ASTRO awards $33,500 in individual grants to 41 researchers presenting at 2015 Annual Meeting

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has selected 41 recipients to receive a total of $33,500 for the 2015 Annual Meeting Abstract Awards. The awardees will be recognized at ASTRO’s 57th Annual Meeting, October 18-21, 2015 at the Henry B. González Convention Center in San Antonio.

“The excellent contribution by top radiation oncologist researchers to the field, as well as to ASTRO’s 57th Annual Meeting, has continued this year with more than 2,800 abstract submissions received,” said ASTRO President Bruce D. Minsky, MD, FASTRO. “These abstracts represent the important work that awardees have done to advance the field of radiation, leading to improved cancer care for patients. We congratulate this year’s 41 award recipients.”

The Resident Clinical/Basic Science Research Abstract Award recognizes the top three resident authors of the leading abstracts in radiation and cancer biology, clinical practice and radiation physics with one award in each of these categories. Award winners will receive $1,500 and a trophy during the scientific session in which their abstract is presented, as well as complimentary Annual Meeting registration. Recipients, who are ASTRO members, are either a current resident-in-training or out of training for up to one year. The 2015 Resident Clinical/Basic Science Research Abstract Award recipients are:

• Shariq Khwaja, MD, PhD, Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis (clinical practice)
• Shuang Zhao, MD, MSE, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (radiation and cancer biology)
• Alec Block, MD, Loyola University Medical Center, Chicago (radiation physics)

The Basic/Translational Science Abstract Award recognizes basic and translational scientists of top-rated abstracts selected for presentation at the 2015 Annual Meeting, in the clinical practice, radiation and cancer biology, or radiation physics categories. Recipients will receive a $1,000 honorarium, certificate and complimentary Annual Meeting registration. A total of 10 awards will be granted in three categories. Junior investigators must have completed an ACGME-accredited residency or PhD program no more than four years prior to the deadline, and senior investigators must be biologists or physicists four to 10 years post-PhD or board certification, whichever comes later. Recipients of the 2015 Basic/Translational Science Abstract Award are:

Clinical practice:

• Encouse Golden, MD, PhD, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York
• Frank Giordano, MD, University Medical Center Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
• Sungjune Kim, MD, PhD, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida

Radiation and cancer biology:

• David Azria, MD, PhD, Institut du Cancer de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
• Mohamed Abazeed, MD, PhD, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland
• Zachary Morris, MD, PhD, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison, Wisconsin

Radiation physics:

• Nan Li, PhD, Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California
• Stephen Yip, PhD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston
• Baderaldeen Altazi, MS, Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute/University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida
• Yi Cui, PhD, Global Station for Quantum Medical Science and Engineering, Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education (GI-CoRE), Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan and Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University, Stanford, California

The Resident Poster Viewing Recognition Award recognizes the highest rated, resident-submitted abstracts selected for paper poster presentations. The top three resident authors in each category (clinical practice, radiation and cancer biology and radiation physics) are awarded this recognition. Recipients receive a trophy. The 2015 Resident Poster Viewing Recognition Award recipients are:

Clinical practice:

• James Melotek, MD, The University of Chicago, Chicago
• Rupesh Kotecha, MD, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland
• Ajeet Gandhi, MD, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi

Radiation and cancer biology:

• Jordan Torok, MD, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
• Darrion Mitchell, MD, PhD, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa
• Alexei Polishchuk, MD, PhD, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco

Radiation physics:

• Christopher Wilke, MD, PhD, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis
• Zhilei Shen, PhD, Cleveland Clinic, Highland Heights, Ohio
• Alan Lee, MD, Montefiore Medical Center, New York

The Resident ePoster Recognition Award honors the three highest rated abstracts selected for digital poster discussions by residents who are the lead author. Awards are presented for one abstract in each category: radiation and cancer biology, clinical practice and radiation physics. Awardees receive a trophy. The 2015 Resident ePoster Recognition Award recipients are:

• Chad Tang, MD, The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston (radiation and cancer biology)
• Henry Park, MD, MPH, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut (clinical practice)
• Michael Repka, MD, Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, D.C. (radiation physics)

The Annual Meeting Travel Award recognizes outstanding abstracts submitted by early career scientists, biologists and physicists. Fourteen awards of $1,000 each will be given to help offset travel expenses to attend ASTRO’s Annual Meeting, along with a certificate and complimentary Annual Meeting registration. Awardees are the lead authors of high-scoring abstracts selected for presentation at the 2015 ASTRO Annual Meeting. The 2015 Annual Meeting Scientific Abstract Award recipients are:

Clinical practice:

• Israel Fortin, MD, MS, C.H. de l’Universite de Montreal, Montreal
• Rahul Parikh, MD, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey
• Talha Shaikh, MD, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia
• Lindsay Burt, MD, University of Utah Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City
• Zabi Wardak, MD, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas

Radiation and cancer biology:

• Andrew Sharabi, MD, PhD, University of California, San Diego, San Diego
• Susan Hiniker, MD, Stanford University, Stanford, California
• Christina Speirs, MD, PhD, Center for Advanced Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis
• Vikram Jairam, BS, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut

Radiation physics:

• Nichole Maughan, MS, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis
• Wu Liu, PhD, DABR, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
• Ross Bland, MD, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
• Chunhao Wang, MS, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
• Sarah Mattonen, BS, Western University, London, Canada

The International – U.S. Annual Meeting Scientific Abstract Award provides a $4,000 grant to a radiation oncologist from a developing country (based on the World Bank’s definition) to attend ASTRO’s Annual Meeting and to spend additional time at a comprehensive cancer center in the United States. The award fosters continuing medical education, assists in career development and aids in establishing relationships with ASTRO members who may serve as scientific mentors to the award winner. The recipient is the lead author of an abstract selected for presentation at the 2015 ASTRO Annual Meeting and has a letter of support from the chair/mentor of the U.S. institution that will host the awardee at his or her cancer center. The awardee must submit a written summary of their Annual Meeting participation and the experience garnered at the host cancer center. The recipient of the 2015 International – U.S. Annual Meeting Scientific Abstract Award is:

• Shuanghu Yuan, MD, PhD, Shandong Cancer Hospital, Jinan, China

The Annual Meeting Nurses Abstract Award honors the highest rated abstract with a nursing designation. Award candidates must be nurses who are the lead author or co-author of an abstract selected for presentation at the 2015 ASTRO Annual Meeting. One award of $1,000 will be given, along with a certificate and complimentary Annual Meeting registration. The 2015 Annual Meeting Nurses’ Abstract Award recipient is:

• Bridgett Harr, MSN, APRN, AOCNP, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland

ASTRO’s 57th Annual Meeting, to be held at the Henry B. González Convention Center in San Antonio, October 18-21, 2015, is the nation’s premier scientific meeting in radiation oncology. The 2015 Annual Meeting is expected to attract more than 11,000 attendees including oncologists from all disciplines, medical physicists, dosimetrists, radiation therapists, radiation oncology nurses and nurse practitioners, biologists, physician assistants, practice administrators, industry representatives and other health care professionals from around the world. Led by ASTRO President Bruce D. Minsky, MD, FASTRO, a radiation oncologist specializing in gastrointestinal cancers, professor of radiation oncology, and The Frank T. McGraw Memorial Chair at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, the theme of the 2015 Meeting is “Technology Meets Patient Care.” Dr. Minsky’s Presidential Symposium, “Multidisciplinary Management of Esophageal and Rectal Cancers,” will feature Leonard L. Gunderson, MD, MS, FASTRO, and Joel E. Tepper, MD, FASTRO, to highlight imaging, staging, genomics and data mining approaches, as well as the latest advances in esophageal and colorectal cancer treatment. ASTRO’s four-day scientific meeting includes presentation of more than 2,100 abstracts: up to four plenary papers, 351 oral presentations, 1,609 posters and 171 digital posters in more than 52 educational sessions and 26 scientific panels for 20 disease-site tracks. Three keynote speakers will address a range of topics including cancer biology in radiation oncology, the essential roles of a physician, and patient safety: Arul Chinnaiyan, MD, PhD, Professor and Director, Michigan Center for Translational Pathology; Francisco G. Cigarroa, MD, Past President and Chancellor, University of Texas; and Gerald B. Hickson, MD, Senior Vice President and Assistant Vice Chancellor, Vanderbilt University Medical Center. 

For more information about ASTRO’s 57th Annual Meeting, visit www.astro.org/AnnualMeeting.

For press registration and media policies for ASTRO’s 57th Annual Meeting, visit www.astro.org/AMPress.

Erin L. Boyle
703-839-7336
erin.boyle@astro.org

ABOUT ASTRO

ASTRO is the premier radiation oncology society in the world, with nearly 11,000 members who are physicians, nurses, biologists, physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and other health care professionals that specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As the leading organization in radiation oncology, the Society is dedicated to improving patient care through professional education and training, support for clinical practice and health policy standards, advancement of science and research, and advocacy. ASTRO publishes three medical journals, International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics (www.redjournal.org), Practical Radiation Oncology (www.practicalradonc.org) and Advances in Radiation Oncology; developed and maintains an extensive patient website, www.rtanswers.org; and created the Radiation Oncology Institute (www.roinstitute.org), a non-profit foundation to support research and education efforts around the world that enhance and confirm the critical role of radiation therapy in improving cancer treatment. To learn more about ASTRO, visit www.astro.org.

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