Jun 23, 2011
The Conquer Cancer Foundation supports the most innovative clinicalcancer research and the best patient care through its Grants and AwardsProgram. The following grants and awards were presented to meritoriousresearchers at the 2011 ASCO Annual Meeting. (Find a complete list ofCommunity Oncology Research Grant, Clinical Trials Participation Award,and State Affiliate Grant recipients online, as well as Young Investigator Award, Career Development Award, and Merit Awardrecipients.)
Diversityin Oncology Initiative
The ASCO Diversity in Oncology Initiative, funded by Susan G. Komen forthe Cure®, is designed to facilitate the recruitment andretention of individuals from populations underrepresented in medicineto cancer careers and increase access to quality care for underservedcommunities through the Loan Repayment Program, Medical StudentRotation, and Resident Travel Awards. The following awards werebestowed in 2011.
LoanRepayment Program
The Loan Repayment Program provides repayment of qualifying educationaldebt to oncologists, or to oncology fellows upon completion oftraining, who commit to practicing oncology in a medically underservedregion of the United States. The program will repay up to $35,000 peryear for two years (up to $70,000 total) of qualifyingeducation loans.
Jason W. Brown, MD, of the Yolanda G. Barco Oncology Institute; WainaCheng, MD, of Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center; Sharyn NanLewin, MD, of Columbia University Medical Center; and Sarah Temkin, MD,of the University of Maryland, are the 2011 Loan Repayment Programrecipients.
MedicalStudent Rotation
The Medical Student Rotation provides eight- to 10-week clinical orclinical research oncology rotations for U.S. medical students frompopulations underrepresented in medicine who are interested in pursuingan oncology career. Awardees receive a $5,000 stipend for the rotationplus $1,500 for future travel to the ASCO Annual Meeting. An additional$2,000 is provided to support the student’s mentor.
Marcela Augusta Azevedo, of The Ohio State University; Mark EdmundBernard, of the University of Pittsburgh; Christina Hunter Chapman, ofthe University of Pennsylvania; Kristina Lauren Demas, of GeorgeWashington University; Tiffany L. George, of Meharry Medical College;Sheri Jones, of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at the University ofMedicine and Dentistryof New Jersey; Nicole Ashley Sample, of The City College of New York;andKimberly Michelle Thomas, of The University of Texas SouthwesternMedical Center at Dallas, are the 2011 Medical Student Rotationrecipients.
ImprovingCancer Care Grant
The Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO Improving Cancer Care Grant(ICCG), funded by Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, providesextramural research funding to address important issues regardingaccess to health care, quality of care, and delivery of care, withgeneral applicability to breast cancer. The ICCG is a three-year granttotaling $1.35 million.
Alfred I. Neugut, MD, PhD, of Columbia University, will lead amulticenter randomized trial of the effectiveness of text-messageversus traditional follow-up methods for women with breast cancer whoare receiving adjuvant hormone therapy. The results of this trial mayhelp inform alternative, cost-effective means to improve adherence toprescribed therapies in breast cancer, and could establish amethodology for testing intervention techniques to improve regimenadherence in other cancers.
Long-termInternational Fellowship
The Long-term International Fellowship (LIFe) provides youngoncologists in low- and middle-income countries support and resourcesto participate in a one- or two-year fellowship with a U.S. or Canadianmentor at the mentor’s institution. Recipients must return totheir home institutions after completing their fellowship and areexpected to disseminate the knowledge they have gained. The LIFe issupportedby Amgen.
The recipients of the 2011 LIFe are Parisa Karimi, MD, of TehranUniversity of Medical Sciences, Iran, and Suebpong Tanasanvimon, MD, ofKing Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thailand. Dr. Karimi willcomplete her fellowship at The Johns Hopkins University School ofMedicine under the mentorship of David M. Berman, MD, PhD. Dr.Tanasanvimon will complete his fellowship at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center under the mentorship of Milind Javle, MD.
TranslationalResearch Professorship
The Translational Research Professorship (TRP) provides funding tooutstanding translational researchers who have made, and are continuingto make, significant contributions that have changed the direction ofcancer research and who provide mentorship to future translationalresearchers.
The 2011 award is presented in memory of Merrill J. Egorin, MD, the2009 recipient, who passed away at age 62 of multiple myeloma. The TRPis funded by Genentech BioOncology™.Mark J. Ratain, MD, of the University of Chicago, is the recipient ofthe 2011 Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO Translational ResearchProfessorship, In Memory of Merrill J. Egorin, MD, which will supporthis project titled “Building a Genomic PrescribingSystem.”
Diversityin Oncology Initiative
The ASCO Diversity in Oncology Initiative, funded by Susan G. Komen forthe Cure®, is designed to facilitate the recruitment andretention of individuals from populations underrepresented in medicineto cancer careers and increase access to quality care for underservedcommunities through the Loan Repayment Program, Medical StudentRotation, and Resident Travel Awards. The following awards werebestowed in 2011.
LoanRepayment Program
The Loan Repayment Program provides repayment of qualifying educationaldebt to oncologists, or to oncology fellows upon completion oftraining, who commit to practicing oncology in a medically underservedregion of the United States. The program will repay up to $35,000 peryear for two years (up to $70,000 total) of qualifyingeducation loans.
Jason W. Brown, MD, of the Yolanda G. Barco Oncology Institute; WainaCheng, MD, of Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center; Sharyn NanLewin, MD, of Columbia University Medical Center; and Sarah Temkin, MD,of the University of Maryland, are the 2011 Loan Repayment Programrecipients.
MedicalStudent Rotation
The Medical Student Rotation provides eight- to 10-week clinical orclinical research oncology rotations for U.S. medical students frompopulations underrepresented in medicine who are interested in pursuingan oncology career. Awardees receive a $5,000 stipend for the rotationplus $1,500 for future travel to the ASCO Annual Meeting. An additional$2,000 is provided to support the student’s mentor.
Marcela Augusta Azevedo, of The Ohio State University; Mark EdmundBernard, of the University of Pittsburgh; Christina Hunter Chapman, ofthe University of Pennsylvania; Kristina Lauren Demas, of GeorgeWashington University; Tiffany L. George, of Meharry Medical College;Sheri Jones, of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at the University ofMedicine and Dentistryof New Jersey; Nicole Ashley Sample, of The City College of New York;andKimberly Michelle Thomas, of The University of Texas SouthwesternMedical Center at Dallas, are the 2011 Medical Student Rotationrecipients.
ImprovingCancer Care Grant
The Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO Improving Cancer Care Grant(ICCG), funded by Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, providesextramural research funding to address important issues regardingaccess to health care, quality of care, and delivery of care, withgeneral applicability to breast cancer. The ICCG is a three-year granttotaling $1.35 million.
Alfred I. Neugut, MD, PhD, of Columbia University, will lead amulticenter randomized trial of the effectiveness of text-messageversus traditional follow-up methods for women with breast cancer whoare receiving adjuvant hormone therapy. The results of this trial mayhelp inform alternative, cost-effective means to improve adherence toprescribed therapies in breast cancer, and could establish amethodology for testing intervention techniques to improve regimenadherence in other cancers.
Long-termInternational Fellowship
The Long-term International Fellowship (LIFe) provides youngoncologists in low- and middle-income countries support and resourcesto participate in a one- or two-year fellowship with a U.S. or Canadianmentor at the mentor’s institution. Recipients must return totheir home institutions after completing their fellowship and areexpected to disseminate the knowledge they have gained. The LIFe issupportedby Amgen.
The recipients of the 2011 LIFe are Parisa Karimi, MD, of TehranUniversity of Medical Sciences, Iran, and Suebpong Tanasanvimon, MD, ofKing Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thailand. Dr. Karimi willcomplete her fellowship at The Johns Hopkins University School ofMedicine under the mentorship of David M. Berman, MD, PhD. Dr.Tanasanvimon will complete his fellowship at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center under the mentorship of Milind Javle, MD.
TranslationalResearch Professorship
The Translational Research Professorship (TRP) provides funding tooutstanding translational researchers who have made, and are continuingto make, significant contributions that have changed the direction ofcancer research and who provide mentorship to future translationalresearchers.
The 2011 award is presented in memory of Merrill J. Egorin, MD, the2009 recipient, who passed away at age 62 of multiple myeloma. The TRPis funded by Genentech BioOncology™.Mark J. Ratain, MD, of the University of Chicago, is the recipient ofthe 2011 Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO Translational ResearchProfessorship, In Memory of Merrill J. Egorin, MD, which will supporthis project titled “Building a Genomic PrescribingSystem.”