Young Cancer Doctors To Be Recognized For Important Contributions To Gastrointestinal Cancers Research

Main Category: GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology
Article Date: 16 Jan 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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Twenty-five leading oncology fellows from across the globe will receive a Merit Award from The ASCO Cancer Foundation for their outstanding contributions to cancer research of the gastrointestinal tract. These young investigators will be honored at the 2008 Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancers Symposium, which takes place January 25-27 in Orlando.

"The future of cancer research and treatment resides with our young investigators and it is important that we recognize and encourage these bright minds early in their careers," said S. Gail Eckhardt, MD, chair of the GI Symposium Steering Committee. "It is wonderful to see these young doctors' commitment to cancer research, treatment and patient care, and we hope these awards will help further their work in this field."

The ASCO Foundation Merit Awards are designed to promote clinical cancer research by young scientists. Recipients will receive funding to help with travel expenses to the GI Cancers Symposium as well as the opportunity to present their research at the meeting.

This year's Symposium will feature nearly 600 abstracts on a variety of gastrointestinal cancers including cancers of the esophagus, stomach, intestinal tract, pancreas, and liver and related organs. These cancers are diagnosed in more than a quarter-million people in the U.S. every year.

Four leading medical specialty societies co-sponsor the three-day, multidisciplinary meeting including the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) and the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO).

Merit Award Recipients
(Research titles available upon request)

Hendrik-Toblas Arkenau, MD
The Royal Marsden Hospital

Brian Badgwell, MD
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

Hyun-Mi Bae, MD
Seoul National University Hospital

Boris Blechacz, MD
College of Medicine at Mayo Clinic

Jianfeng Cheng, MD, PhD
Sound Shore Medical Center of Westchester

Winson Y. Cheung, MD
University of Toronto

Nikolaos A Dallas, MD
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

Phuong L Doan, MD
Duke University

Keith F Fournier, MD
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

Puja Gaur, MD
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

Kimberly A. Jones, MD
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah

Sven A. Lang, MD
University of Regensburg Medical Center

Sherry J. Lim, MD
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

Halla S Nimeiri, MD
University of Chicago

Sheela Rao, MBBS
The Royal Marsden Hospital

Daniel Ruan, MD
University of California, San Francisco

Carl Schmidt, MD
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Rajesh Sehgal, MD
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Eric T. Shinohara, MD
University of Pennsylvania

Aaron C. Spalding, MD, PhD
University of Michigan

Naureen Starling
The Royal Marsden Hospital

Jayme B. Stokes, MD
University of Virginia

Michael Swartz, MD
Johns Hopkins University

Raymond E. Tsao, MD
Cleveland Clinic Foundation

George Van Buren II, MD
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

The 2008 Merit Awards are supported by: Aptium Oncology; Novartis Oncology; OSI Oncology; and sanofi-aventis U.S.

About ASCO

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is the world's leading professional organization representing physicians who care for people with cancer. With more than 25,000 members, ASCO is committed to improving cancer care through scientific meetings, educational programs and peer-reviewed journals. For ASCO information and resources, visit http://www.asco.org/presscenter.

American Society of Clinical Oncology.

About The ASCO Cancer Foundation

The ASCO Cancer Foundation supports educational programs of the highest quality in cancer care and prevention; facilitates the dissemination of information about cancer and cancer treatment to patients and their families; and, through its grants program, supports, encourages, and recognizes excellence in clinical research in the field of oncology.

The ASCO Cancer Foundation