Double Helix Medal

Double Helix Medal
Double Helix Medal
Awarded for	Individuals who have positively impacted human health by raising awareness and funds for biomedical research
Presented by	Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Country	United States
First awarded	2006
Official website	doublehelixmedals.cshl.edu

Founded by philanthropist Cathy Cyphers Soref, the Double Helix Medal has been awarded annually since 2006 by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) to individuals who have positively impacted human health by raising awareness and funds for biomedical research. At the inaugural dinner, Muhammad Ali received the first Double Helix Medal for his fight against Parkinson’s disease. Other notable recipients include founders of Autism Speaks Suzanne and Bob Wright; former Paramount Pictures head Sherry Lansing who produced the Stand Up to Cancer telethon; Evelyn Lauder who founded the Breast Cancer Research Foundation; Hank Greenberg of the Starr Foundation, which is one of the largest supporters of scientific research; Marilyn and Jim Simons, the world’s largest individual supporters of autism research; David Koch who has donated over $300 million to biomedical research; and prominent scientists and Nobel laureates.

The Double Helix Medal is named for the iconic “winding-staircase” structure of the DNA molecule, co-discovered by Dr. James D. Watson with Dr. Francis Crick in 1953. The study of DNA, which carries all of life’s information, is central to biological research, and is at the heart of work at CSHL.

History of the Double Helix Medal: http://doublehelixmedals.cshl.edu/history.html

Medal Recipients

November 15, 2011:

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
• Temple Grandin
• Harold E. Varmus

November 9, 2010:
Press Release: More than $3 million raised at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory gala

• Mary-Claire King
• Evelyn Lauder
• John F. Nash, Jr.

November 10, 2009:
Press Release: $2.8 million raised at 2009 Double Helix Medals dinner

• Herbert W. Boyer
• Stanley N. Cohen
• Kathryn W. Davis
• Maurice Greenberg

November 6, 2008:
Press Release: $3.6 Million Raised at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s 2008 Double Helix Medals Dinner

• Sherry Lansing
• Marilyn and James Simons
• James D. Watson
• J. Craig Venter

November 8, 2007:
Press Release: $3.1 Million Raised at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s 2007 Double Helix Medals Dinner

• David Koch
• Michael Wigler
• Richard Axel

November 9, 2006:
Press Release: CSHL Raises $2.5 Million at Inaugural Double Helix Medals Event & Launches $200 Million Capital Campaign

• Muhammad Ali
• Suzanne Wright
• Bob Wright
• Phillip Sharp

External links

• http://doublehelixmedals.cshl.edu/
• http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/node/1904382
• http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/node/3279
• http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/socialdiary/2006/11_13_06/socialdiary11_13_06.php
• http://www.panachemag.com/web/beseen/coldspringharborlab/double_helix_medals_dinner.asp
• http://www.blacktiemagazine.com/DoubleHelix.htm
• http://www.genomeweb.com/sequencing/cshl-moving-forward-new-faculty-hires-despite-weak-economy
• http://guestofaguest.com/nyc-events/cold-spring-harbor-laboratorys-double-helix-medal-dinner/