George Blackburn Research Mentorship Award

The George Blackburn Research Mentorship Award recognizes nutrition leaders for their achievements as outstanding research mentors.

The ASPEN Rhoads Research Foundation awards the George Blackburn Research Mentorship Award. Named in honor of Dr. George Blackburn, this award celebrates his commitment and generosity to the ASPEN Rhoads Research Foundation and honors his academic and research mentorship.

Recipients will be awarded each year during a Foundation event at the ASPEN Nutrition Science & Practice Conference.

View all of the George Blackburn Research Mentorship Award Recipients
Award deadline: September 8, 2025
The 2026 George Blackburn Award Application is Open!

Criteria

  • The nominee must be at least 10 years into his/her research and/or academic career.
  • The nominee’s research focus should relate to clinical nutrition, metabolism, and/or nutrition support.
  • The nominee must be a member of ASPEN.
  • The nominee must be an effective mentor.


  • To nominate a colleague, please submit a letter of recommendation to ASPEN staff at [email protected], who will then contact the nominee for an application.
  • To nominate yourself, please complete the online application.

Candidates must complete the online application and include the following materials:

  1. Two nominations or supporting letters outlining the nominee’s research mentoring activities. Letters should describe the following qualities that make the nominee an outstanding research mentor:
    • Highlight research accomplishments.
    • How the mentor has actively encouraged inquiry, innovation, and created opportunities for trainees to conduct research.
    • How the mentor has supported and influenced trainees’ educational and career paths (presentation and publication opportunities, planning for continued research and/or graduate studies, further academic positions).
    • Provide examples of inspiration, encouragement, or challenge as well as any other attributes or actions that make this mentor truly exceptional.
  2. Nominee’s curriculum vitae.
  3. Completed evaluation forms of at least two mentees of the nominee. (Please do not include mentee CVs and make sure that the mentees completing evaluations are different from those providing nominating or supporting letters.)
  4. Complete list of past and present mentees with their topics of research, current status, and any progress made in the development of their research career.

Current ASPEN Rhoads Research Foundation Board members and the ASPEN President are ineligible during their active terms. 

Selection

Nominations will be presented to a committee appointed by the Foundation President. 

Help fund this prestigious grant
The ASPEN Rhoads Research Foundation would like to announce the establishment of a new grant in honor of Dr. George Blackburn
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