The Boothby-Edwards Award is presented for outstanding research and/or clinical practice directed at the promotion of health and prevention of disease in professional airline pilots. It is sponsored by Harvey W. Watt & Company.

Charles Mathers, M.D., MPH, FAsMA, is the 2026 recipient of the Boothby-Edwards Award. He is being honored for his career in working with airline pilots and care of HIMs patients. In his current role at the FAA, he performs complex medical evaluations, has monitored 36 commercial airline pilots in the HIMS program, and has coordinated complex, multi-day evaluations for commercial spaceflight participants undergoing certification for travel to the International Space Station (ISS). His focus has been on the promotion of health and prevention of disease for the pilot population, which was evident in his Deputy Team Lead positions for both the Drug and Alcohol and Neurology teams. Also, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he was instrumental in developing a novel algorithm to assist with contact tracing for the pilot population.