The American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's Research Evaluation Committee has announced the recipients of several awards and grants that are funded by the Radiation Oncology Institute (formerly the ASTRO Education and Development Fund) and distributed each year as part of the organization's overall effort to prevent, treat and cure malignancies.
The Junior Faculty Career Research Training Award is awarded to stimulate interest in radiation research early in academic career development by giving junior physician faculty the opportunity to focus on research in radiation oncology, biology, physics or outcomes/health services research; it is presented each year to a board-eligible physician or physicist in radiation oncology or a radiobiologist who is within the first three years of his or her junior faculty appointment. This is a two-year award in the amount of $125,000 per year. This year's recipients are Christopher D. Willey, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Erik P. Sulman, M.D., Ph.D., of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
The Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Research Seed Grant Award is given to support residents or fellows who are planning a career focusing primarily on basic science or clinical research. The grants are awarded each year for a one-year project and are in amounts of up to $30,000 each. This year's recipients are Randall Joel Kimple, M.D., of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C., and Shig-Hsin Eddy Yang, M.D., Ph.D., of Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn.
The Resident Poster Recognition Award recognizes the top resident poster presentations in each of the poster categories – clinical, biology and physics. Recipients receive a certificate of award and a ribbon and are recognized at the Presidential Poster Session and Reception at ASTRO's Annual Meeting. This year's winners are Thomas Pugh, M.D., of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Aurora, Colo., for clinical; Andrew Wang, M.D., of Harvard University in Boston for biology; and Liyong Lin, Ph.D., of the University of Florida in Jacksonville, Fla., for physics.
"Congratulations to everyone who received awards and grants this year," said Louis B. Harrison, M.D., chairman of ASTRO's Board of Directors and a radiation oncologist at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. "These researchers are the future of our specialty and in an era of reduced funding for NIH and NCI, these grants are more important than ever to ensuring that cancer researchers have the funds they need to find a cure for cancer."
For more information on these awards and other awards distributed by ASTRO, visit www.astro.org/AboutUs/Awards/ResearchGrants/.
For more information on ASTRO's 50th Annual Meeting held September 21-25, 2008, in Boston, visit www.astro.org/Meetings/AnnualMeetings/.
To learn more about radiation therapy treatment options, visit www.rtanswers.org.
ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 9,000 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As the leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the Society is dedicated to improving patient care through education, clinical practice, advancement of science and advocacy.