Throughout her lifetime, Maria I. New, MD, earned a reputation as one of the nation's leading pediatric endocrinologists. Her studies on the genotypes and phenotypes of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) led to treatments to prevent the disorder before a baby is born.

CAH is a condition that presents as a dysregulation in the adrenal system, causing varying degrees of gender ambiguity, reproductive difficulties, and urological impairments in females, as well as precocious sexual development in males. Severe forms of CAH cause a deficiency in cortisol production which, without hormone replacement therapy, leads to an inability to regulate blood sugar, blood pressure, and respond to illness and stress. Another form leads to a deficiency in aldosterone production, which causes the life-threatening inability to retain sodium and regulate potassium levels. Dr. New’s groundbreaking identification of a new form of hypertension, “apparent mineralocorticoid excess,” resulted in a new area of receptor biology.

After joining the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 2004, Dr. New continued her work as a Professor of Pediatrics and of Genetics and Genomic Sciences and served as the Founding Director of Mount Sinai’s Adrenal Steroid Disorders Program. As a member of the National Academy of Sciences, among numerous other prestigious academies, Dr. New demonstrated a deep dedication to biomedical research and clinical care. Her training of several generations of pediatricians and endocrinologists continues to have a far-reaching impact on the lives of patients everywhere.

The prize winners are selected by an international jury of prominent science community members, including:

• Nobel laureate Aaron Ciechanover, MD, DSc, Distinguished University Professor at The Rappaport Family Technion Integrated Cancer Center in Haifa, Israel
• Nancy Andrews, MD, PhD, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Boston Children’s Hospital
• Nancy Brown, MD, Jean and David W. Wallace Dean and C.N.H. Long Professor of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine
• Bert W. O’Malley, MD, Tom Thompson Distinguished Service Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Chancellor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas
• Anna Wedell, MD, PhD, Professor of Medical Genetics in the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden
• Chair: Mone Zaidi, MD, PhD, Mount Sinai Professor of Clinical Medicine and Director, Mount Sinai Center for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology