Society Awards
The IDSA Society Awards celebrate the impactful accomplishments of your fellow IDSA members for their incredible work that can be seen locally and around the globe. Individuals are nominated by their peers and awarded by the Society Awards committee and Board of Directors each year. Awards are presented at IDWeek.
In the Spotlight
The D.A. Henderson Award for Outstanding Contributions to Public Health recognizes a lifetime of achievement in public health. Dr. Henderson’s role in leading the successful eradication of smallpox will stand forever as a shining example of the profound impact that infectious diseases physicians and scientists can have in preventing disease and relieving human suffering.
This award is given annually to an IDSA member or fellow in recognition of outstanding achievement in the clinical practice of infectious diseases. Winners have spent most of their career working predominantly in direct clinical care. The recipient must be in clinical practice and exhibit excellence in one or more of the following areas: clinical care, clinical research, patient or community education, compassion, patient advocacy, general community service and service to a national or state infectious diseases society.
How to submit a nomination
Nominations are encouraged across the diversity of professional focus within the field of ID as well as all who work in it; the awards are designed to reflect and celebrate our field. Applications are open from January 20, 2026, until April 7, 2026. The online form includes a space for a statement from the primary nominator summarizing the seminal contributions, quality and impact of the nominee’s work (500-word limit).
Secondary nominations: Nominations require at least one seconding statement of support from an active IDSA member. One to three supporting secondary statements can be submitted though the online nomination form (250-word limit).
Upload supporting documents: All nominations require a current copy of the nominee’s curriculum vitae. A copy of the award nominee’s NIH Biosketch is required for three of the awards (the Alexander Fleming Award for Lifetime Achievement, the D.A. Henderson Award for Outstanding Contributions to Public Health and the Oswald Avery Award for Early Achievement) but is optional for all other awards.
Eligibility
Award nominees, primary nominators and at least one secondary nominator must be active members of IDSA in good standing (with the exception of the recipient of the Anthony Fauci Courage in Leadership Award).
Members currently serving on the IDSA Board of Directors or the IDSA Society Awards Committee are not eligible to be nominated.
Past Alexander Fleming Award winners are not eligible to receive other Society Awards.
Individuals who have previously won a particular award are not eligible to win that award again. They may, however, be nominated in a different award category.
Self-nominations are not permitted.