Eric Topol, MD, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute.
Eric Topol, MD, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute. Credit: Friends of the National Library of Medicine

Eric Topol, MD, was honored at the 2024 Friends of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) Awards Gala on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, where he was presented with the Donald A.B. Lindberg Distinguished Health Communications Award.

In an announcement, Glenn P. Campbell, chair of the Friends of NLM, said that Topol was being recognized for his “unique and comprehensive accomplishments as a physician, scientist, author and editor in the context of his excellence as a communicator among biomedical researchers, clinicians and the public.”

Topol (right) and Chris Winchester, DPhil, CEO of Oxford PharmaGenesis (left) at the Friends of the National Library of Medicine Annual Awards Gala in Washington, DC.
Topol (right) and Chris Winchester, DPhil, CEO of Oxford PharmaGenesis (left) at the Friends of the National Library of Medicine Annual Awards Gala in Washington, DC. Credit: Friends of the National Library of Medicine.

Topol is an executive vice president and professor at Scripps Research and the founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute. His research focuses on the use of genomic and digital medicine tools, data and artificial intelligence to accelerate individualized medicine. He has published over 1,300 peer-reviewed articles with over 350,000 citations and been elected to the National Academy of Medicine. He is the author of three bestselling books on the future of medicine: The Creative Destruction of Medicine, The Patient Will See You Now and Deep Medicine. A passionate science communicator, Topol regularly shares information on the latest scientific advances with hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, as well as through his weekly Ground Truths newsletter and podcast on Substack.

Topol (right) with Nobel laureate Katalin Karikó, PhD.
Topol (right) with Nobel laureate Katalin Karikó, PhD. Credit: Friends of the National Library of Medicine.

The Friends of the NLM Annual Awards honor scientific and medical leaders who “have made significant contributions to healthcare, biomedical science, librarianship and public health.” Previous recipients of the communications award include Anthony Fauci, MD, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who was recognized in 2023.