NIH director Dr. Elias Zerhouni (l) receives the Golden Plate Award at the Academy of Achievement’s 46th annual International Achievement Summit from past honoree Dr. Steven Rosenberg (r), chief of NCI’s Surgery Branch.

NIH director Dr. Elias Zerhouni recently received the Golden Plate Award at the Academy of Achievement’s 46th annual International Achievement Summit in Washington, D.C.

Each year, the academy invites men and women of exceptional accomplishment—previous awardees and 29 new guests of honor—to share their wisdom and experience with nearly 300 of the world’s most outstanding graduate students from 50 countries.

Each guest of honor receives the Golden Plate Award as a “representative of the many who excel” in his or her chosen profession.

Past honoree Dr. Steven Rosenberg, chief of NCI’s Surgery Branch, presented the award to Zerhouni. The summit included a 5-day Washington visit by the students; one afternoon was devoted to an NIH tour where guests heard presentations by Zerhouni, Rosenberg, NIAID director Dr. Anthony Fauci and NHGRI director Dr. Francis Collins.

Summit attendees included former President Bill Clinton, Desmond Tutu, several Supreme Court justices and Nobel laureates, and stars from the worlds of professional sports, film and literature.