The 2014 Conquer Cancer Foundation Grants and Awards

Jun 20, 2014

Promising researchers receive more than $4.5 million in grants and awards

The Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology presented more than $4.5 million in grants and awards to more than 200 promising oncology researchers at the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting, held May 30-June 3, in Chicago, Illinois. The Conquer Cancer Foundation and ASCO congratulate the 2014 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 conquercancerfoundationorg/grantrecipients.

Advanced Clinical Research Award in Breast Cancer

Vandana G. Abramson, MD Vanderbilt University Medical Center "Developing targeted therapies for triple negative breast cancer"
Dr. Abramson is also the recipient of the 2009 Gianni Bonadonna BreastCancer Research Fellowship.

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. Abramson's long-term objective is to improve the survival of patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). To address this objective, she will conduct two complementary clinical trials that exploit recent advances in the molecular understanding of TNBC by testing novel, molecularly targeted treatments for recently defined subtypes of TNBC.

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

  • Constantine Albany, MD, Indiana University 
  • Matthew S. Davids, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute 
  • Alexander Drilon, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (2012 YIA) 
  • Rachel N. Grisham, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 
  • Simon P. Kim, MD, MPH, Yale University 
  • Erin M. Macrae, MD, The Ohio State University 
  • Jae H. Park, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (2011 YIA) 
  • Marci Russell, MD, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles 
  • Rona D. Yaeger, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

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 42 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 longterm relationships with leading ASCO members who serve as scientific mentors to each recipient. This year 23 awardees are participating in the IDEA program, and six additional awardees are participating in the IDEA-PC program.

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, eight medical students were selected to participate in the program.

  • Oyinlolu Adeyanju, Northwestern University 
  • Nancy Anuruo, George Washington University 
  • Omotola Ashorobi, The University of Illinois College of Medicine 
  • Peter Cruz-Gordillo, University of Massachusetts Medical School 
  • Shekinah Elmore, Harvard Medical School 
  • Maria De Lourdes Garcia-Jimenez, University of California, San Francisco 
  • Zuri Dana Hemphill, University of Cincinnati 
  • Dembi Huya-Kouadio, Meharry Medical College


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 nine residents were selected to participate in the program.

  • Brandon Blue, MD, Washington University in Saint Louis 
  • Chukwuemeka Ezeoke, MD, Saint Louis University 
  • Catherine Handy, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins University 
  • Abiola Ibraheem, MBBS, Morehouse School of Medicine 
  • Deniece Johnson, MD, MS, Morehouse School of Medicine 
  • Vivian Jolley Bea, MD, MS, Medical University of South Carolina 
  • Cheryl Mensah, MD, North Shore Long Island Jewish 
  • Sonya Reid-Lawrence, MBBS, MD, Meharry Medical College 
  • Fatima Wilder, MD, Robert Wood Jonson Medical School


Clinical Trials Participation Awards

The Clinical Trials 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 12 consecutive years. Congratulations to this year's award-winning practices:

  • Avera Cancer Institute, Sioux Falls, SD 
  • Doctors Hospital of Laredo, Laredo, TX 
  • Horizon BioAdvance LLC, Lafayette, IN 
  • Ingalls Memorial Hospital/Ingalls Cancer Research Center, Harvey, IL 
  • Mount Sinai Hospital Cancer Care Center, Chicago, IL 
  • Northern Indiana Cancer Research Consortium, South Bend, IN 
  • Providence Cancer Center, Portland, OR 
  • Summa Health System, Akron, OH


Oncology Professionals Honored with Merit Awards for High-Quality Research

The Conquer Cancer Foundation distributed 99 Merit Awards to oncology fellows who submitted high-quality research for presentation at the 2014 Annual Meeting, four of which were Special Merit Awards for the highestranking abstracts in select categories. The 2014 Special Merit Award recipients include:

James B. Nachman ASCO Junior Faculty Award in Pediatric Oncology
Andrew E. Place, MD, PhD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Bradley Stuart Beller Special Merit Award
Joshua F. Zeidner, MD, Johns Hopkins University
*Dr. Zeidner is also a previous recipient of a 2013 Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO Young Investigator Award (YIA) in Memory of John R. Durant, MD

Brigid Leventhal Special Merit Award
Renata Amorim, BS, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo

Pain and Symptom Management Research Merit Award
Cesar A. Santa-Maria, MD, Johns Hopkins University
*Dr. Santa-Maria is also a previous recipient of a 2010 Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO Resident Travel Award for Underrepresented Populations (RTA).

To view the full list of 2014 Merit Award recipients, visit conquercancerfoundation.org/awardrecipients.

Oncology Trainee Travel Awards

The Oncology Trainee Travel Award supports the continuing education and professional development of trainee oncologists by providing them individual travel grants to defray travel expenses for attending the ASCO Annual Meeting. In 2014, the Conquer Cancer Foundation awarded 36 OTTAs.

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