Howard J. Igel, M.D., Award in Innovative Research
Established through the vision and generosity of the Igel family, the Howard Igel Award in Innovative Research honors Dr. Howard Igel, a pioneering clinician and respected faculty member who served as the inaugural chair of NEOMED’s Department of Pathology.
The award supports a one-year project with strong potential to advance the understanding and treatment of human disease, inspire future research and open the door to external funding.
2026 recipient: Jaclyn Welles, Ph.D.
Dr. Welles, the inaugural recipient and assistant professor of biomedical sciences, studies chronic liver disease. Her proposal is titled “Investigating the role of copper in metabolic-dysfunction associated Steatohepatitis.” The Igel award will help advance her work examining the role of copper in disease and hormone regulation in the liver.
“It is an incredible honor to be the first recipient,” Dr. Welles said. “I truly believe that so much innovation and future research will come from this award.”
Above: Dr. Marc Basson, dean of the NEOMED College of Medicine, with inaugural recipient Jaclyn Welles, Ph.D., an Ignite Scholar and assistant professor of biomedical sciences, and Janet Igel, Dr. Igel’s wife.
About the award
- The award provides up to $50,000 to support innovative, high-impact College of Medicine faculty research.
- Dr. Igel’s family honored his legacy with a significant gift to create the Howard J. Igel, M.D., Award in Innovative Research.
- “The Igel family is honored to support the next generation of medical researchers,” said Janet Igel, Dr. Igel’s wife, who spoke during the 2026 ceremony that honored the first recipient. “Howard was endlessly curious and deeply thoughtful about how ideas could move from concept to impact. This prize reflects his passion for discovery and his belief in investing wisely in people and innovation.”
- Marc Basson, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., FACS, dean of the NEOMED College of Medicine, said “Dr. Howard Igel was a teacher, a researcher, a mentor and an innovator. This research award represents all of those attributes to which we, as physicians, aspire.”