Méndez Award
The award recognizes outstanding postdoctoral fellows from any discipline who are conducting cancer, infectious disease, or basic science research and individuals who are eligible are from backgrounds that are underrepresented in science based on the NIH definition.
Recipients receive an honorarium and are celebrated at a scientific symposium, where they present their research findings, connect with fellow scientists and meet with Fred Hutch faculty and senior leaders.
Dr. Eddie Méndez was a physician-scientist and cherished colleague at Fred Hutch who died of cancer in 2018 at age 45. An expert in head and neck cancers, Méndez was known for being passionate about developing new therapies to help prevent cancer treatment side effects and save his patients’ lives.
Méndez, a native of Puerto Rico, attended Princeton University and then obtained a medical degree from the University of Maryland at Baltimore. He later came to the University of Washington as a surgical resident, eventually spearheading minimally invasive robotic surgery for these tumors (he was the first in Washington state to perform such surgery.)
In 2019, the Fred Hutch leadership created the Dr. Eddie Méndez Scholar Award to extend his commitment to supporting early-career scientists, particularly those from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Méndez Symposium
The next cohort of Méndez Scholars will be recognized on July 16-17, 2025. Award recipients are recognized as outstanding postdoctoral fellows who are conducting cancer, infectious disease or basic science research.
Pictured on left is the 2022 Méndez cohort.
Méndez Award Leadership Team
Get to know the Méndez Award team members, their positions, past involvement with the Award and how to get in touch with them.
Continuing a Legacy
Dr. Ahmed Diab, an inaugural winner of the Dr. Eddie Méndez Award, remembers his mentor and the connection they shared.
