BCRF Grantees in the News!

During the second half of 2010, the following BCRF-funded grantees were recognized for their scientific accomplishments and/or elected by their peers to head national biomedical organizations.

In June 2010, Kathryn B. Horwitz, PhD, Distinguished Professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, received the Fred Conrad Koch Award, the highest honor bestowed by The Endocrine Society, in recognition of exceptional contributions to the field. Dr. Horwitz has also been chosen to receive the 10th Rosalind E. Franklin Award for Women in Science from the National Cancer Institute to be presented in January 2011.

In September, President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner of Argentina formally launched the National Cancer Institute of Argentina and appointed Eduardo L. Cazap, MD, PhD, Deputy Director of the Institute. Dr. Cazap is President and Founder of Latin American & Caribbean Society of Medical Oncology (SLACOM) and President of International Union Against Cancer.

Silvia C. Formenti, M was honored at the NYU Cancer Institute Gala on October 5, for her contributions to cancer care and research. Dr. Formenti is the Sandra and Edward H. Meyer Professor of Radiation Oncology, the Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology, and co-leader of the Breast Cancer Research Program at NYU Langone Medical Center.

Two BCRF grantees were elected as new members of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in October. Charis Eng, MD, PhD, Professor of Genetics and Chair and founding Director of the Genomic Medicine Institute of the Cleveland Clinic, and Titia de Lange, PhD, the Leon Hess Professor at The Rockefeller University, joined 63 fellow scientists and five foreign associates as IOM’s Class of 2010. As the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences, the IOM functions as an authoritative body advising both decision makers and the public, with the underlying mission of improving human health.

In November, Mary-Claire King, PhD received the Pearl Meister Greengard Prize from The Rockefeller University for her research which has advanced the science of genetics and improved medicine for the benefit of humankind. Dr. King also was awarded the 2010 Double Helix Medal from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory for her major contributions to understanding the genetics of breast cancer. Sharing the same honor, Evelyn Lauder was recognized for her efforts in raising aware ness and support for clinical and translational research on breast cancer at medical institutions across the globe.

On November 18, José Baselga, MD, PhD was awarded the 2010 Queen Sofía Spanish Institute’s Gold Medal, representing Spain’s leadership in the area of cancer research. Dr. Baselga, Associate Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, was previously the Director of the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology in Barcelona.