Outstanding Research Publication Awards
The Outstanding Research Publication Awards recognize the achievements of postdoctoral fellows for work accomplished at MD Anderson. These annual awards are sponsored by the MD Anderson Odyssey Program and funded by the Ernst W. Bertner Memorial Fund and the Heath Memorial Fund. When a recipient is chosen, he or she will be acknowledged as the first author of an outstanding contribution to the scientific literature in the broadly defined area of cancer research.
Research Publication Award Recipients

2020 Outstanding Research Publication Award recipient Simone Hausmann, Ph.D.

2020 Outstanding Research Publication Award recipients Simone Hausmann, Ph.D., and Shaobo Dai, Ph.D.

2020 Outstanding Research Publication Award recipient Shaobo Dai, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow, Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis,
Description of Awards
The Outstanding Research Publication Awards will recognize excellence in two research categories - basic and translational. This award includes monetary prizes, certificates and invitations to give public presentations at an Odyssey Program-sponsored public seminar, where the awards will be officially presented to the winners.
Eligibility
The awardee must have been employed at MD Anderson as a postdoctoral fellow when the manuscript was submitted for publication. The awardee must be the first author on this paper, and the work must have been done at MD Anderson. The paper must have been published (online or paper) within FY20 (Sept. 1, 2019, to Aug. 31, 2020). Papers that are in press and is not available online at the time of submission, although officially accepted for publication will not qualify.
Who Can Apply?
All MD Anderson postdoctoral fellows are eligible to apply. You must be the first author on the article. This may include authors contributing equally or co-first authors.
Application Dates
The application opens on Oct. 1, and the deadline is Nov. 15, at 5 p.m. CST. Eligible postdoctoral fellows will receive an email with detailed information.
What Do I Need to Apply?
Applications must contain the following:
- Application form which includes a brief description (in 4 bullet points or less) explaining the significance of the publication
- The research paper under consideration (must be e-published or published in print).
How Do I Submit My Application?
- Download and complete the Outstanding Publication Award application form (pdf).
- Save your completed application form and a copy of published paper/manuscript as PDF documents.
- Combine your documents, in the order listed above, into a single PDF document.
- Name the combined PDF document as follows: Lastname_Firstname.pdf.
Criteria for Selection of Recipients
The Odyssey Program Advisory Committee will select award recipients based on this score sheet. The following are the criteria for scoring:
- Importance and novelty of the work described in the manuscript
- Likelihood thata the reported findings will open new research areas
- Impace in cancer patients and understanding of cancer biology
If several outstanding entries score similarly, additional considerations will include the following criteria:
- Number and importance of other recent publications by the same author
- Number of additional authors on the publication (listing fewer authors suggests a more significant contribution by each author)
- Quality of writing of the publication
2020 Award Recipients
2020 Outstanding Research Publication Award supported by The Ernst W. Bertner Memorial Fund
Simone Hausmann, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow, Experimental Radiation Oncology
Mentor: Dr. Pawel Mazur
“METTL13 Methylation of eEF1A IncreasesTranslational Output to Promote Tumorigenesis”
Cell, 2019
2020 Outstanding Research Publication Award supported by The Heath Memorial Fund
Shaobo Dai, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow, Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis
Mentor: Dr. Xiaodog Cheng
“Structural basis for the target specificity of actin histidine methyltransferase SETD3”
Nature Communications, 2019
Contact Information
Questions regarding the Outstanding Research Publication Award competition should be addressed to odyssey@mdanderson.org.