On Friday, June 19, Mayor Gert-Uwe Mende and City Council President Dr. Gerhard Obermayr presented the Carol Nachman Prize and the Carol Nachman Medal during a ceremony in the Grand Ballroom of City Hall. 

In his speech, Mayor Mende thanked the honored scientists: “Thank you very much for your tireless dedication to people with rheumatic diseases, who can find new hope thanks to your research. Thank you for pushing the boundaries of knowledge through your work and paving the way for better treatments.”

Prof. Solomon works at Harvard Medical School and received the Carol Nachman Prize for his scientific work. Through this work, he has made a significant contribution to our understanding of the increased cardiovascular risk associated with inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Through his fundamental epidemiological studies, he was able to demonstrate that chronic inflammation is a key driver of atherosclerotic diseases. His outstanding scientific achievements include the definition and characterization of the increased cardiovascular risk associated with rheumatoid arthritis, the development of disease-specific risk prediction models for inflammatory rheumatic diseases, and pioneering pharmacoepidemiological work on the safety of antirheumatic and anti-inflammatory therapies. Furthermore, he has been particularly successful in bridging the gap between clinical care, health services research, and preventive medicine. Through his scientific work, Prof. Solomon has laid the groundwork for a deeper understanding of inflammation-associated comorbidities and has improved the clinical care of patients with rheumatic diseases worldwide.

Prof. Holers received the Carol Nachman Prize for his groundbreaking work on complement immunobiology and the early stages of rheumatoid arthritis. In doing so, he has had a lasting impact on our understanding of autoimmunity. In particular, his research on the interaction between innate and adaptive immunity, as well as on complement-mediated B-cell activation, opened up new perspectives for research and therapy. As head of rheumatology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Prof. Holers established one of the world’s leading centers for translational autoimmune research. His work on tissue-specific complement inhibition led to innovative therapeutic concepts that continue to influence modern therapy development in rheumatology and immunology to this day. Particularly influential was his contribution to redefining rheumatoid arthritis: long before prevention became a central focus, Prof. Holers demonstrated that the disease begins many years before the onset of clinical symptoms. In doing so, he laid essential foundations for modern prevention research and precision medicine in rheumatology. With his lifetime scientific achievements, his numerous publications, and his formative influence on generations of researchers and clinicians, Prof. Holers ranks among the internationally outstanding figures in modern rheumatology.

Maarten de Wit received the Carol Nachman Medal in recognition of his exceptional and long-standing commitment to patient advocacy in rheumatology. Since 2000, he has championed the interests of people with rheumatic diseases at the local, national, and international levels with great passion and perseverance. As Vice President of the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) on behalf of People with Arthritis and Rheumatism in Europe (PARE), and through his influential involvement with Advancing Outcome Measurement in Rheumatology (OMERACT), he has played a key role in consistently advancing outcome measures in rheumatology research from the patients’ perspective. Furthermore, as a dedicated trainer, he has empowered more than 600 patient representatives and researchers to participate competently and effectively in collaborative research. His work is groundbreaking and of lasting significance for international rheumatology and for strengthening the patient perspective.

Neil Betteridge received the Carol Nachman Medal in recognition of his extraordinary and tireless commitment to people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. As Vice President of EULAR on behalf of PARE, he has significantly shaped and decisively advanced the organization’s public relations and advocacy efforts. With great persuasiveness, foresight, and tireless dedication, he continues to advocate for strategic health issues from the patients’ perspective. His work has significantly strengthened the international patient community and deserves the highest recognition.

The Carol Nachman Prize and Medal are named after their founder, Carol Nachman, a long-time casino concessionaire and honorary citizen of Wiesbaden. Fifty-four years ago, he and the Wiesbaden rheumatologist Prof. Klaus Miehlke, together with Wiesbaden Mayor Alfred Herbel, established the award. Since 1972, the award has been presented to more than 80 internationally recognized scientists. Even after the founder’s death, the Wiesbaden Casino has continued to provide the funding. The annual awarding of the “City of Wiesbaden Prize for Rheumatology” is intended to honor the work of physicians and scientists—which is so valuable to everyone—in the fight against this widespread disease. Over the years, the casino has provided more than 2.1 million euros for this purpose.

The Carol Nachman Prize and the symposium are supported by AbbVie Germany, a patient-centered biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Wiesbaden.