The George M. Martin Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring Award

The George M. Martin Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring Award is named in honor of George M. Martin, MD (1927-2022), a pioneer in the field of aging research. Dr. Martin held many leadership positions and was awarded numerous honors. He was, among many things, Professor of Pathology at the University of Washington and served as AFAR’s Scientific Director for more than a decade. Dr. Martin devoted his long, distinguished career to growing the field of aging research while fostering the careers of junior colleagues. The new generations of aging researchers represent one of George’s most enduring and powerful contributions. George never missed the opportunity to meet and learn from colleagues, he almost always was the first to ask a question after a lecture and never failed to stop at every poster.

In his honor, the American Federation for Aging Research established the George M. Martin Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring Award to recognize individuals who during their careers have demonstrated extraordinary mentorship in the field of aging research.

Examples of exceptional mentorship may include an individual who has had a transformative role in the professional or personal development of one or more mentees and may excel in many different areas such as:

• Transformative role in the professional or personal development of one or more mentees
• Transferring knowledge and leaderships skills
• Fostering values of long-term mentoring
• Acknowledging accomplishments and challenging mentees to develop skills to advance their careers

AWARD

• The award is a framed citation and carries a cash prize of $5,000.
• The award will be presented at the AFAR Awards Ceremony at the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) Annual Scientific Meeting.

ELIGIBILITY

• The candidate should have a faculty appointment and have a demonstrated commitment to mentoring early career scientists.

Nomination Instructions

• A single nomination may not include multiple nomination letters, or a letter signed by more than two individuals.
• Nominations should include: 1) A single letter of nomination signed by one or two people that describes the ways in which the person reflects the purpose of the award. 2) The nominee’s full CV.
  
• Upload the nomination package as one PDF here.
  
• Deadline: March 13, 2026