This award recognizes and encourages the professional development of a young investigator who has demonstrated exceptional scientific achievements early in his or her career. It is given based on the degree of originality exhibited in the individual's creative process and the significance of the research conducted relevant to the field of clinical laboratory medicine. It is conferred upon an individual who has the potential to be an outstanding investigator of the future. (The individual must not have reached the age of 40 by January 1 in the year in which the award is to be given and must be an the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (formerly AACC) member.)
Congratulations to the 2023 Winner
Victoria Higgins, PhD, FCACB
Victoria Higgins, PhD, FCACB, is a Clinical Chemist at DynaLIFE Medical Labs in Edmonton and holds a faculty position as a Clinical Lecturer in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Alberta. She obtained her PhD in Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology in 2019 and completed the Clinical Biochemistry Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2021, both at the University of Toronto.
Within less than two years from completing her fellowship, Dr. Higgins has published over 60 peer-reviewed manuscripts (over 35 first author), 7 book chapters (including the Tietz Textbook and Contemporary Practice in Clinical Chemistry), and 9 online/magazine publications. She has presented over 65 oral and poster presentations at provincial, national, and international conferences. This work has led to over 30 scholarships/academic awards including presentation awards from the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM) and EFLM, the SickKids Research Institute Exceptional Trainee Award, as well as the University of Toronto Stuart Alan Hoffman Memorial Prize and Alan Pollard Award. She has had an impact on the field of laboratory medicine through a diverse breadth of research, including on pediatric and adult reference intervals (including the CALIPER project), harmonization, data analytics, metabolic syndrome and postprandial dyslipidemia, COVID-19, pre-eclampsia, and lipid testing (including LDL-C calculations).
Outside of academics, she is active in the clinical chemistry community, including the CSCC Working Group on Reference Interval Harmonization, where she co-leads two subgroups to harmonize lipid reporting and CSF oligoclonal banding reporting. As part of the Education and Public Outreach in Clinical Chemistry (EPOCC) CSCC Committee, she initiated and co-leads “The Lab Report” podcast and was a member of the CLSI Document Development Committee for the EP44 Guidelines on establishing reference intervals. Most recently, she co-developed “The Clinical Chemistry Knowledge (CliCK) Study Tool” to launch June 2023 to aid trainees and educators with learning and refreshing topics in laboratory medicine.
Previous Winners
2022 - Christopher Farnsworth, PhD, DABCC, FADLM
2021 - Maria Alice Willrich, PhD
2020 - Dina Greene, PhD
2019 - Livia Schiavinato Eberlin, PhD
2018 - Christina Lockwood, PhD
2017 - Mark Marzinke, PhD
2016 - Mari DeMarco, PhD
2015 - Kara L. Lynch, PhD
2014 - Pete A. Kavsak, PhD
2013 - Rossa W.K. Chiu, MBBS, PhD
2012 - Andrew Hoofnagle, PhD
2011 - Linnea Baudhuin, PhD, DABMG
2010 - Amy Saenger, PhD
2009 - Joshua Bornhorst, PhD
2008 - Alex Rai, PhD
2007 - Loralie J. Langman, PhD
2006 - Roshini Abraham, PhD
2005 - Liu-Ying Luo, PhD
2004 - Yaniv Sherer, MD
2003 - George Yousef, MD
2002 - Thomas Daly, MD
2001 - Lynn Bry, PhD
2000 - Sridevi Devaraj, PhD
1999 - Elizabeth M. Rohlfs, PhD
1998 - Uttam Garg, PhD
1997 - Gregory J. Tsongalis, PhD
1996 - Ann Gronowski, PhD
1995 - David Hage, PhD
1994 - Bruce Goldberger, PhD
1993 - Marcie Hursting, PhD
1992 - Bryan Wolf, PhD
1991 - Amitava Dasgupta, PhD
1990 - Thomas Prior, PhD
1989 - Timothy Schroeder
1988 - Nader Rifai, PhD
1987 - Thomas M. Annesley, PhD
1986 - Alan Wu, PhD
1985 - Eleftherios P. Diamandis, MD, PhD
1983 - Daniel Nealon, PhD
1982 - Norman Leigh Anderson, PhD
1981 - Jean-Pierre Bretaudiere
1981 - Stephen Thibodeau, PhD
1980 - Thomas Grove, PhD
1979 - Eric Sampson, PhD
1978 - Robert Rej, PhD
1977 - Herbert K. Naito, PhD
1976 - Lawrence M. Silverman, PhD