American Association For Cancer Research CEO Receives Lifetime Achievement Award From The European CanCer Organisation

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 18 Sep 2009 - 1:00 PDT

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Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the American Association for Cancer Research, will receive the inaugural European CanCer Organisation Award for Lifetime Achievement on Sept. 21, 2009, in Berlin. This award honors Foti's outstanding contributions to cancer research and her remarkable scientific leadership in the worldwide cancer community.

"Under Dr. Foti's leadership, the AACR has become a unique organization promoting worldwide collaboration," said Alexander Eggermont, M.D., Ph.D., president of ECCO. "By bringing together leading scientists from around the globe, she opens the doors for research partnerships that lead to breakthrough developments in cancer treatment and prevention. We are honored to recognize Dr. Foti's lasting impact on international cancer science and medicine."

The ECCO Board of Directors established the Award for Lifetime Achievement earlier this year to honor an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the fight against cancer by demonstrating a lifetime commitment to defeating the disease. Foti will receive the award at the Opening Session of the ECCO 15-34th ESMO Multidisciplinary Congress.

"It is an extraordinary honor to receive this award from ECCO, a remarkable organization that represents 24 cancer organizations and over 50,000 cancer professionals in Europe, one that fosters excellence in research, education, policy and treatment. Because of its important mission to promote partnerships among individuals and organizations in the cancer field, AACR being one of them, ECCO continues to have an enormous impact on quality patient care," said Foti. "The AACR and I look forward to continued collaborations with ECCO to raise awareness of cancer as a serious public health problem, promote worldwide collaboration and support research for the good of cancer patients everywhere."

Foti has been CEO of the American Association for Cancer Research since 1982. During her tenure, membership has grown from 3,000 to 30,000 scientists residing in nearly 90 countries. She began her career as an editorial assistant for Cancer Research, the most highly cited cancer journal in the world, and was rapidly promoted to managing editor. Under Foti's leadership, the AACR has launched five additional journals that together contribute 20 percent of all peer-reviewed cancer literature.

In addition, the AACR convenes more than 20 meetings a year worldwide on timely scientific subjects and five educational workshops that train basic and clinical scientists. These conferences draw thousands and lay the groundwork for ongoing collaboration, leading to the acceleration of the latest breakthroughs in the field. The AACR also holds think tanks on high-priority scientific areas, facilitates programs that bring together scientists and survivors on issues of mutual interest, plays a key role in science policy and is the scientific partner of Stand Up To Cancer, a groundbreaking translational research funding initiative launched in 2008 which has provided funding for meritorious research that is being conducted in Europe.

In June, Foti was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Medicine from the University of San Pablo CEU in Madrid. She also holds Honorary Doctorates in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Rome La Sapienza and from the University of Catania in Sicily. Earlier this year, she received the first Margaret Kripke Legend Award from the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, and she was cited in August by Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter for her dedication to increasing public awareness of the importance of cancer research.

Foti's other national and international awards include the: Award of Appreciation from the Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Chairpersons, Award with Recognition and Appreciation from the Israel Cancer Association, Italian League Against Cancer Commendation, Distinguished Service Award from the George Washington University Medical Center's GW Cancer Institute, Distinguished Service Award from the Association of American Cancer Institutes, AACR Margaret Foti Award for Leadership and Extraordinary Achievements in Cancer Research, Ville de Paris Award, Cina del Duca Award for raising public awareness of cancer globally, Community Caring Award from the William S. Graham Foundation for Melanoma Research and the Special Recognition Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is to prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, AACR is the world's oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research. The membership includes 30,000 basic, translational and clinical researchers; health care professionals; and cancer survivors and advocates in the United States and nearly 90 other countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise from the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer through high-quality scientific and educational programs. It funds innovative, meritorious research grants, research fellowship and career development awards. The AACR Annual Meeting attracts more than 16,000 participants who share the latest discoveries and developments in the field. Special conferences throughout the year present novel data across a wide variety of topics in cancer research, treatment and patient care. The AACR publishes six major peer-reviewed journals: Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention; and Cancer Prevention Research. The AACR also publishes CR, a magazine for cancer survivors and their families, patient advocates, physicians and scientists. CR provides a forum for sharing essential, evidence-based information and perspectives on progress in cancer research, survivorship and advocacy.

About ECCO

ECCO is a non-profit organization formed in September 2007 to replace the Federation of European Cancer Societies (FECS). It has six founding members: EACR (European Association for Cancer Research), EONS (European Oncology Nursing Society), ESMO (European Society of Medical Oncology), ESSO (European Society of Surgical Oncology), ESTRO (European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology) and SIOPE (European Society for Paediatric Oncology). There are 24 member societies in total, representing more than 50,000 cancer professionals. ECCO plays an important role in engaging with policymakers to promote the interests of cancer patients, those who care for them, and those without whose research there would be no advances in treatment and care. Its official journal is the European Journal of Cancer.

About ESMO

ESMO is a non-profit leading European professional organization focused on advancing the specialty of medical oncology and promoting a multidisciplinary approach to cancer treatment and cure. It represents more than 6,000 oncology professionals in more than 100 countries. Its scientific journal, Annals of Oncology, ranks among the top clinical oncology journals worldwide. Recognized as an authoritative voice in the fight against cancer, ESMO offers consultative expertise to oncology organizations and European authorities on important issues related to cancer research, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure.

About the ECCO-ESMO congress

Since 1983 the ECCO conference has been organized every two years to promote the need for a multidisciplinary approach to cancer, and since then it has been Europe's premier cancer meeting. As of this year, the biennial multidisciplinary conference is hosted jointly by the European CanCer Organisation (ECCO) and the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO). It is the only congress in Europe that covers the entire spectrum of cancer from basic science and translational research, to prevention, treatment, nursing and supportive care for all types of tumors.

This unique platform is a forum for leading cancer experts from around the world to present their latest research and debate controversial issues surrounding the future of research, treatment and care. The congress expects to host about 15,000 participants from 120 countries, making it the largest oncology meeting in Europe to date. In more than 2,000 presentations, the conference will discuss the latest advances in prevention, treatment and survivorship, proteomics, biomarkers, pharmacogenomics and imaging, as well as the latest evidence on epidemiological trends, complementary therapies and quality of life issues. For the first time, the meeting also features a patient advocacy track and a track on oncopolicy, which is aimed at strengthening European policy on cancer research and care.

Source
ESMO

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