Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship

The Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship recognizes women scientists in Texas bringing new ideas and innovations to the fight against cancer.

It 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.

The 2027 recipient will be honored at the TAMEST 2027 Annual Conference, where they will present their research to attendees and also receive a $5,000 honorarium and award. The conference will be held February 1–3, 2027, at the InterContinental Houston in Houston, Texas

In addition to being honored at the TAMEST Annual Conference, the recipient will promote their work and discoveries across the state at established lecture and seminar series at TAMEST member institutions with NIH National Cancer Institute Designated Cancer Centers:

• Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine
• John H. Blaffer Lecture Series, MD Anderson Cancer Center
• Mays Cancer Center Grand Rounds, The University of Texas at San Antonio
• Excellence in Immunology Seminar Series, Simmons Cancer Center, UT Southwestern Medical Center

The award covers the recipient’s travel and lodging for the lectures and includes organized visits and networking at the NCI Cancer Centers. A $1,000 stipend is available to the recipient to provide childcare while traveling for the lecture series if needed.

Nominations for the 2027 Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship are now open and will close Thursday, April 30, 2026, at 6 p.m. CT. For questions, please contact Stephanie Shaw at (512) 471-3823 or stephanie.shaw@austin.utexas.edu.

Eligibility Criteria

• Nominees must have spent the past two years performing research in Texas and their current work must be anchored in cancer research.
• Nominees must be within 10 years of their first faculty appointment or 15 years from of their first full-time industry-affiliated position, based on calendar year of submission. For this cycle, that means 2016 or later for faculty and 2011 or later for industry.
• Nominees must have an endorsement from their Department Chair or equivalent confirming, to the best of their knowledge, that the nominee is in good standing at their institution/organization and able to fulfill the award requirements. This endorsement will be submitted online through the nomination form.
• Nominees must be available to travel to and deliver lectures at NIH National Cancer Institute Designated Cancer Centers in Texas in 2027.
• Special consideration will be given to nominees that demonstrate a commitment to service within their community.
• TAMEST members are not eligible.
• Team nominations are not eligible.

For more information, read the Mary Beth Maddox Award and Lectureship Nomination Guide.

Renomination

All nominees will be automatically renominated for the following two years after the initial nomination, provided they continue to meet eligibility requirements. To remain competitive, nominators are encouraged to update nomination materials. If a nominator wishes to withdraw a nomination or add new information, they may contact TAMEST staff.

Nominator Requirements

Qualified nominators include TAMEST members, university presidents, chancellors, deans, provosts, vice presidents for research, and past Mary Beth Maddox Award, Hill Prize and Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards recipients. Multiple nominations from a single institution or organization will be eligible.

Required Nomination Materials

The following components are required to be submitted as one .pdf document through the online nomination form.

• Cover page (not to exceed one page and must use template), including:
  • Nominee’s name, title, organization and year of first faculty or industry appointment
  • Nominator’s name, title and organization
  • A brief (50-word maximum) summary indicating how the nominee’s work advances the understanding, prevention, diagnosis or treatment of cancer
• Nomination letter (up to two pages) describing:
  • The nominee’s outstanding accomplishments associated with cancer research and discovery;
  • The nominee’s area(s) of excellence in cancer research, highlighting key discoveries or innovations and their impact or potential impact; and
  • The significance and originality of the nominee’s work, supported by relevant metrics, and an explanation on how it advances the fight against cancer.
  • Letters that also address the nominee’s service within their community will receive special consideration.
• Biographical summary (NIH/NSF Biosketch accepted), including:
  • A summary of education, employment, honors and awards, including recognition or awards received from the nominee’s institution or employer;
  • A summary of the nominee’s research interests and activities;
  • A list of current grants; and
  • A synopsis of the nominee’s discoveries and research contributions.
  • Additional information on citations, papers, books and reports is welcome.
• A list of five (5) of the most important research publications that directly support the nominee’s research accomplishments. For each publication, please include:
  • Title of publication
  • Name of journal
  • Digital object identifier (DOI)
  • All five publications in PDF form that were listed on the previous page

Submission Deadline

All nomination materials must be submitted in electronic form by Thursday, April 30, 2026, at 6:00 PM CT.

Contact Information

For more information, please contact Stephanie Shaw at (512) 471-3823 or stephanie.shaw@austin.utexas.edu.