Award

Dr. Gary J. Becker Young Investigator Award

Promotes excellence in academic research for members early in their careers. This award honors the founding editor of the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (JVIR) and recognizes the importance of the young investigator in developing interventional solutions for the future.

Closed

Application due 11/15/2024

Early career Research Funding: Awards

Award criteria

In 1990, SIR Foundation established the Dr. Gary J. Becker Young Investigator Award as a way to recognize promising young practitioners of interventional medicine early in their careers and encourage their pursuit of academic careers. Each year, the author of the most outstanding clinical science research paper submitted receives this distinguished award.

The primary author must be within 7 years of completion of fellowship in interventional radiology. No higher rank than an assistant professor or associate professor. The principal investigator and the abstract must be original (previously unpresented). At the time of online abstract submission, the nominee must designate their eligibility for the award.
A completed scientific manuscript must be published in the last year or is being considered for publication. The manuscript does not have to be submitted to JVIR for consideration; however, applications with submitted manuscripts in JVIR will be more competitive during the review process.
The applicant must be an SIR member in good standing.

Required application materials

Curriculum vitae
Scientific manuscript published within the last year
Hi-resolution photo in JPG format
Statement of applicant’s contributions to the IR community as well as patient care/teaching
Letter of support from program director or department chair attesting that the work is the primary effort of the applicant
Please note: If your program director or department chair is not an SIR member, you will need to provide an additional letter of endorsement that is from an SIR member.

Review process

Completed applications are reviewed by members of SIR Foundation’s officers and research directors. Scored review criteria are as follows:

Science: Promise as an investigator
a. Manuscript: Manuscripts published in JVIR will receive a higher score
b. Developing a track record
Service and leadership
a. Service to the IR community
Promotion of IR

How to apply

The recipient will receive a $3,000 honorarium as well as complimentary registration, transportation and lodging at the SIR Annual Scientific Meeting. The award will be presented during the SIR Foundation Awards Ceremony at the SIR Annual Scientific Meeting.

Applications for the 2025 award closed at 5 p.m. ET on Nov. 15, 2024.

2025 awardee

Alexander Vezeridis, MD, PhD

Alexander Vezeridis, MD, PhD, is an interventional radiologist and assistant professor of radiology at Stanford University School of Medicine. He is a physician-scientist dedicated to improving patient outcomes from image-guided interventions through translational approaches in engineering. His clinical expertise and interests includes interventional oncology, biliary disease and endoscopy, venous disease, portal hypertension, urologic interventions, and women’s and men’s health interventions.

Dr. Vezeridis obtained his undergraduate, MD and PhD degrees from Boston University. He completed a 2-year post-doctoral training at UC San Diego in ultrasound molecular imaging under the auspices of the Cancer Researchers in Nanotechnology R25T, as well as an NIH T32 training program, followed by residency and fellowship at UC San Diego.

Dr. Vezeridis is highly committed to training the next generation, including students, residents, fellows and engineering graduate students through clinical and research mentorship.

Dr. Vezeridis has a strong interest in medical device development and completed the Stanford Biodesign Faculty Fellowship.

Questions?

SIR Foundation

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