Awards

On behalf of the World Federation of Nuclear Medicine and Biology (WFNMB), the Colombian Association of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (ACMNIM), and the Latin American Association of Societies of Nuclear Biology and Medicine (ALASBIMN), we are pleased to announce a series of prestigious awards to be presented at the 14th World Congress of the WFNMB, taking place in Cartagena, Colombia, from February 13 to 16, 2026.

These opportunities are based on the submission and review of scientific abstracts.

To be considered, please indicate your interest when submitting your abstract. Late applications will not be accepted. 

WFNMB Young Investigator Award for Best Presentation
Under 35 years of age

All presenters under 35 years of age (born after February 16, 1990), regardless of nationality, are eligible for this award. Final candidates will be selected based on abstract review scores. Winners will receive a monetary prize and a certificate.

  • Eligibility Requirements
    All presenters under 35 years of age (born after February 16, 1990), regardless of nationality.
  • Selection Criteria
    Winners will be chosen based on abstract evaluation scores.
  • Number of Awards
    4
  • Total Amount
    USD $3,200
    1st Prize: USD $1,500
    2nd Prize: USD $900
    Two 3rd Prizes: USD $400 each

ALASBIMN “Dr. Ernesto Lubin” Award
Best Research on PET in Oncology

The ALASBIMN Award for Best Paper on Clinical Applications of PET in Oncology was established in 2015 in memory of Dr. Ernesto Lubin. He was a distinguished Uruguayan-Israeli physician and expert in Nuclear Medicine who maintained strong professional and personal ties with the region through his work as an IAEA expert, lecturer, and consultant. Dr. Lubin served as Director of Beilinson Hospital in Israel and was honored as Professor Emeritus by both the Tel Aviv University School of Medicine and the Faculty of Medicine in Uruguay.

Thanks to the generous contribution of Dr. Carlos Bekerman, a Uruguayan physician and nuclear medicine specialist at Mercy Hospital & Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, USA, this award currently has temporary funding to support its recognition.

Note
Applicants must be affiliated with an ALASBIMN member country. Please refer to the individual award guidelines for full eligibility criteria.

  • Eligibility Requirements
    The primary author must be no older than 35 years of age as of the date the award is announced.
  • Number of Awards
    1
  • Prize
    Certificate of Merit and $500 USD
  • Eligibility & Criteria
    View full guidelines

ALASBIMN Honorary Awards

Presented during the WFNMB Congress, these honorary awards recognize excellence in nuclear medicine research within ALASBIMN member countries.

Note
Applicants must be affiliated with an ALASBIMN member country. Refer to individual award guidelines for full eligibility criteria.

ALASBIMN “Dr. Hugo Claure” Award
Best Clinical Research Paper

The ALASBIMN Award for Best Clinical Paper was established in 1979 in memory of Dr. Hugo Claure Saavedra. He was a renowned Bolivian internist and endocrinologist residing in Chile and is considered one of the pioneers of Nuclear Medicine in Latin America.

Dr. Claure completed his postgraduate studies at the University of Chile and later worked at Hospital del Salvador in Santiago. He received training in the United Kingdom on the application of radioisotopes in endocrinology and was actively involved in training the first generation of nuclear medicine physicians in Chile— a specialty later officially recognized by the Ministry of Health.

He served as President of the Second ALASBIMN Congress, held in Chile in 1972, the same year he oversaw the installation of the country’s first gamma camera. Dr. Claure passed away at a young age in October 1976.

ALASBIMN “Dr. Jorge Varela” Award
Best Basic Science Research Paper (Radiopharmacy, Chemistry, and Physics)

The ALASBIMN Award for Best Paper in Basic Sciences was established in memory of Dr. Jorge Varela, an Argentine hematologist and pioneer in the use of radioisotopes for the study of hematological diseases. He was known for his significant influence on the development of Nuclear Medicine in Latin America, as well as for his outstanding character as a person.

ALASBIMN “Dr. Julio César Kieffer” Award
Best Research by a Young Investigator

The ALASBIMN Award for Best Clinical or Basic Paper, with the principal investigator under the age of 35, was established in memory of Dr. Julio Cesar Kieffer. He was a distinguished Brazilian physician who worked at the National Nuclear Energy Commission and the Institute of Atomic Energy (now the Institute of Nuclear and Energy Research, IPEN).

Dr. Kieffer served as the director of the Department of Nuclear Medicine and became a member of the University of Pisa, Italy, in 1961. He was also president of the São Paulo Academy of Medicine (1973-1974) and of the Brazilian Society of Biology and Nuclear Medicine.

  • Eligibility Requirements
    Investigators under 35 years old (born after February 16, 1990)
  • Number of Awards
    1
  • Prize
    Certificate of Merit
  • Required Document
    Upload a valid ID when submitting your abstract.
  • Eligibility & Criteria
    View full guidelines

ALASBIMN “F.M. Mercedes Borrón” Award
Best Technical Research Paper

The ALASBIMN Award for Best Technical Paper was established in memory of F.M. Mercedes Borrón. She was a renowned medical physicist, graduated from the University of Havana, Cuba, and an expert in the IMAGAMMA Image Acquisition and Processing System, widely used in the region for the modernization of Gamma Cameras as well as in the use of SPECT in Oncology, Cardiology, and Neurology.

Dr. Borrón received awards from the Academy of Sciences of Cuba, was an expert for the IAEA, and taught multiple generations of medical physicists and technologists in the field of Nuclear Medicine.

ALASBIMN “Dr. Ismael Mena” Award
Best Research Paper in Neurology

The ALASBIMN Award for Best Paper in Neurology was established in 2019 in memory of Dr. Ismael Mena. He was a distinguished Chilean physician and expert in Nuclear Medicine, and the founder of the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the Catholic University of Santiago. He also served as a faculty member at UCLA for over two decades.

Dr. Mena was a founding member of the Chilean Society of Nuclear Medicine and its first president. His research on chronic manganese poisoning and its treatment was likely his most important work and his most original scientific contribution. In 1998, he was appointed editor-in-chief of the Latin American Association of Biology and Nuclear Medicine Societies (ALASBIMN). In this role, he re-established the ALASBIMN Journal, which became the first scientific journal to be published electronically in Latin America.