The AACR-Minorities in Cancer Research-Jane C. Wright Lectureship will be given to an outstanding scientist who has made meritorious contributions to the field of cancer research and who has, through leadership or by example, furthered the advancement of minority investigators in cancer research.
The award, sponsored by the AACR-Minorities in Cancer Research, is named in honor of Jane C. Wright, M.D., a pioneer in clinical cancer chemotherapy and an exceptional scientist who is African-American and who has made important contributions to research in this field.
Dr. Wright made her mark in cancer research analyzing a wide range of anti-cancer agents, exploring the relationship between patient and tissue culture response, and developing new techniques for administering cancer chemotherapy. She was among the first researchers to test chemotherapeutic drugs in humans which produced effective dosing levels and helped saved lives.
Dr. Wright began her pioneering work in 1949, and during her forty-year career she published over 100 research papers on cancer chemotherapy and led delegations of cancer researchers to Africa, China, Eastern Europe, and the Soviet Union. By 1967, she was the highest ranking African American woman in a United States medical institution. In 1971, she became the first woman elected president of the New York Cancer Society.
She has held numerous appointments in hospitals and Medical Schools, and has held leadership positions and memberships in numerous associations, such as the Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society, New York; a founding member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology; and in 2004 she became a 50-year member of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Her leadership and mentorship have greatly impacted cancer research.
The winner of the AACR-Minorities in Cancer Research-Jane C. Wright Lectureship will give a lecture during the 97th AACR Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. (April 1-5, 2006). The winner will also receive an honorarium and a commemorative plaque.
Award Eligibility:
Nominations may be made by any scientist, whether an AACR member or nonmember, who is now or has been affiliated with any institution involved in cancer research, cancer medicine, or cancer-related biomedical science. Candidates may not nominate themselves.
Editors Note: To download a high resolution photograph of Dr. Jane C. Wright and for further information, please visit 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.