The first Leena Peltonen Prize for Excellence in Human Genetics was awarded to Dr. Cecilia Lindgren for her work on applying genetics and genomics to dissect the etiology of type 2 diabetes, obesity and fat distribution.
The Leena Peltonen Prize was established in winter 2010 to recognize scientists who are in the early phases of their independent careers. The prize is awarded every second year and is funded by the Leena Peltonen Memorial Fund in the Paulo Foundation. It includes an award of -10 000.
An international nomination committee consists of faculty members of the Wellcome Trust Leena Peltonen School of Human Genomics. The committee is chaired by the director of the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM).
The committee received nominations for 16 candidates from members of the Human Genomics research community.
Selecting the best candidate was a tough job for our committee, given the great availability of talent in the field. Cecilia clearly stood out, and was a perfect representation of the values and vision that Leena brought and fought for in the human genetics community, says Dr. Manolis Dermitzakis, director of the Leena Peltonen School of Human Genomics and member of the selection committee.
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