ANA Awards

Derek Denny-Brown Young Neurological Scholar Award

The Derek Denny-Brown Young Neurological Scholar Award, ANA’s highest and most prestigious award, recognizes early- to mid-career neurologists and neuroscientists. This award honors those neurologists and neuroscientists in the first 12 years of their career at the assistant/associate faculty (equivalent) level who have made outstanding basic or clinical scientific advances toward the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of neurological diseases. 


Distinguished Neurology Teacher Award

The Distinguished Neurology Teacher Award was established in 1996 to recognize outstanding accomplishments in teaching neurology to residents and medical students. The purpose is to encourage efforts to recognize and reward contributions by gifted and talented teachers in neurology. Each Neurology Department in the U.S. and Canada is encouraged to nominate one individual from the entire field of neurology each year.


The Grass Foundation - ANA Award in Neuroscience

The Grass Foundation - ANA Award in Neuroscience was established in 2007 to honor outstanding young investigators conducting research in basic or clinical neuroscience. The Grass Foundation was established in 1955 by Albert and Ellen Grass to advance research and education in neuroscience, with a special focus on investigators early in their careers. 


Wolfe Research Prize for Identifying New Causes or Novel Treatment of  Peripheral Neuropathy

The ANA is offering the Wolfe Research Prize to honor an outstanding investigator who identifies a new cause or novel treatment of neuropathy. Candidates may include faculty members in the first ten (10) years at the assistant/associate faculty equivalent or level, who identify either a new cause or treatment of neuropathy. The recipient is selected by the ANA Awards Committee. 


ANA Awards for Excellence

As the ANA evolves to better recognize the broad scope of academic neurology, our awards continue to evolve in parallel. In that spirit, the ANA offers series of awards to recognize individuals who have made exceptional and important contributions to the field of neurology and neuroscience. 


The Audrey Penn Lectureship

The Audrey S. Penn Lectureship Award is provided to an ANA member who conducts outstanding research, program-building, or educational scholarship to promote health equity. The award is intended to recognize an ANA member whose novel and significant work has had or may have a far-reaching impact on: 1) improving equity in the prevention, detection, treatment, survivorship of neurological conditions. 2) building clinical programs to care for historically medically underserved populations, and/or: 3) commitment to diversity and inclusion in the medical workforce. The recipient is determined by the ANA IDEAS Award & Scholarships Workgroup


International Outreach Travel Scholarship

The ANA established this scholarship program in recognition of the shared goal among neurologists worldwide to reduce the burden of neurological disease through research, education, clinical care, and advocacy. The scholarship enables two recipients, residents, fellows, or junior faculty, who are members of the ANA and are training in neurology, the opportunity to work in low to lower-middle income countries for a minimum of six weeks in the upcoming academic year.  Candidates must apply and meet specific criteria to be considered.


F.E. Bennett Memorial Lectureship

Foster Elting Bennett, MD, established a lectureship in 1979 in the memory of his son. This award, which has been given to outstanding researchers and educators in neurology, is not limited to members of the American Neurological Association. Award recipients are selected each year by the Annual Meeting Programming (AMP) Committee. 


George W. Jacoby Award

The Jacoby Award is given triennially to a member of the ANA who has done some especially meritorious experimental work upon any neurologic or psychiatric subject. Award recipients are by the Annual Meeting Programming (AMP) Committee. 


Raymond D. Adams Lectureship

This lectureship was established in 2000 to honor Dr. Raymond D. Adams, emeritus Bullard Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and emeritus Chief of the Neurology Service at the Massachusetts General Hospital. An ANA member at the Annual Meeting presents the lectureship. Award recipients are selected each year by the Annual Meeting Programming (AMP) Committee. 


Soriano Lectureship

The first Soriano lecture was given in 1987 which marked the 40th year of consecutive attendance at ANA meetings by Victor Soriano and his wife. The couple chose to sponsor a lectureship to be given at the ANA, so that in future years the Sorianos "would always be linked to all of you, through a brilliant lecture delivered by an outstanding scientist…” The lecture must be given by a member of the ANA. Award recipients are selected each year by the Annual Meeting Programming (AMP) Committee. 


Annual Meeting Travel Awards

Each year the ANA selects the top-ranked abstracts submitted by fellows, residents, and early-career faculty to receive a travel award ( when the meeting is held in person) to attend the Annual Meeting and present their work. In 2019, the ANA distributed more than $60,000 in travel awards. To see a complete list of awardees, click here!

Note: Due to the pandemic, ANA2020 was held as a virtual meeting. No travel awards were presented. This is true in 2021 as well. 


Annual Meeting Poster Awards

Poster Awards were established in 2016 by the Board of Directors as a way to help recognize exceptional work presented by those in the early stages of their careers - students (graduate and undergraduate), residents, trainees, and postdoc fellows. Click here to see a complete list of winners.


ANA-Persyst IDEAS Professional Development Award

This award is provided to an individual who identifies as an underrepresented in medicine early career academic neurologist or neuroscientist and is an ANA member specializing in the field of epilepsy. This award is made possible through the generosity of the Persyst Development Corporation, the leading producer of EEG software.