Past Award Recipients

Lifetime Achievement Award

The NANS Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes those who have made significant and lasting contributions to the field of neuromodulation over the course of their career. 

2002 – Prithvi Raj, MD, and Gabor Racz, MD 
2006 – John Oakley, MD 
2007 – Norman Shealy, MD, PhD 
2009 – Richard North, MD 
2010 – Michael Stanton-Hicks, MD, MBBS 
2011 – Elliot Krames, MD 
2012 – Bengt Linderoth, MD, PhD, and Joshua Prager, MD, MS 
2013 – Giancarlo Barolat, MD 
2014 – Alim-Louis Benabid, MD, PhD 
2015 – Tony Yaksh, PhD 
2018 – Robert Foreman, PhD 
2019 – Peter Staats, MD, MBA, DABA, ABIPP, FIPP
2020 – Hunter Peckham, PhD
2021 – Lisa Stearns, MD
2022 – J. Thomas Mortimer, PhD
2023 – Ali Rezai, MD 
2024 – Sam Eldabe MB ChB, FRCA, FFPMRCA
​2025 - Nagy Mekhail, MD, PhD

Distinguished Service Award

The NANS Distinguished Service Award recognizes dedicated service to the North American Neuromodulation Society. Recipients of this award have advanced the mission of NANS in a significant and lasting way. 

2005 – Sam J. Hassenbusch, MD 
2011 – K. Dean Willis, MD 
2013 – Robert Foreman, PhD 
2014 – David Caraway, MD, PhD 
2017 – David Kloth, MD 
2018 – Joshua Prager, MD, MS 
2019 – Richard North, MD 
2020 – Jaimie M. Henderson, MD
2021 – Ashwini Sharan, MD
2022 – B. Todd Sitzman, MD
2023 – Lawrence Poree, MD, PhD 
2024 – ​Peter Konrad, MD, PhD
​2025 - Salim Hayek, MD, PhD

Innovator Award

The Innovator Award recognizes those individuals whose contributions have made significant and sustained impact in the field of neuromodulation, spanning the implementation, mechanisms, and developments of technology, including driving new science and therapy creation.  

​2023 – Warren Grill, PhD 
2024 – Dominique Durand, MS, PhD (Engineering) | Helen S. Mayberg, MD (Clinical)
​2025 - Andres Lozano, MD, PhD, FRCSC, FRSC, FCAHS (Clinical)

Presidential Merit Award

2023 – Tim Deer, MD
2024 – ​David Provenzano, MD | Joshua Rosenow, MD, FAANS, FACS
2025 - Steven M. Falowski, MD | Jason Pope, MD | Dawood Sayed, MD

Kumar New Investigator Award

The Kumar New Investigator Award encourages scientific work in neuromodulation. The awardee presents their winning manuscript during one of the Plenary Sessions at the Annual Meeting.  

2014
Sridevi V. Sarma, PhD: “On the Therapeutic Mechanisms of Deep Brain Stimulation for Parksinson’s Disease: Why High Frequency?” 

2015 
Casey H. Halpern, MD: "Amelioration of Binge Eating by Nucleus Accumbens Deep Brain Stimulation in Mice Involves D2 Receptor Modulation" 

2017 
Scott Lempka, PhD: “Computational Analysis of Kilohertz Frequency Spinal Cord Stimulation for Chronic Pain Management” 

2018 
Dario J. Englot, MD, PhD: “Altered Structural and Functional Connectivity of Brainstem Arousal Centers in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy” 

2019 
Mallory L. Hacker, PhD: “Effects of Deep Brain Stimulation on Rest Tremor Progression in Early Stage Parkinson’s Disease” 

2020 
Alik S. Widge, MD, PhD: “Deep Brain Stimulation of the Internal Capsule Enhances Human Cognitive Control and Prefrontal Cortex Function” 

2021 
Lee. E. Fisher, PhD: “Sensory Restoration by Epidural Stimulation of the Lateral Spinal Cord in Upper-Limb Amputees” 

2022
Patrick Ganzer, PhD: “Dynamic Detection and Reversal of Myocardial Ischemia Using an Artificially Intelligent Bioelectronic Medicine" 

2023
Ilknur Telkes, PhD: “High Resolution Spinal Motor Mapping Using Thoracic Spinal Cord Stimulation in Patients with Chronic Pain” 

2024
Prasad Sirvalkar, MD, PhD: "First-in-human prediction of chronic pain state using intracranial neural biomarkers"

2025
Nicole Provenza, PhD: "Disruption of neural periodicity predicts clinical response after deep brain stimulation for obsessive-compulsive disorder"

Lisa Stearns Award

The North American Neuromodulation Society and the Women in Neuromodulation (WIN®) established the Lisa Stearns Award to encourage clinical and scientific work in cancer pain interventional therapies and neuromodulation. 
 
2021 – Amitabh Gulati, MD 
2022 – Sandy Christiansen, MD 
2023 – Magdalena Anitescu, MD, PhD 
2024 – ​Vinita Singh, MD, MSCR 
​2025 - Saba Javed, MD

APP Excellence Award

The APP Excellence Award recognizes an APP member’s achievements and leadership in the field of neuromodulation and pain management.

​2025 - Chelsey Hoffman, PA-C, MS, RD

NANS Rising Star Awards

The NANS Rising Star Awards honor residents, fellows, and early-career professionals who demonstrate exceptional promise, leadership, and contributions to the field of neuromodulation.

2024 Recipients
Rising Star Resident
Ahish Chitneni, DO | Danika Paulo, MD

Rising Star Fellow
Alexandra Moreira, MD | Shashank Vodapally, DO

Rising Star Early Career
Ryan S. D'Souza, MD | Nicole (Nikki) Pelot, PhD

2025 Recipients
Rising Star Resident
Harman Chopra, MD | Crystal Joseph, MD

Rising Star Fellow
Mustafa Broachwala, DO | Eva Kubrova, MD

Rising Star Early Career
​Manish Ranjan, MD | Ilknur Telkes, PhD, MS

Diversity and Outreach Committee Pipeline Fellowship Grant

The DOC Pipeline Fellowship Grants support residents and fellows from underserved communities to attend the NANS Annual Meeting and provide yearlong career mentoring.

2023 Grant Recipients
Meagan Brucker-Hahn, PhD
Victor Ekuta, MD
Tessa Harland, MD
Trevor Johnson, MD
Edgar Peña, PhD

2024 Grant Recipients
Rodrigo Aguiar, MD 
Efemena Diejomaoh, MD, MBBS
Luis Ruiz Perez, BS, MS
Fabienne Saint-Preux, MD 
Tess Veuthey, MD, PhD 

2025 Grant Recipients
Varina Clark Onwunyi, MD
Rachel Esparza, MD
Oranicha Jumreornvong, MD
Anthony Kilgore Jr., MD
​Wutt Hmone Kyi, BS