AATB recognizes outstanding individuals within the tissue banking community.
Achievement Awards
There are three Achievement Awards given annually by AATB to outstanding individuals in tissue banking. These three awards are the Jeanne C. Mowe Distinguished Service Award, George W. Hyatt Memorial Award, and the Kenneth W. Sell Memorial Award.
These three awards are named after significant people who have made great contributions to the tissue banking community and to AATB.
Jeanne C. Mowe Distinguished Service Award
The Jeanne C. Mowe Distinguished Service Award recognizes an individual who has made a significant contribution in tissue banking or transplantation, whether in research, education, or laboratory improvement, or who has served the Association or the field of tissue banking. The individual should have demonstrated leadership qualities and a consistent willingness to lend his or her expertise to the Association and/or to his or her peers. The recipient shall be a member in good standing of the Association.
The Jeanne C. Mowe Award was originally known as the Distinguished Service Award until August 2013. The first Distinguished Service Award was given in 1987 to George W. Hyatt, who is the namesake of the George W. Hyatt Memorial Award. In August 2013, the Distinguished Service Award was renamed the Jeanne C. Mowe Award in remembrance of Ms. Mowe, who was a past Executive Director of AATB.
About Jeanne C. Mowe
Jeanne C. Mowe was the first Executive Director of the American Association of Tissue Banks. She drafted the first Standards for Tissue Banking and created AATB's accreditation program for tissue banks. She also served on the Surgeon General's Task Force on Organ Donation and on the executive committee of the American Council on Transplantation. After her passing in 2003, Mowe's dedication to AATB through her 20 years of service was memorialized in the Jeanne C. Mowe Distinguished Service Award.
George W. Hyatt Award
The George W. Hyatt Memorial Award is given annually to an outstanding individual scientist who has demonstrated superior research, teaching, and service abilities in the field(s) of tissue banking, tissue transplantation, or transplantation medicine. The recipient need not be a member of AATB. The first George W. Hyatt Memorial Award was awarded to Harold T. Meryman, M.D in 1995.
About George W. Hyatt
Dr. George W. Hyatt, a Navy surgeon, came up with the idea for the Navy Tissue Bank. Due to his creation of the Navy Tissue Bank, he is considered to be the "Father of American Tissue Banking." During his time at the Navy Tissue Bank, he oversaw experiments on freeze-drying tissues and preservation techniques. He also became a consultant for tissue preservation programs abroad. After leaving the Navy Tissue Bank following his 17 years of service in the Navy, he became a professor of orthopedic surgery at Georgetown University. Dr. Hyatt passed away in 1993 at the age of 63. The George W. Hyatt Memorial Award was established in his remembrance.
Past George W. Hyatt Award Winners
Kenneth W. Sell Award
The Kenneth W. Sell Memorial Award is given annually to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the development of tissue banking standards, the inspection and accreditation of tissue banks, and/or the education and certification of tissue banking personnel to ensure the quality, safety and availability of cells and tissue for transplantation. The recipient need not be a member of AATB. The first Kenneth W. Sell Memorial Award was awarded to D. Ted Eastlund, M.D., Ph.D. in 2004.
About Kenneth W. Sell
Dr. Kenneth W. Sell, the "Father of AATB," became director of the Navy Tissue Bank in 1965. Dr. Sell knew that there was a need for an association of tissue banks. He organized the Tissue Bank Symposium, which was held from August 13-15, 1975 in Washington DC In 1976, a little over a year later, Dr. Sell incorporated AATB. Dr. Sell passed away in 1996. His contributions to tissue banking are memorialized in the Kenneth W. Sell Memorial Award.
Review & Selection Process
The AATB Nominating and Awards Committee is responsible for recommending a list of nominees for the Jeanne C. Mowe Distinguished Service Award, George W. Hyatt Memorial Award, and Kenneth W. Sell Memorial Award. These nominees are submitted to and subsequently selected by the AATB Board of Governors.