Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship

The Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship was established in honor of Mary Beth Maddox, former Executive Director of TAMEST, who passed away in 2018 after a valiant battle with pancreatic cancer.
This award and lectureship recognizes women scientists in Texas bringing new ideas and innovations to the fight against cancer.
In addition to being honored at the TAMEST Annual Conference, the recipient will promote their work and discoveries across the state through a series of lectures at the four NIH National Cancer Institute Designated Cancer Centers in Texas. The award covers the recipient’s travel and lodging for the lectures.
The nomination period for the 2023 Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship closed December 2022. Nominations for the 2024 Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship will open August 2023.
2024 Call for Nominations
Nominations for the 2024 Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship will open August 2023.
Eligibility Criteria
This award and lectureship recognizes a woman who is an innovative scientist residing and working in Texas. In order to be eligible, the nominee must:
- Have spent the past two years performing research in Texas.
- Have current work anchored in cancer research.
- Be within ten years of their first faculty appointment or 15 years from their first full-time industry-affiliated position at the end of the year in which the nomination is made.
- Not be a TAMEST member.
- Not be a team. The award and lectureship may only be awarded to an individual. Team nominations are not eligible.
For more information, read the Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship Nomination Guide.
Nominator Requirements
Qualified nominators include TAMEST members, university presidents, chancellors, deans, provosts, vice presidents for research, and past Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards recipients. Multiple nominations from a single institution or organization will be eligible.
Selection Process
A committee of TAMEST members will evaluate nominations and select the finalist. The TAMEST Board of Directors provides final approval of the recipient.
Required Application Materials
- Nominee application form.
- A letter from the nominator (two pages maximum) describing the candidate’s outstanding accomplishments associated with cancer research and discovery.
- A brief (50 words maximum) citation indicating how the nominee’s work advances the understanding, prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of cancer.
- Abbreviated nominee biographical sketch.
- A list of five (5) of the most important research publications that directly support the candidate’s research accomplishments and a link to an electronic PDF version of each research publication.
Nomination Information Requirements
The information provided in the nomination materials is crucial to the evaluation of the nominee’s achievements. The following components are required to complete the nomination packet:
- One nomination letter
A two-page maximum letter of support from the nominator, which comprehensively describes the importance and direct impact of the nominee’s research as it relates to cancer. The letter must specifically illustrate the innovative research of the candidate and how their work holds promise for continued contributions in the fight against cancer (supported by relevant metrics). - A citation statement from the nominator (50 words maximum) defining the field(s) of cancer research in which the nominee excels, their particular discoveries or technological developments, and their impact or potential impact on cancer research.
- Abbreviated biographical sketch including:
- A summary of education, employment, honors and awards including recognition or awards received from the nominee’s institution or employer (NIH Biographical Sketches may be used);
- A summary of the nominee’s research interests and activities; and
- A synopsis of the nominee’s discoveries and research contributions.
- Additional information on citations, papers, books and reports is welcome.
Submission Deadline
All nomination materials for the 2023 Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship must be received in electronic form by Friday, December 2, 2022.
Contact Information
For more information, please contact: Stephanie Shaw at (512) 471-3823 or stephanie.shaw@austin.utexas.edu.
Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship Recipients

2023 Recipient
Florencia McAllister, M.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Florencia McAllister, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, is the recipient of the 2023 Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship. She was chosen for her seminal discoveries at the intersection of microbes, the immune system and pancreatic cancer, leading to insights into early detection, prevention and therapeutic strategies to fight the disease.

2022 Recipient
Yun Nancy Huang, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Institute of Biosciences and Technology
Texas A&M Health
Yun Nancy Huang, Ph.D., is the 2022 recipient of the TAMEST Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship. Dr. Huang’s research focuses on epigenetics or the “software” that runs the human genome, which is one of the most promising targets for disease prevention.
Committee Members

Founding Chair
Gordon R. England (NAE)
Dyno-Tech

Honorary Chair
Amelie G. Ramirez, Dr.P.H. (NAM)
UT Health San Antonio

Ralph J. DeBerardinis, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM)
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Ellen R. Gritz, Ph.D. (NAM)
Professor Emerita, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Florence Haseltine, M.D., Ph.D. (NAM)
The University of Texas at Arlington
