; Director, Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Seattle Children’s Hospital; Head, Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, Bone Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy, Seattle Children's Hospital
Gene Therapy for Patients with Danon Disease – Barry H. Greenberg, MD, FHFSA, Cardiologist and Distinguished Professor of Medicine, University of California San Diego
Long COVID associated with SARS-CoV-2 reinfection among children and adolescents in the Omicron era (RECOVER-EHR) – Yong Chen, PhD, Professor of Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania
Loss of Subsidized Drug Coverage and Mortality among Medicare Beneficiaries – Eric T. Roberts, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Permethrin-Treated Baby Wraps for the Prevention of Malaria – Ross M. Boyce, MD, MSc, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines sensitize tumors to immune checkpoint blockade – Adam Grippin, MD, PhD, Radiation Oncology Resident, University of Texas, and Elias Sayour, MD, PhD, Professor of Neurosurgery and Pediatrics, University of Florida
Spinal cord stimulation in motoneuron diseases – Genis Prat-Ortega, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, University of Pittsburgh
Targeting dormant tumor cells to prevent breast cancer recurrence – Angela DeMichele, MD, MSCE, FASCO, Mariann T. and Robert J. MacDonald Professor in Breast Cancer, and Lewis Chodosh, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine and Chair of the Department of Cancer Biology, University of Pennsylvania
Treatment of an Infant with Severe Neonatal-Onset Carbamoyl Phosphate Synthetase 1 Deficiency with a Personalized Gene-Editing Therapy – Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and University of Pennsylvania
In addition to the Top 10, the Clinical Research Forum also recognizes an additional 10 studies as finalists:
A neoantigen vaccine generates antitumour immunity in renal cell carcinoma - David A. Braun, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology), Yale School of Medicine
A phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of a Janus kinase inhibitor to treat giant cell arteritis - Peter A. Merkel, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology; Chief, Division of Rheumatology, University of Pennsylvania
Acuity Prediction in Intensive Care Unit-Mamba (APRICOT-M) - Azra Bihorac, MD, MS FCCN, FASN, Senior Associate Dean of Research and Professor of Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine
Dietary Patterns, Sodium Reduction, and Blood Pressure in Type 2 Diabetes: The DASH4D Randomized Clinical Trial - Scott Pilla, MD, MHS, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Impact of the MISSION Act on Quality and Outcomes of Interventional Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery among Veterans -Peter W. Groeneveld, MD, MS, Professor of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
INSPIRE Improving Empiric Antibiotic Selection for Patients Hospitalized With Abdominal & Skin/Soft Tissue Infections - Shruti Gohil, MD, Assistant Professor and Associate Medical Director of Epidemiology & Infection Prevention, University of California, Irvine
Microglial mechanisms drive amyloid-β clearance in immunized patients with Alzheimer's disease - David M. Gate, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Phase I Trial of huCART19-IL18 Cells in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory CD19+ Cancers - Jakub Svoboda, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Prademagene zamikeracel for recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa wounds (VIITAL) - Jean Y. Tang, MD, PhD, Professor of Dermatology, Stanford University
Type 2 Diabetes Pharmacotherapy De-Escalation Through AI-Enabled Lifestyle Modifications - Kevin Pantalone, DO, Professor of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic
About the Top Ten Clinical Research Achievement Awards
Recognizing the need to celebrate our nation's clinical research accomplishments that involve
both innovation and impact on human disease, the Clinical Research Forum conducts an annual
competition to determine the ten outstanding research accomplishments in the United States.
These major research advances represent a portion of the annual return on the nation's
investment in the health and future welfare of its citizens.
About the Clinical Research Forum and the Clinical Research Foundation
The mission of the Clinical Research Forum is to provide leadership to the national and clinical
translational research enterprise and promote understanding and support for clinical research
and its impact on health and healthcare. For more information,
visit www.clinicalresearchforum.org.
The Clinical Research Foundation is the charitable arm of the Clinical Research Forum. As a
501(c)(3), gifts to the foundation support the Top Ten Clinical Research Achievement Awards
and are tax deductible.
Event Details
The Top 10 Clinical Research Achievement Awards Ceremony is May 11, 2026 in Washington, D.C. Please visit our website to learn more.