GEN Publisher & CEO Honored for Stem Cell Education

The Genetics Policy Institute (GPI) has named Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN) publisher and CEO Mary Ann Liebert the winner of its 2013 Education Award, citing her work in educating patients, researchers, and the broader stem cell community, and in raising the standard in medical research journalism.

Liebert is president and CEO of Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., which in addition to publishing GEN has established authoritative peer-reviewed journals in promising areas of science and biomedical research. The company’s more than 70 journals include Stem Cells and Development, which focuses on developments in the biology, characteristics, and therapeutic utility of stem cells. Several of the company’s journals intersect with regenerative medicine, contributing to the field’s overall scholarship while advancing stem cell science.

“I am honored to receive this most splendid recognition,” Liebert told GEN. “It is an important award and a very meaningful acknowledgement of the esteem in which our publications are held. That this recognition comes from the prestigious Genetics Policy Institute is greatly appreciated, and I shall be at the annual Stem Cell Summit with bells on.”

Joining Liebert as 2013 Stem Cell Action Award honorees are:

• Denny Sanford and Malin Burnham, philanthropists whose beneficiaries have included the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute and Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine. Sanford and Burnham are winners of Leadership Awards.
• Paul Knoepfler, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, University of California, Davis and its UC Davis Genome Center; associate professor, UC Davis School of Medicine; and founder of ipscell.com, which educates patients and the public about stem cell research. Dr. Knoepfler is winner of the National Advocacy Award.
• Roman Reed, president of the Roman Reed Foundation, focused on supporting spinal cord injury research, and an activist for stem cell research funding. Reed is winner of the Inspiration Award.

Since 2005, GPI has honored the stem cell community's top innovators, leaders, and champions at its Stem Cell Action Awards Dinner during the annual World Stem Cell Summit. This year’s awards will be presented on Dec. 5 at the ninth annual awards dinner, during the 2013 World Stem Cell Summit (WSCS13) at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego.

Previous Stem Cell Action awardees have included Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, Research!America, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Michael J. Fox, Robert Klein, Sherry Lansing, Susan Solomon of the New York Stem Cell Foundation, A. Alfred Taubman, and the National Association of Biology Teachers. A full list of previous awardees is available at http://worldstemcellsummit.com/awards-dinner.