Awards Guide






AAPS Awards Program Overview

In alignment with its mission to advance the ability of pharmaceutical scientists to develop products and therapies that improve global health, AAPS brings attention to, and celebrates, the most impactful science as well as the scientists who serve as role models in the pharmaceutical science community. 

The AAPS Awards are an enduring tradition that recognizes the scientists, leaders, and volunteers who have shaped the pharmaceutical sciences and AAPS.

AAPS recognizes science and scientists in three
areas that relate to its mission:

Science & Innovation

Service

Leadership

Other Honors

Awards General Requirements 

The following requirements apply to all awards.

All award nominations are submitted electronically as directed by AAPS at www.aaps.org/awards. Nominations submitted by other means will be rejected without review.

AAPS strongly recommends contacting AAPS at [email protected] well in advance of any deadline for clarification about a particular award’s requirements. AAPS will not grant waivers for applications that are incomplete or incorrect because of a misunderstanding on the part of the applicant.

THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS APPLY TO ALL AWARDS:

Completed nomination packages as described under each specific award must be received by AAPS by published deadlines. Nomination packages must be submitted online to AAPS using the designated awards website. Incomplete packages, or packages submitted after published deadlines, will be rejected without review by AAPS.

Selection committees will only consider qualified nominees with complete nomination packages. AAPS staff vet each nomination package against the stated requirements for the award before releasing it to a selection committee. Packages that do not meet the qualifications for nomination or that are incomplete are rejected.

Candidates will only be considered for one enterprise-level award during a given awards cycle. If multiple nomination packages are received, the candidate will be asked to select only one award for which they will be considered.
 
All candidates must submit a completed AAPS Professional Conduct Disclosure Form with their nomination package. Candidates and nominees must disclose matters that are resolved as well as matters that are still pending. Self-disclosure does not mean automatic disqualification of the candidate or nominee. However, each disclosure will receive a confidential review and follow-up discussion if there are areas of concern. See Professional Conduct Disclosure Form to review the form.

Whenever possible, award packages receive a blinded review. For example: author information is hidden for the judging of poster and abstract-based awards to ensure impartial evaluation.

Volunteers sitting on a selection committee must declare any conflict of interest to the AAPS Awards Committee Chair and be recused. A conflict of interest exists if the volunteer leader has a relationship with the candidate, or an otherwise collecting situation, such as sharing a supervisor. The  volunteer must also be recused if their relationship to a nominee would cause the average member to assume there was a conflict of interest.

Recusal is not optional. Recusal means the volunteer holding the conflict cannot:

  • Comment on the candidate during deliberations
  • Vote, or otherwise help in the selection of the recipient

AAPS may replace the recused committee member with a new volunteer to ensure a robust and unbiased process.

Volunteers serving on the AAPS Awards Committee may not participate in the development of any nomination packages. This includes writing endorsement letters, reviewing drafts of packages, or any other activities that would contribute to a nomination package.

AAPS Board of Directors Members may not participate in the development of any nomination packages (e.g., writing endorsement letters and reviewing drafts of packages). The AAPS Board of Directors approves all recipients and is involved in the appeals process for decisions, and so cannot participate in the nomination process in any way.

Board members who were involved in a nomination before taking a seat on the Board must declare their conflict to the AAPS President and be recused from participation in any business related to that award.

AAPS Board of Directors members may not serve on any selection committee or otherwise participate in the initial screening and selection of recipients.

With the help of AAPS staff, the AAPS Awards Chair, or the Chair’s designate on a particular selection committee, will document the decision about each candidate. The documentation will be used in notifications to both successful and unsuccessful candidates.

With the help of AAPS staff, the AAPS Awards Chair will forward a slate of recommended recipients to the Board of Directors for final approval. It will be accompanied by a report summarizing the recipient selection rationale, and comparing the recipients’ demographics to the demographics of the organization.

With the help of AAPS staff, the AAPS Awards Chair will notify all candidates of the decisions on their nominations. Notification will include information about why a package was accepted or rejected, as appropriate.

Although every effort is made to ensure each award is presented annually, AAPS is not required to present awards for a given category in any given year. Should no qualified candidates be selected for an award, it will not be presented in that year.

Appeals

Appeals of the rejection of nomination must be submitted in writing by email to [email protected] within seven days of notification of the rejection being sent to the nominator. Appeals submitted by other means will not be considered.

Upon receiving an appeal, AAPS will:

  • Notify the chair of the AAPS Awards Committee
  • Seat a 3-person panel consisting of members of the AAPS Board of Director
  • Present the panel with
    • The criteria of the award
    • The application AAPS received for the award
    • The documentation of the selection committee’s reasons for its decision
    • The appellant’s statement appealing the decision

The panel will then consider whether the Selection Committee’s actions were correct, and if not, the correct remedy. The panel’s decision is final.

AAPS will notify the appellant, the chair of the AAPS Awards Committee, the AAPS Board of Directors, and others as necessary of the decision.

AAPS encourages appellants and other volunteers involved in an appeal to use discretion in deciding where, when, and with whom to discuss the appeal. AAPS wishes to protect both the integrity of the AAPS Awards Program and the reputations of all the involved parties.

    

Rescinding an Award

Regardless of the award, all recipients are expected to uphold the standards of the pharmaceutical scientist profession as outlined in the AAPS Professional Code of Conduct, the AAPS Conflict of Interest Policy, the AAPS Code of Ethics, the AAPS PharmSci 360 and Event Attendee Code of Conduct, the AAPS Professional Code of Conduct Policy, and other policies and statements approved by the AAPS Board of Directors. Policies are posted at www.aaps.org/policies.

The AAPS Awards Committee may recommend, and the AAPS Board of Directors may decide, to rescind a recipient’s award(s), even years after it has been presented, should the recipient be found to have violated one of the aforementioned policies or to have violated the ethics of their profession. In the event that a call to rescind is brought forward, the recipient will be notified and given the opportunity to make a statement to the Board of Directors. The Board’s decision is final.

Proposing a New Award

The AAPS Awards Committee receives, reviews, and completes development of all proposals for new AAPS Awards. Although the AAPS Board of Directors makes the final decision in creating an award, it is with the advice of the AAPS Awards Committee, which administers all awards.

Individuals and groups may submit proposals that include the following information. AAPS staff are happy to help organizers complete these questions and improve the quality of the proposal submitted to the Awards Committee.

The Awards Committee may reject an application; accept it and recommend it to the AAPS Board of Directors; or work with an applicant to revise an application until it is acceptable. Applicants should expect to collaborate closely with staff and the Awards Committee on any proposed award.

Completed proposals must be received at [email protected] by August 1 in order be incorporated into the following year’s awards program.

To be considered, each proposal must include:

Description of the award:

  • Proposed title
  • Statement of purpose for the awards that aligns with AAPS’ mission and the Awards Program’s vision for recognizing science, leadership, and service
  • Description of the ideal nominee
  • Recommended number of recipients to select annually

Application process:

  • Whether self-nomination is possible, and if not, a description of the ideal nominator
  • What information must be included in the nomination
  • When the award should be presented

Nominee qualifications:

Qualifications determine whether a nominee may be considered for an award. These are facts about the nominee that are easily defined. For example: is the nominee a member? How many years have they been working in pharmaceutical science? Nominees who do not meet a qualification requirement will not be considered for an award.

Selection Criteria:

Selection criteria are applied to all qualified nominees. There must be some way for the selection committee to evaluate a nomination for them. AAPS recommends 3-5 criteria, such as:

  • Documented accomplishments in a field
  • Letters of endorsement

Selection Process: 

  • Description of the types of people who would sit on the selection committee
  • What questions the committee should consider when assessing a nomination

Elements of the Recognition:

  • Financial recognition/reimbursement
  • Travel reimbursement
  • Plaque or certificate
  • Expectations of the recipient after recognition

Members planning to propose a new award are urged to contact [email protected] early in the development process. 

Financing a New Award

In order to ensure that every award contributes to the enduring tradition of the AAPS Awards Program, proposals must provide a financial plan for an award that will maintain it year-over-year in perpetuity. For example, an award that would require $2,500 a year to cover travel and hotel costs for a recipient will need an endowment of at least $150,000. AAPS will not advance proposed awards that have financial backing for only a few years or that are funded annually at corporate discretion.