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Our scientists remain undaunted in their important cancer research, despite the challenges and precautionary measures required to safely work in their laboratories this year. In case you missed them, here are just a few of the exciting discoveries made by Damon Runyon researchers in 2020.
The Damon Runyon Annual Breakfast looked different this year, but we were delighted to host the Reimagined Annual Breakfast virtually on December 2, 2020.
The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation is pleased to announce the new Chair of its Board of Directors, Deborah J. Coleman. Ms. Coleman was unanimously elected at the Board’s annual meeting last month. She succeeds Alan Leventhal, who has led the Board since February 2010.
Damon Runyon-National Mah Jongg League Fellow Deepshika Ramanan, PhD, has been selected as part of the 2020 class of STAT Wunderkinds, an annual award recognizing the next generation of “scientific superstars.” These researchers are blazing new trails as they tackle some of the biggest questions in science and medicine.
The Damon Runyon-Jake Wetchler Award for Pediatric Innovation is given annually to a third-year Damon Runyon Fellow whose research has the greatest potential to impact the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of pediatric cancer. This year, Damon Runyon Fellow Dian Yang, PhD, at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research received this special award.
Five alumni were elected to the National Academy of Medicine, bringing the total number of Damon Runyon scientists who are members to 37. Membership is considered to be one of the highest honors in the medical field and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.
Six months after laboratories were shuttered due to COVID-19, most of our affected Damon Runyon scientists have restarted their research with limited hours in the lab. Often, this means working in shifts either early mornings, late nights, or on weekends to maintain social distancing guidelines.
When Anthony and Lauren Terebetsky took their 7-year-old son, Ryan, to the hospital for blood tests, they were thinking about dinner, Ryan’s homework, their daughter starting spring softball, his job at the firehouse and hers as a teacher—not a life changing diagnosis.
Though the Runyon 5K, like so many things, looked a little different this year than it has in the past, participants were undaunted by the transition to a virtual race. Between August 24 and October 4, more than 450 participants walked, ran, hiked, or biked a 5K along a course of their choosing to raise funds and awareness for the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation.
Damon Runyon Fellow Tikvah K. Hayes, PhD, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, discusses the importance of creating a more diverse environment in STEM careers so that the next generation of under represented researchers will have mentors and colleagues who can better guide them through their shared experiences.
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