There are five award categories that the Association of Chinese Geneticists in America (ACGA) presents to members of the community to recognize those who have made significant contributions to the fields of genetics and medical genetics and genomics.
Lifetime Achievement Award is present to those who made seminal breakthrough and significant contributions throughout lifetime to genetics.
Excellence in Genetics Research Award is to acknowledge basic research scientists who made substantial contributions to our understanding of genetics.
Excellence in Genetics Service Award is given to members who demonstrate exceptional excellence in care of patients with genetic diseases.
Excellence in Genetics Education Award is to recognize educators who have a track record on training next generation genetic research scientist and medical geneticists.
Trainee Awards are given to pre/post-doctoral trainees based on their works present at annual American Society of Human Genetics meetings. There are four subcategories: pre-doctoral basic research, pre-doctoral translational/clinical research, post-doctoral basic research, and post-doctoral translational/clinical research.
ACGA Awards 2024
2024 ACGA Excellence in Genetics Research Award
Taosheng Huang, MD, PhD, DABMGG, FACMG
Professor, Fudan University Shanghai Medical College
Dean, Institute of Medical Genetics & Genomics (iMGG)
Chairman, National Children’s Medical Center/Fudan Children’s Hospital
2024 ACGA Excellence in Genetics Education Award
Yun-Fai Chris Lau, PhD
Professor of Medicine
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA, USA
ACGA Awards 2023
Dr. Yang Huanming
Co-founder and chairman of BGI-China Professor of UCAS
2023 ACGA Lifetime Achievement Award
Leadership roles
International Human Genome Project
International HapMap Project
International 1000 Genomes Project
International Cancer Genome Project
Yeast Genome Redesign and Synthesis
Members of academies
Chinese Academy of Sciences
The World Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences of the United States
National Academy of Sciences of Germany
National Academy Sciences of India
National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
Roya Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters
European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
Over 600 publications in highly impactful journals, including Nature (33), Science (16), PNAS (7), and Cells (6), NEJM (1)
Dr. Richard Kwong Wai Choy
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
2023 ACGA Excellence in Genetics Education Award
Professor, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Program Director, MSc Medical Genetics
Deputy Director, Prenatal Genetic Diagnosis Centre
Director, Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis Laboratory
Director, Fertility Preservation Research Centre
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Vice President (External) of Hong Kong Society of Genetic Counselling
Board member of the Hong Kong Society of Medical Genetics
Dr. Hon-Yin Brian Chung
The University of Hong Kong
2023 ACGA Excellence in Genetics Service Award
Trained at the University of Toronto/Hospital for Sick Children and was board certified by the Canadian College of Medical Geneticists.
Establish the first training programs in Genetics & Genomics (Pediatrics) and a Master of Medical Science (Genetic Counselling) in Hong Kong.
Founding fellow at Hong Kong Academy of Medicine.
Lead of the Precision Medicine Clinical Curriculum of the HKU Medical Faculty and has received the University Outstanding Teaching Award in 2019.
Holder of European Certificate in Medical Genetics and Genomics (ECMGG) since 2022.
Honorary Consultant Geneticist at multiple hospitals in Hong Kong.
ACGA Awards 2020
Dr. Yuan-Tsong Chen
Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr. Yuan-Tsong Chen is the Director and Distinguished Research Fellow of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica in Taiwan. He was the chief of Division of Medical Genetics at Duke University Medical Center before returned to Taiwan. His early research was focused on glycogen storage diseases and was the first to use enzyme replacement therapy for Pompe disease. His research also covers pharmacogenomics and precision medicine. Dr. Chen is a member of the Academia Sinica and the World Academy of Sciences. He was also a past president of ACGA.
Professor Bing Ren
Excellence in Genetics Research Award
Professor Bing Ren is the Director of Center for Epigenomics and a professor at the University of California, San Diego and a member of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. Dr. Ren research studies roles of non-coding sequences in gene regulation, epigenetics and diseases. His works contribute to the identification and characterization of enhancers. He is a recipient of the Chen Award for Distinguished Academic Achievement in Human Genetic and Genomic Research, and a fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Science.