Brooke Mossman PhD, 2008

Dr. Mossman is an accomplished scientist, mentor, and leader in the fields of asbestos-induced carcinogenesis and mesothelioma, and her mechanistic research on responses of mesothelial and lung epithelial cells to different asbestos types has advanced the amphibole hypothesis originally suggested by Dr. Wagner in his epidemiologic and animal studies. More currently, Dr. Mossman has focused on targeted preventive approaches to mesothelioma and asbestosis using inhibitors of cell signaling and survival pathways that she has elucidated in her research on asbestos.

Harvey Pass MD, 2006

As an active surgeon and advocate, researcher and teacher, Dr. Pass has contributed in almost all arenas to progress in mesothelioma. His contributions at the bench have been related to SV40, expression arrays, and early detection; in clinical research, he helped design and carry out many mesothelioma treatment trials, established tissue banks and identified biomarkers; he has published texts for families of those with mesothelioma; he has appeared in Congress to support the Ban Asbestos Bill and helped create the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (MARF), now the Meso Foundation. Dr. Pass is a major contributor to the understanding of mesothelioma and the care of patients with this disease.

Bruce Robinson MD, 2004

Dr Bruce Robinson has made major and enduring contributions to the field of mesothelioma especially in the immunobiology and emerging immunotherapy of this cancer and in the use of serum mesothelin in the diagnosis and monitoring of mesothelioma. He has advocated for government funding of centers to advance research in asbestos-induced disease co-founding the National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases, a pioneering Australian national co-operative whose goal is to cure or prevent asbestos cancers [the only such asbestos research co-operative in the world]. He co-founded the iMig and has led it consistently over the years either as President or by his active membership. He has been a pioneer and a generous mentor and collaborator to investigators around the world.

Marie-Claude Jaurand PhD, 2002

Dr. Jaurand was the first recipient of the Wagner Award for her pioneering career in research of mesothelioma, long before most others had even started to think about research in this area. Dr. Jaurand made major contributions to the understanding of the physio-chemical properties of asbestos fibers and their mechanisms of genotoxicity for mesothelial cells, as well as in studies of  the biology of human mesothelioma.   Through her foresight and generosity, she co-founded the IMIG and thereby advanced the field globally.