Promising researchers receive more than $5 million ingrants and awards

The Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology presented more than $5 million in grants and awards to more than 200 promising oncology researchers at the 2013 ASCO Annual Meeting, held May 31-June 4, in Chicago Illinois. The Conquer Cancer Foundation and ASCO congratulate the 2013 grant and award recipients on their contributions to the field of oncology and offer their profound thanks to all the generous organizations that supported these awards.

To access the complete list of grant and award recipients, visit conquercancerfoundation.org/awardrecipients and conquercancerfoundation.org/grantrecipients.

Advanced Clinical Research Award in Breast Cancer

Dr. Penley bestows the Bradley Stuart Beller Special  Merit Award to Hiroko Masuda, MD, PhD (left);  Angela Bradbury, MD, receives the Advanced Clinical Research  Award in Breast Cancer from Dr. Penley (right)

Angela Bradbury, MD
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

The Advanced Clinical Research Award (ACRA) funds investigators in their fourth to ninth year of faculty appointment, who are committed to clinical cancer research in an area not currently funded. Dr. Bradbury's long-term goal is to translate genomic advances into the clinic to advance breast cancer prevention and improve health. In that pursuit, her ACRA project focuses on "risks, benefits and utilities of multiplex testing for breast cancer susceptibility."

Career Development Awards

The Career Development Award (CDA) provides funding to clinical investigators, who have received their initial faculty appointment, to establish an independent clinical cancer research program.

Foundation Chair W. Charles Penley, MD,  with Yelena Y. Janjigian, MD, recipient of  a 2013 Career Development Award

This year's nine recipients will each receive a three-year grant totaling $200,000.

This year's recipients are:

Christopher H. Lieu, MD
Daniel A. Pollyea, MD, MS
Nader Sanai, MD
Ran Reshef, MD
Rebecca A. Gardner, MD
Roisin E. O'Cearbhaill, MBBS
Sherene Loi, MD, PhD
Veena Shankaran, MD, MS
Yelena Y. Janjigian, MD
 

Young Investigator Awards

The Young Investigator Award (YIA) provides funding to promising investigators to encourage and promote quality research in clinical oncology. This year's 48 awardees will each receive a one-year grant of $50,000.

International Development and Education Award

The International Development and Education Award (IDEA) and International Development and Education Award in Palliative Care (IDEA-PC) provide opportunities for early-career oncologists in low- and middle-income countries to further their knowledge and careers and establish strong long-term relationships with leading ASCO members who serve as scientific mentors to each recipient. This year 20 awardees are participating in the IDEA program, and four additional awardees are participating in the IDEA-PC program.

Long-term International Fellowship

Siraji Obayo, MMed; Home institution: Uganda Cancer Institute; U.S. Sponsoring Institution: Case Western Reserve University; Mentored by: Matthew M. Cooney, MD

The Long-term International Fellowship (LIFe) provides early-career oncologists in developing nations the support and resources needed to advance their training through a one-year fellowship with a U.S. or Canadian colleague at the colleague's institution. When the recipients return home, they, in turn, apply the new knowledge and skills gained from the valuable training experience in their country. Dr. Obayo received the LIFe to pursue his research project, "Utility of Alpha-Methylacyl-CoA Racemase (AMACR) as a Non-Invasive Prostate Cancer Biomarker."

Medical Student Rotation Award

The Medical Student Rotation (MSR) for Underrepresented Populations provides eight- to 10-week clinical or clinical research oncology rotations for U.S. medical students from populations underrepresented in medicine who are interested in pursuing oncology as a career. This year, 12 medical students were selected to participate in the program.

Resident Travel Award

The Resident Travel Award (RTA) for Underrepresented Populations provides financial support for residents from underrepresented populations to attend ASCO's Annual Meeting. This year six residents were selected to participate in the program.

The following ASCO Members were presented with a Clinical Trials  Participation Award on behalf of their practices: (L to R)  Philip J. Stella, MD, Saint Joseph Mercy Health System Cancer  Program; William J. Tester, MD, FACP, Albert Einstein Cancer  Care; Sachdev P. Thomas, MD, Illinois CancerCare, PC;  Sandra M. Swain, MD, FACP, ASCO Immediate Past  President (presenter); Jon F. Strasser, MD, Radiation  Oncologists, PA; Anita T. C. Lee, MD, Kaiser Permanente Santa  Clara Medical Center; Petros Nikolinakos, MD, Northeast  Georgia Cancer Care, LLC; Luke T. Nordquist, MD, Urology  Cancer Center & GU Research Network.

Clinical Trials Participation Awards

The Clinical Trial Participation Awards (CTPAs) are designed to recognize and promote high-quality clinical research sites with the intent to increase the awareness of and participation in clinical trials among physicians. The awards are presented to community-based practices participating in clinical trials at an exceptional level. The Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups has supported these awards for 11 consecutive years. Congratulations to this year's award-winning practices:

Albert Einstein Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA

Illinois CancerCare, PC, Peoria, IL

Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center, Santa Clara, CA

Northeast Georgia Cancer Care, LLC, Athens, GA

Radiation Oncologists, PA, Wilmington, DE

Saint Joseph Mercy Health System Cancer Program–Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, MI

Urology Cancer Center & GU Research Network, Omaha, NE

Oncology Professionals Honored with Merit Awards for High-Quality Research

The Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology distributed 99 Merit Awards to oncology fellows who submitted high-quality research for presentation at the 2013 Annual Meeting, four of which were Special Merit Awards for the highest-ranking abstracts in select categories. The 2013 Special Merit Award recipients include:

James B. Nachman ASCO Junior Faculty Award in Pediatric Oncology
Chelsea L. Collins, MD
Medical College of Wisconsin

Bradley Stuart Beller Special Merit Award
Hiroko Masuda, MD, PhD
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Brigid Leventhal Special Merit Award
Daniel Morgenstern, MB Bchir, PhD, MRCPCH
The Hospital for Sick Children

Pain and Symptom Management Research Merit Award
Michael R. Folkert, MD, PhD
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

To view the full list of 2013 Merit Award recipients, visit conquercancerfoundation.org/awardrecipients.