Diverse perspectives empower creative solutions.
Rick Kinsel
PRESIDENT, THE VILCEK FOUNDATION
Welcome to our online celebration of the 2022 Vilcek Foundation Prizewinners.
Presented in biomedical science, in dance, and for excellence in biotechnology, the 2022 Vilcek Foundation Prizes recognize immigrants who have had a profound impact on society through scientific discovery, or through their leadership in the arts and humanities.
Immigrants’ contributions enrich our culture. Diversity drives innovation and contributes to a more democratic society. Since 2006, our prize program has served as a way for us to celebrate the value of immigration for our culture and society in the United States.
From the preservation and expansion of global dance traditions, to the deepening of our understanding of the mechanisms of life and death in human cells, to the development of life-saving vaccine technologies, the work of this year’s prizewinners exemplifies how diverse perspectives empower creative solutions.
Welcome to our online celebration of the 2022 Vilcek Foundation Prizewinners.
Presented in biomedical science, in dance, and for excellence in biotechnology, the 2022 Vilcek Foundation Prizes recognize immigrants who have had a profound impact on society through scientific discovery, or through their leadership in the arts and humanities.
Immigrants’ contributions enrich our culture. Diversity drives innovation and contributes to a more democratic society. Since 2006, our prize program has served as a way for us to celebrate the value of immigration for our culture and society in the United States.
From the preservation and expansion of global dance traditions, to the deepening of our understanding of the mechanisms of life and death in human cells, to the development of life-saving vaccine technologies, the work of this year’s prizewinners exemplifies how diverse perspectives empower creative solutions.
Jan and Marica Vilcek
COFOUNDERS, THE VILCEK FOUNDATION
The Vilcek Foundation Prizes recognize the importance of immigration for the advancement of society and culture in the United States. The work of immigrant scientists has established the United States as the world’s leading country for biomedical research. Immigrant artists’ work has the power to shape and inform new perspectives.
We immigrated to the United States in 1965 from the former Czechoslovakia. Coming to the United States provided us with opportunities to grow and succeed in our careers, and to connect with a diverse group of professionals from around the world. In 2000, we established the Vilcek Foundation to pay tribute to the opportunities that immigration afforded us, and to support the legacy of immigration in this country.
As we celebrate our 2022 prizewinners, we look forward to the promise that each new year brings. In that spirit, we are delighted to announce that the 2023 Vilcek Foundation Prizes in the Arts and Humanities will be awarded in Music.
2022 VILCEK PRIZE IN BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE
Vishva M. Dixit
“I’m truly honored to receive the 2022 Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science. It is particularly special as it recognizes the contributions of immigrants to this great country of ours. As someone who arrived on these blessed shores as a young man with a hunger for knowledge and the hope of being given an opportunity to succeed, I’ve been richly rewarded. For this, I’m eternally grateful to this remarkable country that is periodically revitalized by each wave of immigrants. God bless America.”
“Vishva has made fundamental contributions to elucidating the signaling mechanisms that determine whether cells stay alive or die. His pioneering discoveries have a broad impact to our understanding of inflammation, cancer and degenerative diseases.”
Ruslan Medzhitov
YALE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
“Vishva’s spectacular studies have elucidated in unprecedented detail the complex signaling pathways involved in multiple types of cell death and also in sensing of pathogens by the innate immune system.“
Dan R. Littman
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
2022 VILCEK PRIZE IN DANCE
Soledad Barrio
“I want to thank the Vilcek Foundation for giving me the 2022 Vilcek Prize in Dance. And especially for supporting and recognizing immigrants. I am so proud to represent the art of Flamenco from Spain–and to be recognized, celebrated and understood–and to receive this prize in this country, and especially in New York City. I am performing in April at the Joyce Theater in New York and I will have the opportunity once again to be with my audience that I love so much. You will all see how grateful I am when I dance on stage in the near future. Many thanks, and a big kiss to all!”
“Soledad Barrio is an artist of depth, of conviction, and of the deepest integrity, qualities that shine through both her performances–which are searing—and her teaching. Her entire life revolves around the craft and communicative power of flamenco. She holds nothing back, doesn’t bow to fashion, and leaves her heart and soul on the stage.“
Marina Harss
FREELANCE DANCE WRITER
2022 VILCEK PRIZE FOR EXCELLENCE IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
Katalin Karikó
“I am thrilled to be one of the Vilcek Foundation Prize winners this year. It is indeed a great honor to receive the 2022 Vilcek Prize for Excellence in Biotechnology for my scientific discoveries that contributed to the development of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. For me, the greatest honor was that Professor Jan Vilcek himself called me up and shared with me the good news. We talked about the old days when we met in 1986, just a year after I arrived with my young family from Hungary to the US. We also talked about interferon research that was in all force of interest at the time. It is so wonderful that the Vilcek Foundation raises awareness of immigrant contributions to the United States and fosters the appreciation for the arts, sciences, and humanities.”
2022 VILCEK PRIZE FOR CREATIVE PROMISE IN BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE
Markita del Carpio Landry
“I’m honored to be selected as a recipient of the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise – this prize has helped me reflect on the importance of science in society and how imperative it is to embrace diverse inputs for scientific progress. As scientists, our differences are the most valuable features of our workforce: addressing difficult scientific problems benefits from a broad range of perspectives and approaches. The mission of the Vilcek Foundation in recognizing immigrant contributions to science highlights the immense value of diversity as a core principle of scientific progress – a critical and often under-valued aspect of science.”
“Markita’s use of nanosensors to track dopamine and serotonin in the brain, and the delivery of DNA through nanomaterials to transiently transform plants, is not only impressive, but also very useful and promising technological advances.”
Luciano Marraffini
THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY
“Markita has utilized her skills gained as a physicist-turned-neurobiologist to tackle questions on neurotransmitter communication in the brain. Her team has developed novel ways to image such ultra-fast signaling by non-invasive means.”
Laurie Dempsey
NATURE IMMUNOLOGY
2022 VILCEK PRIZE FOR CREATIVE PROMISE IN BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE
Hani
Goodarzi
“I accept this award with a world of gratitude to the Vilcek Foundation and their longstanding support of immigrants in the US. It is not lost on me that an entire generation of immigrants are charting paths towards a brighter future, and I am proud to be one of them. Success is never achieved in a vacuum; I owe a debt of gratitude to my longtime mentors, many of whom are themselves immigrants, for their continued support and guidance throughout this journey. Without them I wouldn’t be here today, and I pledge to pass their kindness forward.”
“Hani has not only been a pioneer in many aspects of RNA biology but also an inspiring, unflinching advocate of the role that immigrants play in American science.”
Harmit S. Malik
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
“The Goodarzi lab is an extremely productive young lab with strong translational impact.”
Leslie B. Vosshall
THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY
2022 VILCEK PRIZE FOR CREATIVE PROMISE IN BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE
Harris Wang
“I am extremely honored to receive this award and grateful beyond words to my family, colleagues, mentees and friends for their support over the years. America is truly a land of opportunities. It is a place where people from all corners of the world can come to build a new and better life. America was a dream that my parents shared with me 30 years ago. I am blessed to be carrying on this legacy and for the unique opportunity through my work in the biomedical sciences to help shape a healthier, safer, and brighter future for everyone.”
“Harris has made extraordinary contributions to the fields of synthetic and systems biology by bringing together advancements in genome editing, understanding of the communities of bacteria in the microbiome and high throughput investigation.”
Jedd D. Wolchok
MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER CENTER
“The ground-breaking work of Harris in synthetic biology creates unprecedented opportunities to probe, modify and engineer the genome of living organisms in scale.”
Yibin Kang
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
2022 VILCEK PRIZE FOR CREATIVE PROMISE IN DANCE
Tatiana Desardouin
“What a beautiful way to reflect my hard work and passion along the years! This prize confirms that building bridges, being community oriented, with love, perseverance and integrity works.
Thank you, Vilcek Foundation for recognizing my art, therefore my Haitian community and my Street & Club dance community. It is with honor that I accept this award, definitely encouraging and uplifting.
Shout out to my supportive family, Swiss dance family, Lauriane Ogay, Mai Lê Hô, Nubian Néné, Gyeun Jeong, LaTasha Barnes, Loreto Jamlig and many more (you know who you are;)) for your priceless contribution to my artistic journey!!”
“Tatiana’s work shows natural and studied multilingualism, but she’s also speaking a whole new language. I’m enlivened at the chance to witness how her continuing negotiation between dominant forms and a diasporic sensibility will aid a contemporary sense of where and how dance grows.”
Maura Donohue
HUNTER COLLEGE
“Through dance, Tatiana looks into global blackness, tapping a great wealth of knowledge, system, and transformative power, through her crafting of score, duration, and rhythm. ”
Marjani Forté-Saunders
Choreographer and Performer
2022 VILCEK PRIZE FOR CREATIVE PROMISE IN DANCE
Tamisha
Guy
“It is a true honor to have received the 2022 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Dance. As I reflect on receiving the news, I feel the tears brewing. I feel incredibly privileged and humbled to accept this award on the behalf of my mother and all of the women in my family who’ve paved the way – through their sacrifice, selflessness and determination, the opportunity to fully realize my dreams became possible. Everything that I am, I owe to these women.”
“Tamisha is a force. She moves you in her quietness. Tamisha gives you an alternate view of Black dance, with so much power and intelligence.”
Eduardo Vilaro
BALLET HISPÁNICO
“As a performer Tamisha has a quiet elegance that draws you in, she is generous and humble and has grown into a leader in dance community.”
Pam Tanowitz
PAM TANOWITZ DANCE
2022 VILCEK PRIZE FOR CREATIVE PROMISE IN DANCE
Leonardo Sandoval
“I’m very proud and humbled to represent tap dance in receiving this prize, and I hope this incredible art form continues to be celebrated more and more widely. Many people have helped and supported me in becoming who I am today and continue to inspire me every day: my family, especially my mom Ceiça for rooting me in Afro Brazilian culture, my husband Noé for his unconditional love and belief in me, and my mentors and community of dancer-musicians, especially Gregory Richardson. Finally, thank you to the Vilcek Foundation for highlighting how immigrants continue to enrich and push creativity in dance.”
