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The ASM Award for Graduate Education recognizes an educator for outstanding achievements in graduate-level education (M.S., Ph.D., post-doc, graduate medical education, etc.) who had a demonstrable impact beyond his/her local institution.

2025 ASM Graduate Education Awardee

George O’Toole, Ph.D.

Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

Eligibility

Nominees must currently be faculty members in good standing at a recognized college or university, with a substantial portion of their time devoted to microbiology education. Nominees should have a strong record of training and supporting graduate-level students toward their career goals, and have at least 10 years experience after receipt of their doctoral degree/post-graduate training. Experience as a Teaching Assistant (TA) does not count toward the required 10 years of experience. Successful nominees will have gone beyond just classroom education; for example, having publications in education-focused journals, developing innovative programs, receiving extramural funding related to microbiology education, presenting on graduate education topics at regional or national meetings and/or demonstrating leadership in the development and implementation of innovative graduate-level education or mentorship programs. Nominees' efforts in graduate education must have had a demonstrated impact outside of their own institutions. Nomination of educators working to advance microbiology graduate education at minority-serving institutions is encouraged.

Nominators must address how the nominees meet the criteria and how they have made significant contributions to advance microbiology education at the graduate level.

Nominations Must Include:

1. Nomination Form. Nominator will need to create a free ASM account or log in to their current ASM account to complete the nomination. Self-nominations will not be accepted (in other words, you cannot nominate yourself for the award).
2. Curriculum Vitae (CV) of the nominee is required for nomination. After the nomination form is submitted by the nominator, the nominee will be asked by ASM to provide a current CV or enter highlights from their achievements on a CV template. Completing the CV template is highly recommended; however, the selection committee will accept either the template or the nominee’s current CV.
3. Nominee Statement. Nominees will be asked to provide a nominee statement describing their most significant contributions to the field of microbial sciences, explaining how their contributions meet the criteria for the award and why they are deserving of the award.

Awardee Benefits

The Award Laureate will receive the following honors:

• One time waiver to publish an article without charge in 1 of ASM Journals.
• A cash prize of $1,400.
• Personalized commemorative keepsake.
• Be invited to speak at the next ASM Microbe meeting.
• Be recognized at the next ASM Microbe meeting and be invited as honored guests at the ASM and American Academy of °®¶¹´«Ã½ leadership receptions.

Frequently Asked Questions

For answers to the most frequently asked questions about ASM awards, see the Awards and Prize FAQs page.

Award Selection Process

All eligible nominations will be reviewed by the respective award selection committee. The committee members will use the nomination materials to evaluate each nominee using the described eligibility criteria. The committee will discuss outstanding candidates and determine the awardee for that year. The committee takes into consideration various factors about the nominees in the decision to ensure the selected awardee is a strong example of excellence in the field.

Selection Committee Members

ASM awards are granted at the discretion of award selection committees and might not be awarded every year.

Questions? Contact awards@asmusa.org.