The Outstanding Junior Investigator of the Year Award is targeted to junior investigators (Assistant Professor/Instructor or equivalent) who are in the career development stages of their research work, with a faculty appointment of at least three but no more than seven years and a demonstrated focus on aging/geriatrics research. The ideal candidate is an individual who has been awarded a career development award, pilot grant, or institutional grant (but not an R01). Applicants must demonstrate a record of accomplishments in aging/geriatrics research, such as (a) first-authorship on original aging/geriatrics research publications (not review articles); (b) poster/oral presentations of aging research at national meetings; and/or (c) submission of at least one research grant as principal investigator. Applicants must also demonstrate evidence of a career plan related to aging research.
2025 Recipient: Clark DuMontier, MD, MPH
The American Geriatrics Society is proud to recognize Clark DuMontier, MD, MPH, as the recipient of the 2025 Outstanding Junior Investigator of the Year award for his pioneering work in integrating geriatrics into oncology. Dr. DuMontier is a geriatrician and clinical researcher at VA Boston, NE GRECC and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He co-directs the Older Adult Hematologic Malignancies Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and founded the VA Boston Geriatrics Oncology Clinic, which has been recognized as an Age-Friendly Health System.
His research has addressed a critical gap in oncology: the underrepresentation of older adults in clinical trials and the need for better assessment measures beyond traditional cancer metrics. His work has shown that functional status, mobility, frailty, and multimorbidity significantly influence patient outcomes, independent of tumor stage or genetics. To support oncology teams in incorporating these measures, he has explored innovative approaches, including virtual frailty assessments and electronic health measures that can be found in existing data within the electronic health record. He has also led the development and dissemination of new definitions of over- and undertreatment that center on geriatric assessment and older adult values, goals, and preferences.
Dr. DuMontier was the lead author on the first randomized controlled trial assessing geriatrics consultation in older patients with blood cancers. His findings have been published in the field's leading journals and cited by national oncology guidelines. He is currently supported by a VA Career Development Award, and has received additional early career and pilot funding from the NIA, NCI, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the American Cancer Society. A dedicated AGS member since medical school, he recently served as president of the AGS Cancer and Aging Special Interest Group, and currently serves as a member of the VA Research Special Interest Group.
Past Recipients of the Outstanding Junior Investigator of the Year Award
2025 Clark DuMontier, MD, MPH
2024 Melissa Loh, MD
Ashwin Kotwal, MD, MS
2023 Halima Amjad, MD, PhD, MPH
Tim Anderson, MD, MA, MAS
2022 Ariel Green, MD, MPH, PhD
2021 Lauren Ferrante, MD, MHS
2020 Andrew Cohen, MD, DPhil
2019 Nancy Schoenborn, MD, MHS
2018 John Newman, MD, PhD
2017 Dae Kim, MD, MPH, ScD
2016 Rebecca Brown, MD, MPH
S. Ryan Greysen, MD, MHS, MA, FHM
2015 Micah Drummond, MD
2014 Sarah D. Berry, MD
2013 Amy Kelley, MD, MSHS
Heather Whitson, MD, MSHS