Dr. Matilda White Riley (1911–2004) is a celebrated scientist and member of the National Academies of Sciences whose transformative work and leadership in the behavioral and social sciences at the NIH is honored annually by the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences (OBSSR). This year marked the 10th year the office has celebrated the NIH Matilda White Riley Behavioral and Social Sciences Honors. 

The winner of the 2017 Excellence Lecture Award, nominated by an NIH selection committee, is Dr. Mark Hayward, professor of sociology and director of the Population Health Initiative at The University of Texas at Austin.

“Dr. Hayward’s research examines the complex linkages between mortality and social influences, such as educational attainment,” said OBSSR Director Dr. Bill Riley. “His research attempts to explain the complexity and dynamic interplay in understanding health inequities— an application of behavioral and social sciences, which in many ways honors Dr. White Riley’s own research and leadership mission at the NIH.”

Also presenting at this year’s celebration were the winners of the 2017 Matilda White Riley Early-Stage Investigators Paper Competition, awarded for recent influential published papers by early-stage investigators.  The presenters included Dr. Erika Fuchs, The University of Texas Medical Branch; Dr. Emily Hohman, The Pennsylvania State University; Dr. Frank Infurna, Arizona State University; and Dr. Jacqueline Torres, University of California, San Francisco.

The NIH-recorded celebration, talks, and discussions are available online at https://videocast.nih.gov.

Photos from the event are available on the OBSSR Flickr page.