The Award
The Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award was launched in 2000 to help speed the process of moving laboratory discoveries to the patient bedside. It is designed to support and encourage physicians committed to translating cancer treatment research into cures, helping to address a national shortage of these specially trained scientists.
The award provides $450,000 over three years to each recipient for salary, research and staffing expenses. To address one reason for the decline of physician-scientists, the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation will also pay up to $100,000 of each recipient’s medical school debt.
The Clinical Investigator Award is highly prestigious and competitive. Award recipients are selected by a committee of internationally recognized leaders in clinical cancer research. Less than 10% of applicants receive an award.
Since 2000, 58 outstanding physician-scientists have received the Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator Award; all of them remain in clinical cancer research today. They have already made a significant impact on all areas of cancer – identifying new diagnostics, advancing the fields of epidemiology and immunology, and creating new treatments. Some of their most recent breakthroughs include:
Discovered that patients whose non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) harbor a malfunctioning version of EGFR respond dramatically to gefitinib (Iressa). Genetic screening of patients’ NSCLC tumors now allows personalized treatment decisions to be made.
William R. Sellers, MD (Clinical Investigator '01-'05)
VP and Global Head of NIBR Oncology Research, Novartis
Established the link between Human Papillomavirus and head and neck cancers, providing evidence that an HPV vaccine (such as Gardasil) may also prevent these cancers.
Maura L. Gillison MD, PhD (Clinical Investigator ’00-’05)
Jeg Coughlin Chair of Cancer Research, Professor of Internal Medicine & Epidemiology
The Ohio State University
Reported the first treatment to improve overall survival in patients with metastatic melanoma in a Phase III clinical trial of ipilimumab, recently approved by the FDA and marketed as Yervoy.
Jedd D. Wolchok, MD, PhD (Clinical Investigator ’03-’08)
Associate Attending Physician
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Demonstrated that sorafenib (Nexavar) significantly improves survival of patients with advanced thyroid cancer –a paradigm shift in the way this cancer is treated.
Marcia S. Brose, MD, PhD (Clinical Investigator ’05-’10)
Assistant Professor of Head and Neck Surgery
University of Pennsylvania Abramson Cancer Center
Achieved 100% remission in acute leukemia patients by using antibodies to deliver targeted radiation therapy, a first.
John M. Pagel, MD, PhD (Clinical Investigator ’05-’10)
Associate Member, Clinical Research Division
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center