AACR to honor Camille C. R. Ragin, PhD, for advancement of minority cancer researchers
Camille C. R. Ragin, PhD, will be awarded the 2024 AACR-Minorities in Cancer Research Jane Cooke Wright Award Lectureship during the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting in San Diego.
The award lecture will be held on April 7 and recognizes an outstanding researcher who has made commendable contributions to the cancer research field, and who has, through leadership or by example, furthered the advancement of minority investigators in cancer research, according to a press release.
Ragin, principal investigator of the African-Caribbean Cancer Consortium, as well as associate director of diversity, equity and inclusion, and professor of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center, is being honored for her “unprecedented contributions to defining and understanding the genetic, molecular and environmental factors that contribute to cancer onset and progression among underrepresented patient populations,” according to the release.
Her research has led to the identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with altered expression of the DNA-damage response gene, polymerase beta, that affect chemotherapy and radiotherapy response in patients of African origin.
Moreover, Ragin has provided consistent mentorship to minority cancer researchers and has led collaborative and global projects dedicated to cancer prevention, according to the release.
“I am extremely humbled to receive this award and consider myself blessed to have had mentors who took the time to help shape my career,” Ragin told Healio. “Paying it forward through team building, mentoring and capacity building are critical components that will help us to effectively address cancer inequities. I have no doubt that one day we will all get there together.”