Carl Ludwig Distinguished Lecture of the APS Neural Control & Autonomic Regulation Section

The Carl Ludwig Distinguished Lectureship Award is one of 12 American Physiological Society (APS) distinguished lectures named after outstanding contributors to the core areas of physiology represented by the APS sections. The Ludwig Distinguished Lecture is the most prestigious award offered by the Neural Control & Autonomic Regulation (NCAR) Section. This award honors the achievements of Carl Ludwig, a prominent professor of physiology in the mid- and late 1800s. The Carl Ludwig Award recognizes a world-renowned, distinguished investigator who has recently made major contributions toward a better understanding of any aspect of autonomic regulation in normal and/or disease states.  

Honoring Carl Ludwig

Although there is scarcely a branch of physiology to which Ludwig did not make significant contributions, this award is named for him in recognition of the important advancements he made in the understanding of the function of secretory neurons and the discovery of spinally projecting vasomotor neurons in the medulla. These findings gave birth to the concept of autonomic regulation and cardiovascular control through neural pathways and neural-secretory reflexes. Ludwig placed an important emphasis on the training of future physiologists. He helped launch the careers of several eminent physiologists including Adolf Fick, Otto Frank, and Henry Bowditch.

The application package includes:

• two or more letters of recommendation from NCAR members (primary or secondary affiliation) that highlight the nominee's accomplishments toward the award; and  
• the nominee's current curriculum vitae.

The NCAR Section Steering Committee selects the award recipient as a representative of the best within this discipline who is currently and actively involved in innovative and productive research. The Ludwig Award is intended to recognize recent achievements in developing and applying novel approaches and gaining fundamental new insights to understanding autonomic regulation. This is not a career achievement award, but the recipient's body of research should be particularly stimulating, such that the presentation of the work would contribute to interest in, and growth of the NCAR Section and research in the field.  

The awardee will present a 45-minutes lecture with a Q&A session and will actively participate in NCAR functions at the American Physiology Summit. They will be required to submit a review article to the American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology on a topic related to their lecture and be recognized at the NCAR Section reception and business meeting.