Since its establishment in 1957, the Gairdner Foundation International Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions in medical science, has earned a reputation as a "Nobel predictor" prize. The award, given each year by the Gairdner Foundation of Ontario, Canada, has lived up to its reputation again this year. Within the same week in October, E. Donnall Thomas, director emeritus of the division of clinical research at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, received both the Gairdner award and the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine in recognition of his pioneering work in the development of bone marrow transplantation. He is the 37th Gairdner award winner to subsequently win a Nobel.
According to Philadelphia's Institute for Scientific Information, publishers of the Science Citation Index, Thomas has been one of the world's most highly cited scientists for the past 25 years. He ranked 21st in the years 1981-1988 (see Citation Superstars, ...
