Two NIH’ers Are Sammies Finalists
Two NIH employees are among the 2022 finalists for the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals (Sammies), the nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service recently announced during Public Service Recognition Week. Considered the “Oscars of federal service,” the Sammies are the premier awards program recognizing America’s best in government.
Named for the partnership’s “late founder who was inspired by President Kennedy’s call to serve in 1963, the awards align with his vision of a dynamic and innovative federal workforce that meets the needs of the American people,” according to the Sammies website.
This year’s NIH nominees are:
NIAID clinical director Dr. Cliff Lane—finalist for the Paul A. Volcker Career Achievement Award. The partnership cited Lane for conducting “pioneering work to combat HIV/AIDS that has saved countless lives, organized breakthrough clinical trials for Ebola in Africa and helped establish medical guidelines to treat Covid-19 during the pandemic.”
NICHD director Dr. Diana Bianchi—a Covid-19 Response finalist for “initiating critical clinical research to understand the medical implications of Covid-19 on underserved populations, including pregnant women, children and people with disabilities.”
In addition, both NIH’ers are eligible to win the People’s Choice Award, which is based on online voting results.
To learn more about the Sammies, visit https://servicetoamericamedals.org/.
To vote for the People’s Choice, go to https://servicetoamericamedals.org/peoples-choice-award/ through July 1.