2026 Friends of the National Library of Medicine Awards Gala
Building Bridges: Knowledge to Action for Healthier Communities
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 | 6-9pm
Willard InterContinental Hotel, Washington DC
1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004
Black Tie Optional
Accommodation
If you would like a list of hotels in the local area, please contact Sharon Watts (sharon@fnlm.org).
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2026 Honorees
Distinguished Medical Science Award
Sir Demis Hassabis
Nobel Laureate, Co-Founder and CEO, Google DeepMind
Sir Demis Hassabis, PhD FRS, is co-founder and CEO of Google DeepMind and is being honored for his visionary leadership in advancing artificial intelligence to accelerate biomedical discovery and broaden global access to scientific knowledge. A trailblazer at the forefront of AI research, Sir Demis has driven the creation of transformative technologies that are redefining the frontiers of science and medicine. Under his guidance, DeepMind developed AlphaFold, an AI system that solved one of biology’s most formidable challenges—predicting the three-dimensional structures of proteins with unprecedented accuracy. This groundbreaking achievement earned him the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, alongside Dr. John Jumper and Dr. David Baker, cementing his role in a revolution that continues to transform medicine and drug discovery worldwide.
Distinguished Medical Science Award
John Jumper FRS
Nobel Laureate
Dr. John Jumper, PhD FRS, is recognized for his pioneering contributions to applying artificial intelligence to solve fundamental challenges in biology and advance biomedical discovery. While at DeepMind, Dr. Jumper played a central scientific leadership role in the development of AlphaFold, the groundbreaking AI system that achieved a historic breakthrough in predicting the three-dimensional structures of proteins—one of the most complex and long-standing challenges in molecular biology. This transformative achievement revolutionized a process that once required years of experimental work, enabling highly accurate protein structure predictions in a matter of hours and accelerating biomedical research worldwide. For this groundbreaking work, Dr. Jumper was awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, shared with Sir Demis Hassabis and Dr. David Baker.
Paul G. Rogers Award for Public Service
Robert Beall
Former President and CEO, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
During his 35-year tenure with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation — including 21 years as President and CEO — Robert Beall, PhD, led one of the most significant public health success stories of the modern era. Cystic fibrosis is a progressive, genetic disease that affects the lungs, pancreas, and other organs. Under Dr. Beall’s leadership and imaginative research funding, the Foundation pioneered a groundbreaking venture philanthropy model that accelerated the development of therapies targeting the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis and nearly doubled the life expectancy of cystic fibrosis patients. This approach also reshaped how nonprofit organizations work with industry, government, and researchers to translate scientific discovery into lifesaving treatments. His work has influenced national research strategy, rare disease funding models, and public-private collaboration across the biomedical ecosystem.
Donald A.B. Lindberg Award for Distinguished Health Communications
Allan M. Brandt
Amalie Kass Professor of History of Medicine and Professor of the History of Science, Harvard University
Allan Brandt, PhD, is being honored for his extraordinary contributions to public understanding of health, medicine, and disease through scholarship that seamlessly bridges history, science, and public policy. A preeminent historian of medicine, Dr. Brandt has fundamentally reshaped how we view the complex interplay between biomedical knowledge, social stigma, corporate influence, and public health. He is widely acclaimed for his groundbreaking book The Cigarette Century, which critically examines the rise of Big Tobacco and the political, scientific, and communication strategies that shaped public perceptions of smoking and disease. His earlier landmark work, No Magic Bullet, transformed the study of sexually transmitted diseases, challenging prevailing notions of stigma and influencing public health policy in America.
Medical Librarian of the Year
Kristi Holmes
Associate Dean for Knowledge Management and Strategy, Director of Galter Health Sciences Library, and Professor of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Kristi Holmes, PhD, is being recognized for her outstanding leadership, innovation, and sustained contributions to the field of health sciences librarianship at the local, national, and international levels. A nationally recognized leader in shared knowledge ecosystems and evidence‑based approaches that strengthen transparency, collaboration, and research impact across the scientific community, Dr. Holmes has transformed how libraries, research institutions, and federal agencies use data to advance access, discovery, and health. Her work has redefined the role of the academic health sciences library as a catalyst for open science, translational research, and collaborative innovation.
Special Tribute: Honoring Mary Lindberg
During Gala, the Friends of the National Library of Medicine will pay special tribute to Mary Lindberg, whose warmth, generosity, and unwavering support of the National Library of Medicine community left an indelible mark on generations of colleagues, collaborators, and friends. For many, Mary brought people together, championed the Library’s mission, and helped cultivate the spirit of connection and service that continues to define the NLM today. We are proud to honor her extraordinary contributions and enduring legacy.
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