Victor Ambros, PhD, and Gary Ruvkun, PhD, have been awarded the Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research by the New York Academy of Sciences for their work identifying and characterizing the first microRNA.

SHOP TALK

Ambros is the Silverman Professor of Natural Sciences in the Program of Molecular Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. His laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital identified the first gene to produce a small RNA molecule able to inhibit gene expression, lin-4.

VICTOR AMBROS, PHD

Ruvkun is Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School. His laboratory revealed how lin-4 regulates its target. Together with Ambros' research, the findings demonstrate what microRNA do, setting ground for additional research on the role of microRNA in blood-cell specialization, cancer, muscle function, metabolism, aging, heart disease, inflammation, viral infections, neurological signaling, and stem-cell behavior.

GARY RUVKUN, PHD

Wendell G. Yarbrough, MD, MMHC, has been named Section Chief of Otolaryngology at Yale-New Haven Hospital and Yale School of Medicine. He will also be Director of the Head and Neck Cancer program at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven and Co-Director of the Molecular Virology Research Program at Yale Cancer Center. He was most recently at Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center as Professor and Director of the Barry Baker Laboratory of Head and Neck Oncology and Co-Leader of the Thoracic Head and Neck Program.

Steven T. Rosen, MD, the Genevieve E. Teuton Professor of Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Director of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, has been named Chair of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Medical and Scientific Advisory Board. He is also Director of Cancer Programs at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

WENDELL G. YARBROUGH, MD, MMHC

The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center has opened a new Translational Oncology Program, which when complete will include 40 investigators focused on experimental therapeutics, cancer stem cells, molecular imaging, and genomics. The program, under the directorship of Diane Simeone, MD, will work closely with industry members to facilitate drug development and early phase testing.

STEVEN T. ROSEN, MD

Steven Hochwald, MD, most recently at the University of Florida Shands Cancer Center, has joined Roswell Park Cancer Institute as Vice Chair, Chief of Gastrointestinal Surgery, and Professor of Oncology in the Department of Surgical Oncology.

DIANE SIMEONE, MD

Richard E. Fine, MD, has joined the West Clinic Comprehensive Breast Center. A past president of the American Society of Breast Surgeons, he most recently served as Director of Advanced Breast Care of Georgia.

STEVEN HOCHWALD, MD

Ray Hershberger, MD, has been named Director of the Division of Human Genetics at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. He was most recently Director of Translational Cardiovascular Genetic Medicine at the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine.

RICHARD E. FINE, MD

Also at OSUCCC-James, Tanios Bekaii-Saab, MD, has been appointed Section Chief of Gastrointestinal Oncology. He is currently Associate Professor in the College of Medicine at OSUCC-James, and has also been Chairman for the Gastrointestinal Cancer Disease-Specific Research Group since 2003.

RAY HERSHBERGER, MD

Zeljko Vujaskovic, MD, PhD, has been appointed Professor and Director of the new Division of Translational Radiation Sciences in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

TANIOS BEKAII-SAAB, MD

He was previously at Duke, as Professor and Director of the Normal Tissue Injury Laboratory and Director of the Clinical Hyperthermia Program.

ZELJKO VUJASKOVIC, MD, PHD

Ronald Matteotti, MD, recently joined Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center at West Virginia University as Director of Minimally Invasive Surgery and General Robotics. He comes there from the Virtua Surgical Group in New Jersey, where he led the Upper-GI and Hepatobiliary Surgical Oncology Program.

Also at WVU Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center, Ginger Layne, MD, was named Section Chief of Breast Imaging and Medical Director of the Betty Puskar Breast Care Center.

RONALD MATTEOTTI, MD

Marc Brown, MD, Professor of Dermatology and Oncology at the University of Rochester (NY) Medical Center, has been elected President of the American College of Mohs Surgery. Brown has been at URMC since 1989, where he developed the Division of Dermatologic Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology. He performs 2,000 cases annually using the Mohs technique and has completed a two-year fellowship in Mohs Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology at the University of Michigan.

GINGER LAYNE, MD

Susan Braun has been named CEO of the V Foundation, succeeding Nick Valvano, who led the organization for the past 13 years and will remain as a member of the Board of Directors. Braun was most recently Executive Director of Commonweal in California, and was previously Executive Director of the ASCO Cancer Foundation (now the Conquer Cancer Foundation), CEO of the CURE Media Group, and President of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

MARC BROWN, MD

Carlos L. Arteaga, MD, Associate Director for Clinical Research and Director of the Breast Cancer Program at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, has been named to a three-year term on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Breast Cancer Research Foundation. He has served for two years as a member of the Komen Scholars.

SUSAN BRAUN

Donna Berry, PhD, RN, AOCN, FAAN, has been chosen to receive the Association of Community Cancer Centers' 2012 Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Research Award to recognize her research, leadership, and commitment to individuals with cancer. She is Director of the Phyllis F. Cantor Center for Nursing & Patient Care Services at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

CARLOS L. ARTEAGA, MD

Lawrence Corey, MD, President and Director of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, has received the 2012 Cubist-ICAAC Award from the American Society of Microbiology.

DONNA BERRY, PHD, RN, AOCN, FAAN

"From early work demonstrating that certain treatments don't work, to landmark studies of topical, intravenous and oral acyclovir and its congeners, Corey has led the way. In his elegant studies of HSV latency, he may well open up new avenues to cure, rather than suppression. He has taught us more about the pathogenesis, immunology, and treatment of genital herpes than any other investigator in the field," Martin Hirsch, MD, Professor in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, said in a statement.

LAWRENCE COREY, MD

Corey is the principal investigator of the Hutchinson Center-based HIV Vaccine Trials Network, an international collaboration of scientists and institutions that combines clinical trials and laboratory-based studies to accelerate the development of HIV vaccines, which has become the model for global collaborative research.

Mohamed Hassanein, PhD, Research Instructor in Pulmonary Medicine at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, has received a Career Development Award from the LUNGevity Foundation for his work in developing noninvasive tests to help diagnose lung cancer. He will receive $300,000 over the next three years.

MOHAMED HASSANEIN, PHD

Lymphoma Research Foundation Announces Election of New Scientific Advisory Board Members

The Lymphoma Research Foundation has announced the election of six new Scientific Advisory Board Members:

Image

* Steven H. Bernstein, MD, Professor and Co-Director of the Lymphoma Biology Program at the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center at the University of Rochester (NY) Medical Center;

STEVEN H. BERNSTEIN, MD

KRISTIE A. BLUM, MD

KIERON DUNLEAVY, MD

* Kristie A. Blum, MD, Co-Director of the Lymphoma Program at Ohio State University School of Medicine;

* Kieron Dunleavy, MD, attending physician and investigator in the Metabolism Branch of the NCI;

* Nathan H. Fowler, MD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center;

* Stephanie A. Gregory, MD, Professor and Chair of Hematology at Rush University Medical Center; and

* Ann S. LaCasce, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and attending physician at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Markers in Cancer Merit Awards

The Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO has announced the 14 recipients of its 2012 Markers in Cancer Merit Awards, recognizing promising oncology researchers for their work in cancer biomarkers that play key roles in routine management of cancer patients and guide targeted therapy drug development: The awardees include:

* Mona Lisa Alattar, MD, University of Texas at Houston Health Science Center;

Image

* Aseem Bhatnagar, MBBS, S.M.S. Medical College & Attached Hospitals;

* Heather Cheng, MD, PhD, University of Washington;

* Jennifer Kanakry, MD, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine;

* Aaron Mansfield, MD, Mayo Clinic;

* Joaquin Mateo, MD, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and Institute of Cancer Research;

* Ab Mir, MD, Maulana Azad Medical College;

* Andrea Necchi, MD, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori;

* Palak Parekh, PhD, National Cancer Institute;

* Gerald Prager, MD, Medical University of Vienna;

* Melissa Rotunno, PhD, National Cancer Institute;

* Andrew Trister, MD, PhD, University of Washington;

* Susannah Yovino, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine;

* Lindsey Zubritsky, MD, Penn State Hershey Medical Center.

Share Your Good News!!

Send information and photos for this column to [email protected]