Annual Awards
RSA Annual Awards
Each year, at the Annual Meeting, the Research Society on Alcohol (RSA) honors distinguished members whose contributions have made a lasting impact on the field of alcohol research. Presented below are details regarding each award, along with a record of past recipients.
Nomination Process
The call for nominations, including eligibility criteria, open each October in conjunction with the opening of Submissions for the Annual Meeting. Nominations must be submitted by 11:59 PM ET on January 29, 2027.
Purpose of Nominations
The RSA Annual Awards program provides an opportunity to formally recognize colleagues whose achievements exemplify excellence in alcohol research. Submitting a nomination is one of the most meaningful ways to acknowledge professional distinction and service within our field. *Nominees not selected for an award may be nominated again each year as long as they remain eligible. Nominations do not automatically carry over and must be resubmitted each year.
Please note: Only current RSA Members are eligible to submit nominations.
Celebrate the accomplishments of your colleagues and help ensure their contributions to alcohol research are recognized and remembered.
Annual Awards
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RSA Animal Research and Ethics Committee (AREC) Annual Award Nominations
Established in 2023, AREC’s Annual Award is given to an individual who advocates for, implements, or excels at application of ethical practices in alcohol-related research. Self-nominations are accepted. *Nominations for this award are accepted from RSA members only. Non-members nominated will be considered but are not encouraged.
The awardee will be presented with a plaque at the closing ceremony during the RSA annual meeting. An honorarium is provided via Bill.com after the meeting concludes.
2026 Giordano de Guglielmo
2025 Jibran Khokhar
2024 Rainer Spanagel
2023 Jeff Weiner
RSA Distinguished Researcher Award
This award honors a senior researcher who has made outstanding scientific contributions to the field of alcohol research. The recipient will have demonstrated a sustained, long-term commitment to advancing alcohol-related science and will possess a substantial record of scholarly publication in the field.
All scientists are eligible, with the exception of the immediate past president and the current president, secretary, and treasurer of the Research Society on Alcohol.
Nominations will be accepted from RSA members only. While nominations of non-members will be reviewed, preference will be given to nominees who are RSA members.
The award will alternate annually between recipients representing psychosocial, sociological, and clinical research (even years) and those representing biomedical, basic, and biological human research (odd years).
Recipients of this award will receive a plaque at the RSA Annual Meeting and will present a plenary lecture during the meeting in the year of the award. An honorarium is provided via bill.com after the conclusion of the meeting.
Previous recipients of this award are:
2026 Susan Tapert
2025 Markus Heilig
2024 Bernice Porjesz
2023 Subhash Pandey
2022 Paul Gruenewald
2021 Robert Messing
2020 Rajita Sinha
2019 Tatiana Foroud
2018 Stephanie O'Malley
2017 Dipak Sarkar
2016 Richard Longabaugh
2015 David Goldman
2014 Cindy Ehlers
2013 Paula Hoffman
2012 Richard Saitz
2011 Adolf Pfefferbaum / Edith V. Sullivan
2010 Robert Zucker
2009 Howard Edenberg
2008 Kenneth Sher
2007 Fulton T. Crews
2006 Peter Monti
2005 Edward Riley
2004 G. Alan Marlatt
2003 Andrew Heath
2002 George Koob
2001 James West / V. Gene Erwin
2000 Herman H. Samson
1999 R. Adron Harris
1998 Carrie Randall
1997 Oscar Parsons
1996 John Crabbe
1995 Nelson Butters
1994 Ivan Diamond
1993 Marc A. Schuckit
1992 Henri Begleiter
1991 Lawrence Lumeng
1990 Yedy Israel
1989 Jack Mendelson / Nancy K. Mello
1988 Boris Tabakoff
1987 Steven Schenker
1986 Marcus A. Rothschild
1985 David H. Van Thiel
1984 Richard A. Deitrich
1983 Harold Kalant
1982 Ting-Kai Li
1981 Dora Goldstein
1980 Charles S. Lieber
RSA Dora Goldstein Distinguished in the Sciences Award
Nominations for this award are accepted from RSA members only – but members or non-members can be nominated. Recipients of this award receive a plaque at the annual meeting. An honorarium is provided via Bill.com after the meeting concludes.
This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated excellence and creativity in alcohol research, and a commitment to mentoring throughout his or her career.
Previous recipients of this award:
Sarah Pedersen (2026)
Christina Lee (2025)
Lisa Savage (2024)
Barbara McCrady (2023)
Sharon Wilsnack (2022)
Raul Caetano (2021)
Kamilla Venner (2020)
Judith Arroyo (2019)
RSA Early Career Investigator Award
This award honors an Early Career Investigator (formerly Young Investigator Award) who has demonstrated research excellence, strong potential for future leadership, and a sustained commitment to the field of alcohol research.
Eligibility: Nominees must be within 10 years of the following milestones:
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For PhD recipients: from the start of postdoctoral training (i.e., following the conferral of the PhD).
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For MD recipients: from the completion of residency training (i.e., at the start of the first postdoctoral fellowship).
Nominations must be submitted by current RSA members. Nominees must also be RSA members and actively engaged in alcohol research.
The award alternates annually between research domains:
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Odd years: Psychosocial, sociological, and clinical research.
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Even years: Biomedical, basic, and biological human research.
Recognition: Recipients receive a commemorative plaque during the RSA Annual Meeting and are invited to deliver a plenary lecture at the following year’s meeting. An honorarium is provided via Bill.com after the meeting concludes.
Previous recipients of this award:
2026 Emily Hartwell
2025 Mary Beth Miller
2024 Emma Johnson
2023 Ethan Mereish
2022 Jeff Boissoneault / Sandra Sanchez Roige
2021 Hayley Treloar Padovano
2020 Catharine Fairbairn
2019 Jacquelyn Meyers
2018 Jessica Salvatore / Lindsay Squeglia
2017 Ryan Shorey
2016 Sarah Feldstein Ewing / Lorenzo Leggio
2015 Katherine Keyes
2014 James Mackillop / Lara Ray
2013 Thomas Kash
2012 Bonnie Nagel
2011 Marisa Silveri
2010 Danielle Dick
2009 Sherry McKee
2008 Kimberly Nixon
2007 Karen K. Szumlinski
2006 Kristina Jackson
2005 Marisa Roberto
2004 Gavin Arteel
2003 Robert Meyers
2002 Douglas Matthews
2001 Jeffrey Weiner
2000 Amanda Roberts
1999 S. John Mihic
1998 Lee Ann Kaskutas
1997 Kari Buck
1996 Clyde W. Hodge
1995 Deborah Finn
1994 Richard Morrisett
1993 Laura E. Nagy
1992 David Lovinger
1991 Tamara Phillips
1990 Judith Gavaler
1989 David Crabb
1988 Kenneth Sher
RSA Henri Begleiter Excellence in Research Award
Nominations for this award are accepted from RSA members only – but members or non-members can be nominated. Recipients of this award receive a plaque at the annual meeting. An honorarium is provided via Bill.com after the meeting concludes.
This award is given to an individual demonstrating innovation or creativity and excellence in their research and/or someone whose work has a major impact on the field.
Previous recipients of this award:
Yunlong Liu (2026)
Henry Kranzler (2025)
Thomas Beresford (2024)
Howard Edenberg (2023)
Arpana Agrawal (2022)
Victor Hesselbrock (2021)
Cindy Ehlers (2020)
Edith Sullivan (2019)
Sara Jo Nixon (2018)
Raymond Anton (2017)
Bernice Porjesz (2016)
John Krystal (2015)
George Fein (2014)
Kathleen Grant (2013)
Linda Spear (2012)
Marlene Oscar Berman (2011)
Jan Hoek (2010)
Clive Harper (2009)
Adolf Pfefferbaum (2008)
Ting-Kai Li (2007, plaque only)
RSA Lifetime Achievement Award
This award recognizes a person with who has had a long, balanced career including contributions to alcohol research, training, service and advocacy. These contributions (whether they have been in research, policy, leadership or administrative) must have had a lasting impact on the alcohol research field.
Nominations for this award are accepted from RSA members only. Non-members nominated will be considered but are not encouraged. All scientists except the immediate-past president and the current president, secretary and treasurer of the RSA are eligible. Past RSA Distinguished Researcher Awardees are eligible once 5 years have passed since receipt of the award.
Recipients of this award will receive a plaque at the RSA Annual Meeting and an honorarium is provided via bill.com after the conclusion of the meeting.
Previous recipients of this award are:
Rueben Gonzales (2026)
Edith Sullivan (2025)
A. Leslie Morrow (2024)
Edward Riley (2023)
Adolf Pfefferbaum (2022)
Raye Litten (2021)
Harriet de Wit (2020)
Constance Weisner (2019)
Linda Spear (2018)
Samuel French (2017)
Raul Caetano (2016)
Emanuel Rubin / Boris Tabakoff (2015)
Kenneth Warren (2014)
Ting-Kai Li (2013)
Floyd Bloom (2012)
Arthur Cederbaum (2011)
Victor Hesselbrock (2010)
Robert Voas (2008)
Steven W. Leslie (2007)
Enoch Gordis (2006)
Harold Holder (2005)
Thomas Turner (1996)
RSA Marlatt Mentorship Award
This award recognizes an individual whose mentoring of young researchers in the alcohol research field is demonstrated to be exceptional and, therefore, should be recognized by his/her peers.
Nominations for this award are accepted from RSA members only. Nominees must be active in alcohol research and be an RSA member. Recipients of this award receive a plaque at the annual meeting. An honorarium is provided via Bill.com after the meeting concludes.
Previous recipients of this award:
2026 Denis McCarthy
2025 Katie Witkiewitz
2024 Mary Larimer
2023 Kate Carey
2022 David Goldman
2021 Rajesh Miranda
2020 Chris Cunningham
2019 Susan Tapert
2018 Fulton Crews / Kent Hutchison / Brooke Molina
2017 R. Adron Harris
2016 Barbara McCrady
2015 John Crabbe
2014 Sandra Brown
2013 Peter Monti
2012 George Koob / Kenneth Sher
RSA Media Award
The RSA Public Outreach Committee wishes to recognize the ability of science writers to expertly interpret difficult-to-understand scientific findings for a broad audience of non-scientists. The contribution can be made in a wide variety of formats, including print, film, video, and web publishing.
Nominations for this award are accepted by current RSA members only; members or non-members can be nominated. The Public Outreach committee members review and score the nominations. This award is designed to recognize outstanding journalistic efforts ("journalism" in the broadest sense) of writers who cover empirical research on alcohol.
Previous recipients of this award:
Erica C. Barnett (2026)
Marisa Silveri (2025)
Dana G. Smith (2024)
Jessica Lahey (2023)
Millie Gooch (2022)
Julia Bainbridge (2021)
Carlton Erickson (2019)
Adam Rogers (2018)
Alexandra Fleming (2017)
Lucy Berrington (2016)
Olivia Laing (2015)
Ann Dowsett Johnston (2014)
John Gatins (2013)
Ken Burns (2012)
Laura Hambleton (2011)
Iain Gately (2010)
Tara Parker-Pope (2009)
Barrett Seaman (2008)
John T. O’Neill (2007)
Fraser Lang (2006)
Bert Pluymen (2005)
Liz Scott (2004)
Anne Fletcher (2003)
Hattie Bernstein (2002)
Sherry Wasilow-Mueller (2001)
Eric Newhouse (2000)
RSA Seixas Award For Service
Previous recipients of this award:
2026 Howard Becker
2025 Sandra Brown
2024 Hank Kranzler
2023 Debra Sharp
2022 Richard Saitz (posthumously)
2021 Lara Ray
2020 Kenneth Sher
2019 Victor Hesselbrock
2018 Patricia Molina
2017 Barbara McCrady
2016 George Koob
2015 Mark Goldman
2014 Ivan Diamond
2013 Robert Huebner
2012 John Crabbe
2011 Edward Riley
2010 R. Adron Harris
2009 Antonio Noronha
2008 Kenneth Taylor (posthumously) / Anna Taylor
2007 Mack C. Mitchell
2006 Sara Jo Nixon
2005 Marc Schuckit
2004 Andrea Mitchell
2003 Richard Fuller
2002 Albert Pawlowski
2001 Faye Calhoun
2000 Samir Zakhari
1999 Michael Charness / Nancy Day
1998 Ernestine Vanderveen
1997 Richard Deitrich
1996 Enoch Gordis
1995 Henri Begleiter
1994 Kenneth Warren
1993 Ting-Kai Li
1992 Charles S. Lieber
1991 Carlton K. Erickson
1990 Marcus Rothschild
1989 James Beard / Fenton Isaacson
1988 Stephen Long