What’s Behind a Name: The Kaufman Prize of the Canadian Geriatrics Society

Abstract

The Kaufman Prize has been given by the Canadian Geriatrics Society for nearly 30 years, but few Society members are aware of who Kaufman was or why the Prize was named after him. They are equally unclear about the objectives established for the Prize and how successful it has been in achieving them. This paper reviews the history of the Kaufman Prize and the eponymous A.R. Kaufman. The original objectives of the award were to encourage clinical research in geriatric medicine and to foster research interest in medical residents. Over the years the Prize has allowed the Society to both recognize and encourage excellence in age-related research among trainees. With the renaming of the Prize, now would be an opportune time for the Society to review both its objectives and its format.