Conquer Cancer Foundation honors researchers for work in breast cancer, palliative care

ASCO’s Conquer Cancer Foundation presented merit awards to 24 investigators who presented research at two society-sponsored conferences.

The awards recognize the researchers for their valuable contributions to their areas of study, as well as their commitment to advancing cancer care.

“The remarkable work of this year's merit award recipients touches the full spectrum of cancer care, from risk assessment and treatment to survivorship and end-of-life care,” W. Charles Penley, MD, FASCO, chair of the Conquer Cancer Foundation board of directors, said in a press release. “Each research finding brings us one step closer to conquering cancer, and to improving quality of life for everyone affected by cancer, both now and in the future. The Conquer Cancer Foundation is proud to support these promising individuals in their efforts to realize that collective goal.”

Nine researchers received merit awards at the Breast Cancer Symposium, held in September in San Francisco. They were: Sahaja Acharya, MD, of Washington University School of Medicine; Fatih Aydogan, MD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Andrea Covelli, MD, PhD, of University of Toronto; Clark DuMontier, MD, of Boston University Medical Center; Saima Hassan, MD, PhD, of Oregon Health & Science University; Kenneth Kehl, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Maryam Nemati Shafaee, MD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Talha Shaikh, MD, of Fox Chase Cancer Center; and Sean Szeja, MD, of Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre.

Fifteen researchers received merit awards at the Palliative Care in Oncology Symposium, held in October in Boston. They were: Robert Daly, MD, of University of Chicago Medical Center; Sara Dudley, MD, of Stanford University School of Medicine; Marie Flannery, PhD, of University of Rochester; Margherita Gobbo, DMD, MSc, of University of Trieste; Kathryn Hudson, MD, of Duke University Medical Center; Miranda Kim, MD, MBA, of Harvard Radiation Oncology Program; Carolyn Lefkowits, MD, MPH, of Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC; Borja Lopez De San Vicente, MD, of Osakidetza; David Ma, BSc, of University of Alberta; Ryan Nipp, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Cancer Center; Giulia Ottaviani, DMD, PhD, of University of Trieste; Gordana Popovic, MD, of Princess Margaret Cancer Centre; Yushen Qian, MD, of Stanford University School of Medicine; Adam Sterman, MD, of The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore; and Lauren Waterman, MBBS, BSC, of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust.