About the Award
The Dolores C. Shockley Poster Awards were established by ASPET in 2010 to honor Dr. Dolores C. Shockley, the first African-American woman to earn a PhD in pharmacology and ascend to an appointment as chair of a pharmacology department in the United States. The award is administered through the ASPET Mentoring and Career Development Committee to promote excellence in pharmacology research in the face of career development challenges.. The award
is offered through the ASPET Mentoring and Career Development Committee. The awards are given annually as part of the ASPET Student/Postdoc Poster Competition at the ASPET Annual Meeting. Awards are available in the same categories as
for the general competition: 1) undergraduate students; 2) graduate and post-baccalaureate students; and 3) postdoctoral scientists.
Application Criteria
The Dolores C. Shockley poster award is intended for those members who have experienced significant challenges during their education and/or training due to systemic or structural barriers. These may include, but are not limited to, individuals with disabilities, first-generation college students or graduates, and those from socioeconomically challenged communities. Applicants must be ASPET members in good standing during the year of application and the year of the meeting. Applicants will provide a statement describing their long-range career goals, their efforts to overcome challenges to meet these goals, and how participation at the ASPET Annual Meeting will benefit their professional development (500-word limit). All other eligibility requirements, award terms, and prizes are as stated for the general poster competition. For more details and to apply, please visit the ASPET Poster Awards page.
About Dr. Dolores C. Shockley
Born in 1930 in Clarksdale, Mississippi to a successful family of professionals, Dr. Shockley earned a bachelor's in pharmacy in 1951 from Xavier University in New Orleans and continued her studies at Purdue University. After earning her PhD in pharmacology in 1955, she received a Fulbright Fellowship to the Pharmacology Institute in Copenhagen which allowed her to hone her research skills.
Shockley returned to the U.S. after that two-year fellowship and began her career in research and teaching as an assistant professor at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, and as a visiting professor at Einstein College of Medicine in New York from 1959 to 1962. In 1988, she was appointed chair of the Department of Pharmacology at Meharry, making her the first black woman to chair a pharmacology department in the U.S.
Dr. Shockley’s research has focused on chemical compounds which could be used to treat stimulant dependency and overdose. In 2009, Dr. Shockley received the Distinguished Alumni Award from her alma mater, Purdue University. She has been a long-standing member of ASPET and has served on numerous national committees.