Community Awards
ECDGA Awards & Nominations
ECDGA Awards Overview
Mark Heaney Memorial Awareness Award
This award is named in honor of the late, Dr. Mark Heaney, a brilliant physician, researcher, educator, and advocate. The award recognizes an individual, often a medical professional, who has made a significant impact in raising awareness of Erdheim-Chester Disease (ECD) and adult histiocytic disorders. Raising awareness in the medical community leads to earlier diagnoses, less suffering, and better outcomes for patients. This award recognizes those who are helping make that a reality through science, education, and advocacy to directly improve patient care.
Community Champion Award
This award honors a patient, caregiver, volunteer, or advocate who demonstrates extraordinary compassion, resilience, and commitment to the ECD community. Community Champions are individuals who strengthen the global network through peer support, awareness-building, advocacy, or outreach that uplifts others.
Student Abstract Presentation Award
Awarded to a student or early-career researcher whose abstract is accepted for presentation at the ECDGA Medical Symposium, this award recognizes outstanding scientific work related to Erdheim-Chester Disease or histiocytic disorders. The recipient is selected by a committee of medical professionals based on both the scientific quality of the abstract and the excellence of the live presentation delivered during the symposium.
Host Award
Each year, ECDGA’s annual Patient and Family Gathering and Medical Symposium are made possible through the selfless support of a local Care Center and the medical professional who volunteers to co-host the conference. The Host Award is presented to the host in recognition of his or her exceptional effort and commitment in helping to plan, organize, and execute a successful event that brings the community together.
Outstanding Achievement Award
This rare and prestigious award honors an individual or organization whose exceptional contributions have significantly advanced ECDGA’s mission of awareness, support, education, and research. Unlike the other awards, the Outstanding Achievement Award is not presented annually, but is awarded at the discretion of the ECDGA Board when a truly extraordinary impact is recognized.
How to Nominate
Nominations for the Mark Heaney Award and Community Champion Award are accepted year-round. You can submit a nomination by completing the online form accessible from this page.
To nominate someone, you will be asked to provide:
- The nominee’s name and contact information (if known),
- The award category,
- A brief description of their contribution and why they deserve recognition.
Supporting materials such as stories, photos, or links are encouraged.
Finalists are selected by a committee of volunteers and reviewed by the ECDGA Board of Directors. Recipients are announced and honored at our annual international ECDGA conference.
Let’s celebrate the people who make a difference—together, we honor those who help move our mission forward.
Past Awards
The ECDGA provides community awards to recognize those in the community who have made a lasting impact on the ECD Community. These awards and their past recipients include: