ISPD Pioneer Award

The ISPD Pioneer in Prenatal Diagnosis and Therapy Award was initiated in 2018 to annually recognize those who have been leaders and made major breakthroughs in the science and care of prenatal diagnosis and therapy. Recipients have made significant contributions to the field during their careers. A call for nominations is made once each year and a recipient is selected from the nominees by ISPD leaders. The award is presented at the International Conference on Prenatal Diagnosis and Therapy.

Nominations for 2026 are closed.

Award Recipients

2026 Pioneer Award

Kypros NicolaidesThe 2026 ISPD Pioneer Award recipient is Kypros Nicolaides, Professor of Fetal Medicine, King's College, London University and Founder and Chairman of the Fetal Medicine Foundation, UK. Having published more than 1,700 peer-reviewed papers in scientific journals, his h-index is 214, which is the highest of any obstetrician in the world, and his research has been cited 190,000 times. Professor Nicolaides' main areas of research are screening and diagnosis of fetal abnormalities, prediction and prevention of preeclampsia and preterm birth, and fetal therapy. Through the Fetal Medicine Foundation he donated more than £75 million for scholarships of many hundreds of doctors, has funded major research projects, and established Fetal Medicine Units in developing countries. He has supervised 70 doctors to undertake research leading to postgraduate qualifications and has provided training in Fetal Medicine to more than 800 doctors from 85 countries.

Professor Nicolaides will accept the Pioneer Award at the 30th ISPD International Conference on Prenatal Diagnosis and Therapy, where he will deliver an address on Wednesday, 8 July 2026.

     

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Criteria for the ISPD Pioneer Award

Eligibility criteria
  • 15 or more years of practice
  • History of significant contributions the profession and science of prenatal diagnosis
  • History of engagement with ISPD
Nomination and selection

A call for nominations will be sent to ISPD members in the last quarter of the year. No self-nominations will be accepted. Current elected ISPD Board Members are not eligible. The ISPD Board of Directors will select 2-4 candidates from the nominations received for final consideration and will vote to select one award winner.

Nominations require
  • Recent curriculum vitae of the nominee
  • Letter of support from nominating member (Additional support letters are optional)

Examples of contributions to the field of Prenatal Diagnosis and Therapy
  • Collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to shape institutional, local, national, or international practice
  • Providing leadership by articulating and influencing standards of care or development of new transformational science and technologies
  • Supporting evidence-based practices and expanding the body of literature through research and publication
  • Mentoring or preparing future professionals
  • Providing leadership and contributions to ISPD and/or other like-minded organizations
Responsibilities of recipient
  • Present an award lecture at ISPD's annual conference following notification of award
Benefits of award
  • Complimentary conference registration and appropriate speaker travel reimbursement
  • Acknowledgement of award in a Global Updates eNewsletter article and through ISPD social media
  • $1,000 prize
  • Award plaque suitable for display