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Mirjam Christ-Crain receives the Otto Naegeli Prize for Medical Research
This year’s Otto Naegeli Prize for Medical Research goes to Basel researcher Professor Mirjam Christ-Crain. The award, which is endowed with CHF 200,000, is considered one of Switzerland’s most important scientific prizes and enjoys high international recognition.
15 May 2024
The Otto Naegeli Prize is aimed at promoting medical research and is usually awarded to researchers in Switzerland every two years. The prize was created in memory of Zurich researcher and teacher of internal medicine, Otto Naegeli (1871–1938). The award ceremony will take place in Basel on 18 June.
This year’s award winner Mirjam Christ-Crain was born in Basel in 1974. Following her studies in Basel and Vienna, she completed her education as an endocrinologist in Basel and London, where she obtained her doctorate at the University of London. From 2009 to 2014, Christ-Crain held a research professorship of the Swiss National Science Foundation. Since 2014, she has been Professor of Endocrinology and Clinical Research at the University of Basel and Deputy Director of the Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism at the University Hospital Basel.
Christ-Crain has authored and co-authored over 300 original publications and has published her research several times in leading medical journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet and JAMA. Her research focuses on the field of neuroendocrinology, in particular on the hormones of the pituitary posterior lobe, vasopressin and oxytocin. Mirjam Christ-Crain was a member of the Swiss Science Council from 2016 to 2020 and has been a member of the research council of the Swiss National Science Foundation since 2020.
In the last 50 years, the prize has only been awarded to a woman four times. Three of these women conducted research in Basel, with Mirjam Christ-Crain preceded by Professor Silvia Arber (2014) and Professor Susan Gasser (2006) in this regard. Mirjam Christ-Crain is also the first award winner to be honored for patient-oriented clinical research.
Otto Naegeli Prize
The Otto Naegeli Prize, which is endowed with CHF 200,000, is awarded to outstanding individuals in the field of medical research every two years. The Otto Naegeli Foundation supports and rewards research aimed at preserving and promoting human life and quality of life. The prizewinners are selected by the Award Council, which consists of the Foundation President and previous prizewinners.
Illustration
A printable photo of Prof. Mirjam Christ-Crain can be found in the media database.
