Essay Contest
Congratulations to the 2024 Essay Contest winners !
About the Contest
The Lasker Essay Contest engages early career scientists and clinicians from the US and around the globe in a discussion about big questions in biology and medicine and the role of biomedical research in our society today. The Contest aims to build skills in communicating important medical and scientific issues to broad audiences. The topic is announced annually in early February, and winners are announced in mid-July.
Eligibility
The Contest is open to medical school students, interns, residents, and fellows; doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows in biomedical sciences; and graduate students training in health professions programs e.g., public health, dental, pharmacy, etc who are currently doing research. Applicants (from the US or any other countries) must be currently participating in an educational program. This program may be located in any country.
Winners will receive up to $5,000. Monetary prizes will be directed to the winner’s university to be used towards the winner’s educational expenses.
Essays should be 800 words or less and must be written in English. We allow only one essay submission per applicant, and the essay must be written by a single author. The use of any generative AI tool (e.g. ChatGPT) in composing an entry is prohibited – all essays will be screened with software designed to detect use of AI. Essays need to be original; content previously published will be disqualified.The file containing the essay should include the essay title and the applicant’s name, email, and institutional affiliation. The 800-word limit applies to the body of the essay. Field-specific scientific jargon should be avoided or explained.
Evaluation Criteria
Essays will be evaluated based on their originality, quality of writing, style, and clarity. Essays that are not written in English or are longer than 800 words will not be considered.
Publication
The winning essays will be published in the July issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation .
All Winners
Meet the Winners of the 2024 Essay Contest and Read the Essays
Meet the Winners of the 2023 Essay Contest and Read the Essays
Meet the Winners of the 2022 Lasker Essay Contest
The 2022 Lasker Essay Contest
Meet the Winners of the 2021 Lasker Essay Contest
The 2021 Lasker Essay Contest
Winners of the 2020 Lasker Essay Contest
Winners of the 2019 Lasker Essay Contest
Winners of the 2018 Essay Contest
Winners of the 2017 Essay Contest
Winners of the 2016 Essay Contest
Winners of 2015 Essay Contest: The “Research Challenge”
2014 Essay Contest: Supporting Medical Research
Read the winning essays.
Kevin S. Blake Missing microbiomes: global underrepresentation restricts who research will benefit
Catherine M. Bridges Illuminating maternal sepsis: a call for improved recognition and prevention
Andrea M. Maxwell What happens to the brain during pregnancy?
A Subashan Vadibeler The (unresolved) antibody paradox
Sarah Voss The enemy of my enemy is my friend
Allison R. Chen Research Training in an AI World
Louise O. Downs Is a Test Better Than No Test When There Is No Treatment?
Ayush Kumar Using HG1222 — A Perspective Into the Ethics of Collecting Biospecimens
Salman E. Qasim The Human Brain: The Final Frontier and the Wild West
Sneha P. Rath Cementing the Bricks
Kaelyn Cummins Microbes, Medicine, and Astronauts: Reflections on a Collaborative Project
Azmina Karukappadath Two Fields, One Dream
Hussain Lalani I Would Be Scared if I Heard That Too
Rutvij Merchant Pathways to Global Health Equity: More Seats, Fresh Perspectives
Kirti Nath Puzzles
Avik Ray Unified Diversity: The Team Game
Ziad Ali What Happens Now?
Banafsheh Nazari Embracing Technology, the Pandemic’s Lesson for Us
Trisha Pasricha One more question
Miriam Saffern My Mother is a Layperson
Adina Schonbrun The Cornerstone of Scientific Success: Unsung Frontline Heroes of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Emily Ashkin Michael Bishop: A Scientist for the Next Generation
David Basta For the Love of Science
Avash Das Michael Brown and Joseph Goldstein: Tribute to My Inspiration
William Dunn Sweet Are the Uses of Adversity
Safwan Elkhatib Salk, Sabin, and the Crown of Health
Laurel Gabler Putting “People’s Health in People’s Hands”: How the Bangs Inspired my Personal Journey
Kwabena Kusi-Mensah As One Single Tribe: Thinking Globally and Locally
Lisa Learman With the Corn, Against the Grain
Olivia Lucero Genetics as a Tool for Generational Empowerment
Hannah Mason My Gym Genie: Gathering Inspiration from Dr. John Schiller
Samantha Wong Fauci: Science as a Voice of Reason
Grace Beggs Game On: Smartphone Technology for Science Education
Peter John Making it All Fun and Games in the Biomedical Sciences
Dereck Paul Pathways: A National Mentorship Program for High School Students Underrepresented in Science and Medicine
David Hartmann Cancer Survivors: Outstanding Advocates for Trust in Science
Debra Karhson A Verification Vaccine for Social Contagion
Caroline Vissers Diversity at the Top of the Social Media Signaling Cascade
Abigail Cline Science and Cinema: From the Benchtop to the Big Screen
Tammy Tran Science Is Everywhere: Unexpected Science Encounters in the Course of Everyday Life
Michael Wu Search for Science: Smart Search-Linked Discussion Forums
Jennifer Bratburd Breaking through Barriers to Science with Citizen Science
Apurva Lunia Dissemination of Biomedical Research Via Multimedia Platforms Using Existing Healthcare Frameworks
Jessica Sagers Let’s Get Real: (Re)making Scientists Into People
David Ottenheimer Modern Neuroscience Has the Tools to Treat Psychiatric Illness
Therese Woodring (Korndorf) Hacking the Bacterial Social Network: Quorum Sensing and the Future of Microbial Management
Unikora Yang The Cutting Edge of DNA Editing: Translating CRISPR to Improve Human health
David Hill Mutual Understanding: Uncovering the Mechanistic Basis of the Host-Symbiont Relationship in Human Health
Joseph Rathkey In Silico Modeling as an Ideal Platform for Future Biological Research and Discovery
Stephanie Ng Depression and the Final Frontier
Omar Toubat Mastering the Genetic Reprogramming of Cells
Peter Soh Offering Incentives for Future Scientists
Michael Burel Catalyzing Broad Public Interest in Scientific Research
Nick Andresen Crowdsourcing a Medical Research Donation Database
Gregg Gonsalves Researchers as Advocates and Activists
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