"AACR remains strongly committed to increasing the number of minority and underrepresented scientists and advancing their careers in cancer research," said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of AACR.
Three programs highlighted here – AACR-Minority Scholar Awards in Cancer Research, AACR-HBCU Faculty Scholar Awards in Cancer Research, and AACR-WICR Brigid G. Leventhal Scholars in Cancer Research – enable researchers from underrepresented groups in cancer research to participate in the 2003 AACR Annual Meeting. This year's award recipients, along with their affiliations, appear as an attachment.
Seventy-six early career minority scientists will receive AACR-Minority Scholar Awards in Cancer Research from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) for the year 2003.
AACR-Minority Scholar Awards in Cancer Research encourage participation in the Annual Meeting by scientists from groups that are traditionally underrepresented among cancer researchers. These populations include African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and Native Pacific Islanders. The grants, supported by a generous grant from the Comprehensive Minority Biomedical Program of the National Cancer Institute, are awarded to outstanding early career researchers based on review of an application and, in most cases, an abstract submitted for the AACR Annual Meeting. While at the meeting, Minority Scholar Award winners participate in networking events and provide detailed reports of their experiences. The 2003 award recipients appear on the attachment.
Sixteen full-time faculty members from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) will be participating in the 2003 AACR Annual Meeting, thanks to AACR-HBCU Faculty Scholar Awards in Cancer Research. These awards, also supported by a grant from the Comprehensive Minority Biomedical Program of the National Cancer Institute, are designed to foster the participation of scientists at the level of Assistant Professor or above at an HBCU who are engaged in meritorious basic, clinical or translational cancer research.
AACR-HBCU Faculty Scholar Awards in Cancer Research help strengthen the scientific knowledge base of faculty members at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and encourage these faculty members and their students to pursue and sustain their careers in cancer research. The 2003 award recipients are listed on the attachment.
The AACR-Women in Cancer Research Council works to promote and increase the professional development and achievements of women in the field of cancer research. The Council sponsors the AACR-WICR Brigid G. Leventhal Scholars in Cancer Research Awards, which provide funding to enable promising early career cancer researchers who are members of Women in Cancer Research to participate in the AACR Annual Meeting. This year, ten presenters of meritorious abstracts have been selected as Leventhal Scholars. Their names and affiliations appear on the attachment.
See attached list of award recipients.
Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is a professional society of more than 20,000 laboratory and clinical scientists engaged in cancer research in the United States and 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 meeting attracts more than 15,000 participants who share new and significant discoveries in the cancer field, and the AACR's specialty meetings throughout the year focus on all the important areas of basic, translational and clinical cancer research.
List of AACR Award Recipients from Underrepresented Groups for the 2003 Annual Meeting
2003 AACR-Minority Scholar Awards in Cancer Research
Deloris Alexander, Ph.D., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
James R. Arteaga, M.D., University of California, Los Angeles, California
Nicolas G. Azios, B.S., University of Texas, Austin, Texas
Joe Barber, Jr., B.S., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Juan A. Barboza, B.S., UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Diana Bello-DeOcampo, Ph.D., Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
Anika C. Bissahoyo, B.S., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Pedro A. Boria, D.V.M., Purdue University, W. Lafayette, Indiana
Maryam L. Boseman, Dillard University, New Orleans, Louisiana
Sylvia G. Bovio, M.D., University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas
Telih Boyiri, Ph.D., American Health Foundation, Valhalla, New York
Joseph W. Briggs, B.S., Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia
Erika T. Brown, Ph.D., University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado
Winnifred M. Bryant, Ph.D., University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
Cherie L. Butts, Ph.D., UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Johnnie L. Byrd, B.S., University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Emiro E. Caicedo-Granados, M.D., Western Pennsylvania Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Leslie A. Castelo-Soccio, B.S., Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York
Valerie J. Daugherty, M.A., Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee
Kristin M. Dittmar, B.S., University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida
S. Nicole Driggins, B.A.,Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee
Stephanie A. Duell, B.S., Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
Erica L. DuPree, M.S., Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio
Ekem T. Efuet, Ph.D., UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Pedro F. Escobar, M.D., Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio
Malik J. Francis, M.S., University of California, Los Angeles, California
Brandi K. Freeman, B.S., Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
Jasmine P. Gaines, B.S., University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama
Mario R. Green, M.S., Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, Florida
Lisa R. Gued, B.S. Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, Florida
Véronique Guillemard, M.S., McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Yanira Gutierrez-Figueroa, B.S., Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana
Shalonda B. Halsey, B.S., Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, Georgia
Pier S. Hannah, Ph.D., Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
Permila D. Harrell, B.S., Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
Charletha V. Irvin-Wilson, B.S., Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee
Efe W. Iyamu, Ph.D., Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jerry J. Jaboin, B.S.,* National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
Carmilia Jiménez-Ramirez, B.S., Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Laundette P. Jones, Ph.D., Lombardi Cancer Center, Washington, District of Columbia
Monica B. Jones, M.D., Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
Claudia C. Leiras, M.S., Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York
Kristin L. Lockett, B.S., Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Patricia S. Lorenzo, Ph.D., University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii
Erica D. Louden, B.S., Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, Georgia
Jeanelle M. Martinez, Ph.D.* National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Res. Triangle Park, North Carolina
Magaly Martinez-Ferrer, M.S., Alabama A&M University, Normal, Alabama
Kristy L. McDowell, B.A., Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee
Tamara N. McKenzie, B.S., York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Judith F. McKoy, Ph.D., Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, New York, New York
Eduardo Mendez, M.D., University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
Claudia P. Miller, M.S., University of Texas, Houston, Texas
Gustavo A. Miranda, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles, California
Kenute A. Myrie, M.S., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Rene Nieves, Ph.D., University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Chinonye C. Nnakwe, B.S., University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Carmen A. Perez, B.S., Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
Marianela Perez, B.S., University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Chelsea D. Pinnix, B.S., The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Vanessa Pino, B.S., University of Miami, Miami, Florida
Alisa C. Plummer-Griffin, M.S., Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, Georgia
Victoria P. Ramsauer, Ph.D., University of Miami, Miami, Florida
Jeanette A. Richards, D.Phil., Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
Checo J. Rorie, B.S., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Lupe G. Salazar, M.D., University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
Ricardo F. Sanchez-Ortiz, M.D., UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Kenyatta W. Stephens, B.S., Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
Marta Torroella-Kouri, Ph.D., University of Miami, Miami, Florida
Jean-Claude Twizere, Ph.D., Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
Blanca L. Valle Santiago, B.S., University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Rukiyah T. Van Dross, Ph.D., University of Kansas, Kansas City, Kansas
Renier Velez-Cruz, B.S., Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
Aubrey Watkins, III, M.S., Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Shalmica R. Williams, B.S., University of Kansas, Kansas City, Kansas
Shanita D. Williams-Brown, Ph.D.,* National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
Ofelia L. Zegarra-Moro, M.D., Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
(*Additional funding provided by the National Cancer Institute Center for Cancer Research.)
2003 AACR-HBCU Faculty Scholar Awards in Cancer Research
Olufemi J. Adegoke, Dr.PH., Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee
Felix O. Aikhionbare, Ph.D., Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia
Carolyn W. Broome, Ph.D., Howard University, Washington, District of Columbia
Cynthia D. Burroughs, Ph.D., Philander Smith College, Little Rock, Arkansas
Yuanjian Deng, Ph.D., Texas Southern University, Houston, Texas
Ibrahim O. Farah, Ph.D., D.V.M., Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi
Delores J. Grant, Ph.D., North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina
James W. Lillard., Jr., Ph.D., Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia
Godwin O. Mbagwu, Ph.D., Virginia State University, Petersburg, Virginia
Sharon L. McWhinney, Ph.D., Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Texas
Olatunde Okediji, Ph.D., Albany State University, Albany, New York
Xiaowu Pang, Ph.D., Howard University, Washington, District of Columbia
Jacqueline J. Stevens, Ph.D., Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi
Teletia R. Taylor, Ph.D., Howard University, Washington, District of Columbia
Paul C. Wang, Ph.D., Howard University, Washington, District of Columbia
Yanfei Zhou, Ph.D., Howard University, Washington, District of Columbia
2003 AACR-WICR Brigid G. Leventhal Scholars in Cancer Research
Allison L. Allan, Ph.D., London Regional Cancer Center, London, Ontario, Canada
Andrea D. Basso, Ph.D., Cornell University, New York, New York
Stephanie L. Cobb, B.S., University of Texas, Galveston, Texas
Karin E. de Visser, Ph.D., University of California, San Francisco, California
Yan Dong, Ph.D., Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York
Ayse E. Erson, M.S., University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ester M. Hammond, Ph.D., Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
Faye M. Johnson, M.D., UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Sok Kean Khoo, Ph.D., Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Melinda S. Merchant, M.D., Ph.D., National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland