Nominations are now open for the 2013 Stem Cell Person of the Year Award.
The winner receives $1,000 as well as recognition as a true difference maker and leader in the stem cell field.
I found last year that all the finalists received a great deal of positive attention even if they didn’t win and I expect the same will be true this year.
Please nominate your pick for the most influential person of the year of 2013 in the stem cell field. Some of the strongest candidates last year received multiple independent nominations so just because you think someone else will probably nominate your favorite, you should still nominate them too.
Send them to me at knoepfler@ucdavis.edu.
Include a brief (target length = 1/2 page, no more than 1 page) explanation as to why you think the person in question is deserving of the award, any relevant links, and other pertinent material.
Nominees can be almost anyone ranging from an advocate to an academic or industry scientist to a stem cell biotech leader to a policy maker to a physician…think outside the box! Surprise me!
To be fair and keep things as interesting as possible, there are a few rules.
- Employees of UC Davis, where I work, are not eligible.
- Organizations are not eligible.
- Only individuals may be nominated.
- Previous winners are also not eligible.
- Self-nominations are accepted, but will face a higher hurdle.
I’m looking for people who have made a transformative, positive advance happen in the stem cell field.
I particularly appreciate creative change makers who have the guts to take risks.
Nominations will close at 11:59PM PT on September 30, 2013.
Finalists will be chosen in early October and we will once again have an online vote on the finalists. More details on that to come, but I will say that it will be a bit different than last year’s vote. To be clear, the online vote is advisory as I will make the final decision.
How am I paying for this?
Out of my own pocket just like last year.
Please send me your nominations!
I personally know both Dr. Centeno and Dr. Riordan. Both men are equally talented in the field. How can you pick just one of them? Both have pioneered extraordinary work and suffered personal and financial hurdles along the way. Chris’s fight with the FDA will someday be legendary. The Stem Cell Tiananmen Square!!
I think Neil has a dryer sense of humor and on that fact alone he should get the nod!
Paul, why not a fantasy dream team. Chris, Neil, Dr. Emerson Perin, Dr .James Willerson and of course Dr. Doris Taylor.
I’d like to nominate Sonia…see her story, here:
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2013/09/a-prion-love-story.html
Dr Chris Centeno should be strongly considered.
He as organized conferences, pioneered a certifying agency so information could be collected to document the safety and efficacy of that center. He has also fought a great battle against the FDA over regulations that are poorly thought out and arbitrary. In short he has been leading from the front to move stem cells into the position it is today.
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I nominate Dr. Neil Riordan, PhD
Dr. Neil Riordan is the founder and Chairman of Medistem Panama, Inc., a leading stem cell laboratory and research facility located in the Technology Park of the prestigious City of Knowledge in Panama City, Panama. Medistem Panama, which was founded in 2007, is at the forefront of research of the effects of adult stem cells on the course of several chronic diseases. The cGMP, cGLP compliant stem cell laboratory at Medistem Panama is a fully licensed by the Ministry of Health of Panama.
Dr. Riordan has more than 60 scientific articles in international peer-reviewed journals. In the stem cell arena, he and his colleagues have published more than 20 articles on Multiple Sclerosis, Spinal Cord Injury, Heart Failure, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Autism, and Charcot Marie Tooth Syndrome. In 2007, Dr. Riordan’s research team was the first to discover and document the existence of mesenchymal-like stem cells in menstrual blood. For this discovery his team was honored with the “Medical Article of the Year Award” from Biomed Central. Other notable journals in which Dr. Riordan has published articles include the British Journal of Cancer, Cellular Immunology, Journal of Immunotherapy, and Translational Medicine.
Riordan has authored two book chapters on the use of non-controversial stem cells from placenta and umbilical cord. He is also an established inventor as and inventor or co-inventor on more than 25 patent families, including 11 issued patents.
Dr. Neil Riordan’s team collaborates with a number of universities and institutions, including National Institutes of Health, Indiana University, University of California, San Diego, University of Utah, University of Western Ontario, and University of Nebraska.
Dr. Riordan is also the founder of Aidan Products, which provides health care professionals with quality nutraceuticals. His team developed the product Stem-Kine, the only nutritional supplement that is clinically proven to increase the amount of circulating stem cells in the body for an extended period of time. Stem-Kine is currently sold in 35 countries.
Dr. Neil Riordan has made a number of novel discoveries in the field of cancer research since the mid-1990s when he collaborated with his father Dr. Hugh Riordan on the effects of high dose intravenous vitamin C on cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment. This pioneering study on vitamin C’s preferential toxicity to cancer cells notably led to a 1997 patent for the treatment of cancer with vitamin C being granted. In 2010, Dr. Riordan was granted an additional patent for a new cellular vaccine for patients with cancer.
Dr. Riordan’s Website: neilriordan.net
I am nominating Dr. Chris Centeno. One look at his company website, shows the dedication he has given to research, publication of data, follow through with patients, funding and sponsorship of randomized controlled trials, specialization of techniques, paid fellowship opportunities in Interventional Orthopedics, IRB supervised trials, to name just a few of his accomplishments. His work has also been featured on various television shows and he has authored a book.
http://www.regenexx.com/2013/08/orthopedic-stem-cell-research/
http://www.regenexx.com/about-regenexx/research-based-stem-cell-procedure/
Dr. Centeno founded ICMS. His tireless dedication to helping patients involves an enormous personal investment in both time and money. I consider him a hero as he continues his research and practice to help patients everywhere.
I nominate Dr. Chris Centeno. Here are a few links as to why I think he is AMAZING and well deserving of the award!
http://www.regenexx.com/about-regenexx/doctor-christopher-j-centeno-md/
http://www.regenexx.com/about-regenexx/research-based-stem-cell-procedure/
A comment from LinkedIn… “I am a physician scientist who’s work is in the area of interventional orthopedics-the development of technologies that allow the use of needle based procedures performed through sophisticated guidance techniques to replace the need for more invasive and traditional orthopedic surgery. I performed the first advanced stem cell procedures in orthopedic patients in the United States in 2005/2006 and have published many of these results. To date our clinic has treated several thousand orthopedic patients with stem cell based therapies. I maintain an active medical practice and treat patients from all over the globe and the U.S. who are seeking alternatives to surgery. I am involved in many active research projects in the areas of orthopedic stem cell biology, the development of novel devices, the clinical outcome of biologic therapies, and the methods used to treat spinal injury. My practice features a large, state of the art, clean room, clinical and research lab with several full time cell biologists on staff, and active lab based research program with a full time Ph.D. level research group, a bioengineering department, and a clinical research arm that runs a clinical registry and organizes clinical research.” http://www.regenexx.com
Dr. Centeno is the founder of ICMS. He is also admired by patients as he advocates for them. He really has been a pioneer in every sense of the word.
Dr. Ulrich Mueller of Scripps institute, first to defy that brain cells cann’t be regenerated.
Can you tell us a bit more about Mueller please? I need more than that for a nomination.
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