At the 1912 Annual Meeting, the SMA announced that it would create a new award in honor of Dr. Robert D. and Alma Moreton that recognized original research. At the Annual Meeting in 1961, the Executive Director announced the association was given a grant from a foundation in San Antonio to establish a commemorative entity honoring Dr. and Mrs. Moreton.

These two events are the basis for the Dr. Robert D. and Alma W. Moreton Research Award and Commemorative Lectureship. The Award and Lectureship was re-instituted at the 2021 Annual Meeting and presented each year thereafter. The awardee/lecturer will be known for their accomplishments in clinical or basic medical research.

The physician chosen for this award will address a topic that should be of interest to a broad range of medical specialties and content should be germane to the challenges facing medical professionals seeking to improve the quality of patient health.

The recipient will receive a $2500 monetary award, as well as a $1500 travel and lodging stipend to present the Moreton Lecture at SMA's Annual Scientific Assembly.

Policies and Procedures

• The call for nominations for the Moreton Original Research Award and Commemorative Lectureship opens in March of each year.
• Nominations close on June 30 of each year at midnight Central time.
• A nominator does not need to be an SMA member to submit a nomination.
• An individual can self-nominate.
• An individual cannot nominate more than two (2) candidates.
• Voting members of SMA’s Education Committee may not nominate candidates for this award.
• Nominees must:
  • Be a physician (MD or DO) with significant contributions and accomplishments pertaining to original research
  • Agree to present in person at SMA’s Annual Scientific Assembly
• Nominations MUST be submitted through the online form located on this page.
• Nominations received outside of this form will not be considered.
• The SMA Education Committee votes to select the award recipient and the recipient will be notified in mid-July.
  

This year's Moreton Award Lecture will take place on Friday, November 7, 2026
at SMA's 118th Annual Scientific Assembly in Houston, Texas.

As you consider potential nominees, please note that this year’s Assembly theme centers around "Advancing Practice Performance Through Knowledge, Leadership, and Innovation: Lessons Learned From Sports Medicine".

While alignment with the theme is not required for consideration,
nominations that complement or reflect this focus are encouraged.