Julie Overbaugh, PhD, Affiliate Professor in the UW Department of Global Health, scientist and member at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and Endowed Chair of Graduate Education, received the lifetime achievement Nature Award for Mentoring in Science and a $10,000 prize in December. Nature hosts these annual awards to champion the importance of mentoring and inspiring a generation of young scientists.
Sir Philip Campbell PhD, Editor-in-Chief, Nature, who presented Dr. Overbaugh the award said, "One of Julie Overbaugh's nominators said of her that 'her entire mentoring style is a gift to science'. It's a great pleasure for us at Nature to honor such consistent attention to her lab members, in helping them fulfill their potential."
For nearly three decades, Dr. Overbaugh has made seminal contributions to research, dedicating herself to discovering key scientific phenomena in viral evolution and immunology. She was among the first basic science researchers to join forces with clinicians and epidemiologists in Africa to address pressing research questions related to the HIV pandemic. Her pioneering international, interdisciplinary research is recognized for its breadth and it focus in populations that are particularly vulnerable to HIV: women and infants. In concert with her own exemplary scientific discoveries, she has mentored, guided, and nurtured hundreds of undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, postdoctoral students and junior faculty. This award recognizes her efforts to consistently model curiosity, generosity, and resiliency and her ability to thoughtfully develop individualized plans for her mentees to achieve scientific excellence.
...