Dec. 15, 2009
CHARLESTON -- The National Institutes for Health's (NIH) Center for Scientific Review (CSR) has announced that its top honor for extraordinary commitment to peer review will go to veteran reviewer John Raymond, M.D., Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost.
Raymond will receive the 2009 Marcy Speer Outstanding Reviewer Award, which highlights the vital contributions of CSR reviewers who evaluate NIH grant applications. In an average year, about 16,000 reviewers volunteer about 150,000 days to assess the scientific merit of approximately 56,000 applications. Their scientific evaluations help NIH invest more than $20 billion in the most promising research grants, paving the path to biomedical breakthroughs that improve public health and save lives.
"Dr. John Raymond personifies the humbling dedication of our reviewers, who give so much to advance science and health here and around the world," said CSR Director Toni Scarpa, M.D., Ph.D. "He has served at nearly 100 review meetings, demonstrating a tireless commitment to fair and rigorous reviews."
Raymond has many years of service, including a four-year term as a chartered member of CSR's Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Neurosciences-5 study section. When this study section evolved into the Molecular Neuropharmacology and Signaling study section, he took on the role of chair for two years to help it become established. Most recently, Raymond began another four-year term on CSR's Pathobiology of Kidney Disease study section.
"His commitment is all the more astonishing given his responsibilities at the Medical University of South Carolina," Scarpa said. In addition to his administrative duties, Raymond is a professor of medicine, a practicing nephrologist and an NIH-funded researcher. He also has a joint faculty appointment with the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center.
Raymond will receive his award at the February 1, 2010, meeting of the NIH Peer Review Advisory Committee, in Bethesda, MD: http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/peer/prac/.
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The Marcy Speer Award recognizes scientists who demonstrate extraordinary commitment to CSR peer review groups making it possible for NIH to fund the best applications, and, ultimately, improve public health. The award's namesake exemplified this commitment by continuing to review grants during her treatment for breast cancer, and extending her term as a regular member of one of CSR's genetics review panels to make up for meetings she missed during chemotherapy. She died Aug. 4, 2007.
CSR organizes the peer review groups that evaluate the majority of grant applications submitted to NIH. These groups include experienced and respected researchers from across the country and abroad. Since 1946, CSR's mission has been to see that NIH grant applications receive fair, independent, expert, and timely reviews - free from inappropriate influences - so NIH can fund the most promising research. CSR also receives all incoming applications and assigns them to the NIH institutes and centers that fund grants. For more information, go to CSR's Web site-http://www.csr.nih.gov-or phone 301-435-1111.
NIH includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
About MUSC
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina is the oldest medical school in the South. Today, MUSC continues the tradition of excellence in education, research, and patient care. MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and residents, and has nearly 11,000 employees, including 1,500 faculty members. As the largest non-federal employer in Charleston, the university and its affiliates have collective annual budgets in excess of $1.6 billion. MUSC operates a 750-bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized Children's Hospital and a leading Institute of Psychiatry. For more information on academic information or clinical services, visit www.musc.edu or www.muschealth.com.
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