This award was established in honor of J. Worth Estes, M.D., in recognition of his many invaluable contributions to the American Association for the History of Medicine and to scholarship in the history of medicine. The award is made annually for the best published paper in the history of pharmacology during the previous two years, whether appearing in a journal or a book collection of papers. The choice of topic reflects Worth Estes’ long tenure as Professor of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics at Boston University and his own scholarship in the history of pharmacology.
For the purpose of this award, the history of pharmacology will be defined broadly to include ancient and traditional materia medica, folk medicines, herbal medicines, the pharmaceuticals of the modern era, pharmaceutics, and the like. It shall encompass the discovery of medicaments, basic investigations about them, their characteristics and properties, their preparation and marketing, and their therapeutic applications.
While the committee will be monitoring relevant journals and books where such papers might appear, they welcome nominations of papers that would be eligible for consideration. The nomination should consist of a letter citing the work nominated along with a copy of the paper. For the current award, candidate papers will be those published in 2023 and 2024. Papers in languages other than English should be accompanied by a translation or detailed precis. Nominations should be directed to the Chair of the Committee, Christoph Gradmann, chair ([email protected]) and must be postmarked or submitted electronically via e-mail (which is the preferred method of submission) no later than 31 January 2025.
The winner will be invited to attend the 2025 meeting of the Association in Boston, Massachusetts, May 1-4, 2025, where the award will be conferred. AAHM covers the cost of registration. As a result of a generous contribution in honor of Worth Estes from a member of the Association, the award will be accompanied by a $500 check.
