PHILADELPHIA — The Institute for Regenerative Medicine (IRM) at the University of Pennsylvania has established a global award that will honor pioneers in science and medicine. The Elaine Redding Brinster Prize in Science or Medicine, which will be awarded annually starting in 2021, will recognize individuals who contributed foundational discoveries of exceptional scientific merit.
The award was established with a $1.5 million endowment from the children of Elaine Redding Brinster, a graduate of Philadelphia General Hospital School of Nursing. Lauren Redding Brinster, Kristen Atkins Brinster, Derek Ralph Brinster, and Clayton Joseph Brinster are all alumni of the University of Pennsylvania. Derek Ralph Brinster and Clayton Joseph Brinster both also graduated from the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM). Lauren Redding Brinster also graduated from the School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet).
The Brinster children endowed this award to honor their mother whose warmth, grace, and insightful advice guided their lives and helped them navigate obstacles throughout their academic and professional careers. In addition to recognizing remarkable scientific achievements, they intend the Prize to be a yearly reminder of the essential role she played in their lives and the achievements of each member of their family.
The donors’ father, Ralph L. Brinster, VMD, PhD, the Richard King Mellon Professor of Reproductive Physiology at Penn Vet, received the 2010 National Medal of Science—the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on scientists and engineers—for his trailblazing research on the manipulation of mammalian cells that give rise to sperm and eggs. Dr. Brinster also served as founding co-director of the IRM, a University-wide research institute that promotes basic discoveries and translational research in stem cell and regenerative biology.
“As an Institute that is committed to advancing the field of regenerative medicine, we are thrilled to host this award to honor investigators whose discoveries transform the life sciences,” said Kenneth S. Zaret, PhD, the Joseph Leidy Professor in PSOM’s Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and Director of the IRM. “This award is a fitting tribute to Mrs. Brinster's longstanding support of Dr. Brinster’s groundbreaking scientific research.”
The IRM will accept nominations for the inaugural Brinster Prize in spring 2020. Recipients will receive $50,000, a citation and medal, as well as an invitation to Penn’s campus to deliver a lecture. The prizewinners will also meet with underserved high school students from Philadelphia and Delaware counties to inspire future scientists. For more information, visit the IRM’s website.
Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, excellence in patient care, and community service. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school.
The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $550 million awarded in the 2022 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of “firsts” in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.
Penn Medicine is an $11.1 billion enterprise powered by more than 49,000 talented faculty and staff.