PHILADELPHIA -- Three Scholar Awards programs, sponsored by the American Association for Cancer Research, will provide scientists traditionally underrepresented in cancer research with financial support to participate in the premier international meeting in the field. The AACR Annual Meeting draws more than 15,000 clinical oncologists, basic scientists, epidemiologists and translational researchers from around the world to discuss the latest findings and most significant information in laboratory, translational and clinical cancer research. More than 6,200 scientific abstracts will be presented this year.
"The AACR maintains a strong commitment to enhancing the educational and training opportunities available to the next generation of cancer researchers," said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), AACR's chief executive officer.
"Our primary mission is to promote the exchange of knowledge and new ideas among the scientists on the front lines of the quest for the prevention and cure of cancer," Foti added. "These awards seek to improve the inclusiveness of cancer research, so that no pool of potential talent goes untapped."
The AACR-Minority Scholar Awards in Cancer Research go to full-time graduate or medical students, residents, clinical or postdoctoral fellows, or junior faculty members. Criteria for candidacy include the stipulation that the applicant fit the National Cancer Institute definition of groups traditionally underrepresented in cancer and biomedical research: African Americans, Alaskan Natives, Hispanics, Native Americans, and Native Pacific Islanders. The 75 early-career scientists who won the awards this year were selected on the basis of their qualifications, references from mentors, and an estimation of the potential professional benefit to the awardees. They will receive complimentary registration, travel expenses, and a subsistence stipend to participate in the Annual Meeting. During the meeting they will attend scientific sessions, participate in networking events, and 58 awardees will present meritorious scientific papers.
The Minority Scholar Awards are supported generously by a grant from the Comprehensive Minority Biomedical Branch of the National Cancer Institute and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
The AACR Minority-Serving Institution Faculty Scholar Awards in Cancer Research were formally known as the AACR-Historically Black Colleges and Universities Faculty Scholar Awards. The program has been expanded to include predominantly Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Tribal Colleges and Universities, in order to extend its reach. These awards also are supported by a grant from the National Cancer Institute's Comprehensive Minority Biomedical Branch and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. This award program aims to increase the scientific knowledge base of faculty members at Minority-Serving Institutions, encourage their research, and assist them in inspiring their students. Candidates must have completed doctoral studies or clinical fellowships relevant to cancer research and hold full-time faculty positions at the level of assistant professor or above at an institution designated as minority-serving. They must also be engaged in meritorious basic, clinical or translational cancer research. Each of the 17 AACR-MSI Faculty Scholars chosen this year will receive $1,800 for use toward expenses associated with attending the AACR Annual Meeting or Special Conferences.
A committee of the AACR Minorities in Cancer Research Council administers both of these award programs.
The AACR-Women in Cancer Research Brigid G. Leventhal Scholars in Cancer Research Awards honor members of AACR-Women in Cancer Research who are scientists-in-training and first authors of meritorious scientific papers selected for presentation at the AACR Annual Meeting. They are full-time graduate students, medical students, residents, clinical fellows or the equivalent, or postdoctoral fellows. The awards are named for Dr. Brigid Gray Leventhal, who began her career in pediatric oncology at the National Cancer Institute, conducting clinical and laboratory research on leukemia and other childhood cancers. Subsequently, she served on the faculty of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, until her own life was claimed by cancer in 1994.
There are 11 AACR-WICR Brigid G. Leventhal Scholars in 2005. The WICR Council sponsors the awards with the generous support of a grant from AstraZeneca.
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Editors Note: The names, affiliations and, where applicable, abstract titles of all Scholar Award winners' research projects are listed in the AACR Web site, www.aacr.org.
Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research is a professional society of more than 24,000 laboratory, translational, and clinical scientists engaged in all areas of cancer research in the United States and in more than 60 other countries. AACR's mission is to accelerate the prevention and cure of cancer through research, education, communication, and advocacy. Its principal activities include the publication of five major peer-reviewed scientific journals: Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; and Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. AACR's Annual Meetings attract more than 15,000 participants who share new and significant discoveries in the cancer field. Specialty meetings, held throughout the year, focus on the latest developments in all areas of cancer research.
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