Voting now open for the inaugural Cancer Researcher of the Year Award
Recognizing that great results in cancer research often come by way of collaboration between scientists, doctors, cancer patients and cancer advocates, The Gateway for Cancer Research invites the public to select the recipient of the inaugural Cancer Researcher of the Year Award. Online voting for one of six Award finalists is now open to the community through April 15 at DemandCuresToday.org.
Gateway's new Cancer Researcher of the Year Award is an annual recognition that celebrates cancer research heroes who work tirelessly to discover better, safer and more effective cancer treatments that may help cancer patients feel better, live longer or be cured today. The Award honors a Gateway-funded clinical investigator who has achieved measurable and significant excellence in the field of cancer research, in addition to positively impacting the lives of individuals living with cancer.
The six finalists for the Cancer Researcher of the Year Award include:
• David Avigan, MD, director, Blood Cancer and Bone Marrow Transplant Program
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston
• Dorthea Becker, Ph.D, co-leader, Melanoma Program
University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
• Pierre-Yves Dietrich, MD, PhD, director, Center of Oncology
University Hospital Geneva, Switzerland
• Patricia LoRusso, DO, director, Eisenberg Center for Experimental Therapeutics
Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit
• Larry Kwak, MD, PhD, chairman, Department of Lymphoma/Melanoma
MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston
• Omer Kucuk, MD, Medical Oncologist, professor, Emory University
Winship Cancer Institute in Atlanta
Gateway's esteemed Awards Committee, made up of scientific experts and a trained cancer patient advocate, was tasked to evaluate Award applications and to recommend an elite group of Award finalists. According to Eveline Mumenthaler, director of research at The Gateway for Cancer Research, the application review process was a challenging but rewarding undertaking for the Awards Committee.
“We received a tremendous response to our call for nominations as we fielded many applications from top notch researchers at leading research institutions across the world,” Mumenthaler said. “Starting out with 19 complete nominations, the six researchers selected as Award finalists stood apart with truly remarkable contributions to patient care. What's more, the finalists demonstrated an unprecedented level of advocacy, support and service for today's cancer patients.”
Now, in the spirit of patient-centered care and collaboration, the vote for who should receive the official honor of Gateway's Cancer Researcher of the Year Award recipient falls to the community.
“The cancer clinical trials Gateway helps to fund are always centered around the patient, so it is only fitting that cancer patients, survivors, caregivers and their network of friends, family and supporters weigh in on this prestigious award,” Mumenthaler added. “Not only do we want the community to be aware of the great work these researchers are doing, but also we want to hear what type of clinical trials people see as having the greatest impact and value.”
One of Gateway's guiding principles is to support cancer clinical trials that challenge the current research model through outside-the-box treatment innovations that may not otherwise be funded. While the traditional approach to cancer research has yielded notable successes over the years, Gateway is committed to seeing more advancement that gives greater attention to the needs of today's cancer patients. To that end, Gateway strives for a balanced research portfolio that encompasses the full spectrum of cancer treatment approaches with the aim to increase survival and quality of life, including new drug developments, novel combination therapies, and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) clinical trials.
With a robust research funding program and a singular vision to see a world in which a cancer diagnosis is no longer feared, Gateway has positioned itself as a bold and unique cancer research nonprofit organization that pursues better cancer treatment solutions today, and not years down the road. Thanks to generous corporate underwriting, Gateway is poised to make a real difference as ninety-nine cents of every dollar received from donors and supporters directly funds phase I and phase II clinical trials across all types of cancers.
Visit DemandCuresToday.org through April 15 to view the finalists' profiles and to cast a vote for Gateway's Cancer Researcher of the Year Award. For more information about Gateway, the cancer research studies it funds , or to make a donation to support phase I and phase II cancer clinical trials, visit DemandCuresToday.org.
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About The Gateway for Cancer Research
The Gateway for Cancer Research is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization committed to funding innovative cancer research and bold new ideas for lifesaving treatments that can make a difference today. Thanks to generous underwriting, 99 cents of every dollar received funds phase I and phase II cancer clinical trials all over the world to find better treatments and cures for today's cancer patients. Since our founding in 1991, Gateway has supported more than 100 clinical trials and contributed millions of dollars to leading-edge research, including blending the best of conventional and complementary/alternative therapies. It's time to stop cancer. Get involved today by visiting DemandCuresToday.org, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/demandcures and join the conversation on Twitter @DemandCures.