Login
Donate
image

Press Release

PRIM&R Announces 2026 Service Award Recipient

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 2, 2026 BOSTON — Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R) has named Heather Pierce, JD, MPH, as the recipient of the 2026 PRIM&R Service Award. The award recognizes her longstanding leadership and service to the research ethics and oversight community. Pierce has more than two decades of experience at the intersection of science, health, law, and public policy and is a national leader on biomedical research issues. Pierce currently serves as senior director for science policy and regulatory counsel at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Starting in January 2027, Pierce will become president and CEO of the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP). She is a long-time PRIM&R member who joined the Board of Directors in 2014 and was its chair from 2018 to 2019. With the AAMC, she has served as a key liaison between the federal agencies and academic institutions on science and research policy, a relationship she describes as having stayed “collegial and productive,” even during challenging periods for the research community. Pierce played an instrumental role in halting a harmful policy in February 2025 when a late Friday afternoon notice sought to change the indirect cost rates for National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants, effective the next business day. She and her AAMC colleagues mobilized quickly and were lead plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit filed Monday; separate lawsuits by other parties were also filed against the administration. The lawsuit produced a temporary restraining order that held through every level of court, up to the administration's decision not to seek Supreme Court review. “What I've learned from working in this field is that the people that are attracted to the fields of science and research, are by nature curious, creative, and resilient,” Pierce said. “Those same attributes and skills are absolutely being used to navigate the current environment and to advance research that improves health and lives.” “It's heartening and it's hopeful because the failure to make scientific progress is not an option,” she said. “It's not an option for this community. It's not an option for the American public.” “PRIM&R is honored to recognize Heather for her service to the research ethics and oversight community,” said PRIM&R Executive Director Ivy R. Tillman, EdD, CIP. “Her expertise in science, law, policy, and ethics, combined with her longstanding commitment to advancing the field, is extraordinary.” Pierce was selected for the Service Award in June. She will receive the 2026 PRIM&R Service Award at the 2026 PRIM&R Annual Conference, which is being held from November 16 to November 18 in Denver.

About PRIM&R

Since 1974, PRIM&R has advanced the highest ethical standards in the conduct of research. We accomplish this mission through education, membership services, professional certification, public policy initiatives, and community building. PRIM&R is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Find out more at www.primr.org

Media Contact:

Daniel McLean Public Engagement Manager Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R) Direct: 617-303-1877 dmclean@primr.org www.primr.org