Roger Short Medal and Lecture

RV Short Medal and Lecture 2024

Recipient Announced

 

Professor Francesca Duncan: Recipient of the 2024 Roger Short Medal and Lecture

On behalf of SRF Council and the executive committees of the SSR and SRB, I am delighted to announce that Professor Francesca Duncan has been awarded the RV Short Medal and Lecture 2024. The selection committee representing the three societies recognised that Francesca’s contributions to reproductive biology research personify the creativity and spirit of discovery of the late Professor Roger Short. Attached is a press release issued by all three societies.

In brief, Francesca is the Thomas J. Watkins Memorial Professor of Reproductive Science in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in the USA. Francesca is internationally recognised as a world leader in her specialist area of female reproductive aging. Francesca’s career trajectory is outstanding and amongst her many achievements, her work has identified inflammatory and fibrotic changes in the aging ovarian microenvironment that compromise follicle development and increase the risk for ovarian cancer. Francesca’s team is now engaged in studies to establish the clinical relevance of these exciting data.

Francesca is an exceptional scientist who is respected internationally for her enthusiastic approach to her work and for her unwavering drive and commitment to the field of reproductive biology. Without a doubt, Francesca exhibits the unique, enquiring and unconventional qualities of Roger Short himself and is a most worthy recipient of the 2024 award.

Congratulations Francesca on your remarkable achievements!

Press Release

The RV Short Medal Winner for 2023
The Inaugural Lecture was held on 25 November 2023
Professor Niamh Forde

Click here to watch the Lecture

Award and Lecture Information

The Society for Reproductive Biology (SRB, Australasia), the Society for Reproduction and Fertility (SRF, UK) and the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR, North America) are delighted to announce that nominations are requested for the 2024 RV Short Medal and Lecture. This is the second year of this exciting new initiative and re-nominations from last year that fit the criteria are also welcome. This unique award is designed to recognize emerging early career researchers across the globe

Roger Short was an inspirational reproductive biologist and his depth of insight into so many aspects of reproductive biology research was truly astonishing. Throughout his career, Roger was hugely supportive of early career researchers and this award is designed to recognize emerging research leaders that possess the same spirit of discovery, creativity, and imagination as Roger himself.

The initiative has been developed by Marilyn Renfree, Jock Findlay and the Presidents/Chairs of the SRB, SSF and SSR.

Award Criteria:

The RV Short Medal and Lecture will be awarded annually to an innovative young researcher who has made outstanding discoveries in the field of reproductive science within a period up to 10 years of establishing their independence. The intent of the award is to recognize those who possess the spirit of discovery, creativity and imagination epitomized by the career of Roger Short.

The following guidelines for nominations apply:

  • Any financial member of the SSR, SRB or SRF may nominate a candidate, irrespective of the candidate’s country of origin or whether or not the candidate has been nominated for or received a society award.
  • Nominations are to be submitted online to the award website on each society’s web page by the closing date, normally at least 6 months before the time of the lecture.
  • The award committee will select the medalist from the nominations received, irrespective of the candidate’s country of origin.
  • It is expected that the candidate is, or will become, a member of one of the Societies.
  • A previous RV Short medalist is not eligible for nomination.
  • To avoid any conflict of interest, a member of the award committee must declare any personal relationship with a nominated candidate and cannot nominate a person for the Award.
  • The candidate must agree to be nominated and to any audio-visual requirements in conjunction with the award.