Division Information
About DPHYS:
Members of SICB’s Division of Physiology conduct integrative and comparative research on animals to understand how they function in their unique physical and social environments. Much of the physiological research is done from ecological and evolutionary perspectives.
This division formed in 2026 from the merger of the Divisions of Comparative Endocrinology (DCE) and Comparative Physiology & Biochemistry (DCPB) with the goal of emphasizing and supporting the integrative research that is the foundation of the society.
At the annual SICB meeting, the division organizes symposia and showcases the work of early career scientists with Best Student Oral and Poster Presentations.
The division is home to two of the main society wide awards, the George A. Batholomew and the Howard A. Bern lectures. The former award recognizes a young investigator for distinguished contributions to comparative physiology and biochemistry or related fields of functional and integrative biology. The later award celebrates the impacts of established and influential researchers in comparative endocrinology.
DPHYS Officers:
| Chair | Wendy Hood / Ignacio Moore | 2026-2028 |
| Chair-Elect | Maren Vitousek | 2026-2028 |
| Chair-Past | Jason Podrabsky / Jamie Cornelius | |
| Program Officer | Danielle Levesque / Creagh Breuner | 2026-2027 |
| Program Officer-Elect | Creagh Breuner | 2026-2027 |
| Secretary | Lisa Treidel / Ryan Paitz | 2025-2027 |
DPHYS Bylaws
View the DPHYS Bylaws here.
Divisional Members Meeting Minutes
Minutes of past divisional Members Meetings are available here. Members Meetings occur each year in association with the annual society-wide conference in January.
News & Announcements
Best Student Presentation & Awards
Two awards will be given in the Best Student Presentation competition at the SICB Annual Meeting: one for the best oral presentation and one for the best poster presentation. In addition to a certificate, the winners will receive a cash prize. Students must be members of SICB. Students who have not yet been awarded a Ph.D. are eligible for these awards, as are new PhD’s who have received the degree no more than 12 months prior to the meeting and are presenting a paper on their graduate research. The work must be original and must have been carried out principally by the student presenting the paper or the poster. To be considered for either competition (oral or poster), the Best Student Presentation Program box must be checked on the SICB abstract submission form.
DPHYS will group all the students competing for the best oral presentation award in a single session. By the time the SICB Program Committee convenes to lay out the meeting schedule (late September or early October), a committee of 5 judges will have selected up to eight students for the oral competition. The committee will consist of judges chosen by the divisional Program Officer, who is the head judge (DPO.DPHYS@sicb.org).
Each student in the competition will give a 15 minute talk, including 3 minutes for questions. The 5-judge panel will attend all presentations and decide on a winner during the meeting. The winner will be announced at the social.
Applicants not selected for the final oral competition will be contacted by the divisional Program Officer and given the option of giving an oral presentation during a regular session or presenting a poster and entering the Best Student Poster Award Competition.
The Best Student Poster Award competition will be open to all student applicants.
Previous George A. Bartholomew Award Winners
1993 – Barbara Block
1994 – Peter Wainwright
1995 – Michael Dickinson
1996 – Stephen Secor
1997 – no award
1998 – Gretchen Hofmann
1999 – Tyrone B. Hayes
2000 – Kathleen Gilmour
2001 – Martin Wikelski
2002 – Sonke Johnsen
2003 – Adam Summers
2004 – Jason Podrabsky
2005 – Nicole King
2006 – James Gillooly
2007 – Douglas Altshuler
2008 – Sheila Patek
2009 – Lynn Martin
2010 – Roberto Nespolo
2011 – Robert Cox
2012 – Emmanuel Azizi
2013 – Alison Sweeney
2014 – Dan Warner
2015 – Jodie Rummer
2016 – Vincent Careau
2017 – Michael Sheriff
2018 – Caroline Williams
2019 – Ben Dantzer
2020 – Mary Caswell (Cassie) Stoddard
2021 – Roslyn Dakin
2022 – Martha Muñoz
2023 – Eric Riddell
2024 – Eleanor Caves
2025 – Katheryn Wilsterman
2026 – Michael Moore
The George A. Bartholomew Lecture, which each year highlights the ground-breaking research of a young investigator. This lecture is named in recognition of one of the influential comparative and integrative physiologists, past present of the American Society of Zoologists (which became SICB) and a member of the National Academy of Science.
Previous Howard Bern Award Winners
| 2002 – Howard Bern (inaugural, Anaheim Meeting) |
| 2003 – Hubert Vaudry (Toronto Meeting) |
| 2004 – Yoshi Nagahama (New Orleans Meeting) |
| 2005 – Jim Truman (San Diego Meeting) |
| 2006 – Stacia Sower (Orlando Meeting) |
| 2007 – Nancy Sherwood (Phoenix Meeting) |
| 2008 – Peter Thomas (San Antonio Meeting) |
| 2009 – Peter Sharp (Boston Meeting) |
| 2010 – Carl Schreck (Seattle Meeting) |
| 2011 – John Wingfield (Salt Lake City Meeting) |
| 2012 – Lynn Riddiford (Charleston Meeting) |
| 2013 – Ellen Ketterson (San Francisco Meeting) |
| 2014 – Louis J. Guillette, Jr. (Austin Meeting) |
| 2015 – Randy Nelson (West Palm Beach Meeting) |
| 2016 – Elizabeth Adkins-Regan (Portland Meeting) |
| 2017 – David Crews (New Orleans Meeting) |
| 2018 – David Norris (San Francisco Meeting) |
| 2019 – L. Michael Romero (Tampa Meeting) |
| 2020 – George Bentley (Austin Meeting) |
| 2021 – Michaela Hau (Virtual Meeting) |
| 2022 – Tyrone Hayes (deferred) |
| 2023 – Tyrone Hayes (Austin Meeting) |
| 2024 – Marilyn Ramenofsky (Seattle Meeting) |
| 2025 – Donna Maney (Atlanta Meeting) |
| 2026 - Catherine Marler (Portland Meeting) |
The Howard A. Bern Lecture, which each year highlights the work of an influential comparative endocrinologist, has been an excellent forum for presenting the newest breakthroughs and synthetic themes in the field. This lecture is named in recognition of one of the founding fathers of Comparative Endocrinology and a member of the National Academy of Science.
Donate to the Howard A. Bern Endowment Fund
This fund began with an initial contribution by Elsevier, publisher of General and Comparative Endocrinology, but donations are needed to ensure the continuation of this vital part of the SICB annual meeting. All proceeds from the fund will be used exclusively to support the lecture. Contributions can be made at: https://sicb.org/donations/
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