If you asked a hundred people to rate a hundred movies, you would generate enough data to be able to make some predictions. Someone who enjoyed Notting Hill would likely enjoy Pretty Woman, for instance; the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie will likely be a hit with longtime Marvel fans.

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation is pleased to announce that it will increase its Fellowship stipend by 15% over the award’s four-year term. Under the new terms, the Fellowship stipend will start at $70,000 and increase by $2,000 each year. Fellows will continue to receive an additional $2,000 each year for research-related expenses, for a total of $300,000 over the four years.

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS), established in 1863, is the body of distinguished researchers “charged with providing independent, objective advice to the nation on matters related to science and technology.” Election to membership is among the highest honors a scientist can receive. This year, three Damon Runyon alumnae joined the NAS ranks, bringing the total number of Damon Runyon alumni in NAS to 100.

At the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, held this spring in Orlando, former Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator John V. Heymach, MD, PhD, started with the bad news.

It is with shock and profound sadness that we announce the passing of Damon Runyon Board Member Meghan Raveis on Friday, June 23. She was hit by a car while walking near her home in Fairfield, Connecticut. We send our deepest condolences to Meghan’s husband and their three children, as well as to the entire Raveis family.

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation held its Annual Breakfast at Cipriani 42^nd Street in New York on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. The event raised over $1 million to support promising early-career scientists pursuing innovative strategies to prevent, diagnose, and treat all forms of cancer.

David M. Livingston, MD, was an internationally recognized expert on the role of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in breast and ovarian cancer and a beloved member of the scientific community. He served on the Board of Directors at Damon Runyon from 1992 until his death in 2021, including fourteen years as Vice Chair of Scientific Programs.

Three scientists with exceptional promise and novel approaches to fighting cancer have been named the 2023 recipients of the Damon Runyon Physician-Scientist Training Award. The awardees were selected through a highly competitive and rigorous process by a scientific committee comprised of leading cancer researchers who are themselves physician-scientists.

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital announced a new pediatric-focused fellowship today. The initiative aims to help address the critical shortage of top young scientists who often seek more prevalent opportunities in adult cancer research or the pharmaceutical sector. The Damon Runyon–St. Jude Pediatric Cancer Research Fellowship will fund up to 25 fellowships over eight years, a $9 million investment.

Imagine you have just learned that you are genetically predisposed to developing blood cancer. Everyone acquires mutations in their blood as they age, your doctor explains, but certain mutations carry higher risk than others. When a mutation occurs in a blood stem cell and confers an evolutionary advantage, that mutant blood stem cell will give rise to a whole subpopulation of cells with the same mutation. This is known as clonal hematopoiesis (CH), and again, it is a normal age-related phenomenon.