Newswise — Fairfax, Va., August 13, 2014—The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has selected 43 recipients to receive a total of $35,500 for the 2014 Annual Meeting Abstract Awards. The awardees will be recognized at ASTRO’s 56th Annual Meeting, September 14-17, 2014, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.
“ASTRO’s Annual Meeting showcases top radiation oncology research from around the world, and this year, a record-breaking 2,864 abstracts were submitted. This important research provides insight into significant advances in both technology and biology that Annual Meeting attendees can use to continue to move our field forward and to help improve cancer care for patients worldwide,” said ASTRO President Bruce G. Haffty, MD, FASTRO. “Congratulations to the 43 researchers honored with these awards.”
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 (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. Recipients, who are ASTRO members, are either a current resident-in-training or out of training for up to one year. The 2014 Resident Clinical/Basic Science Research Abstract Award recipients are:• Andrew Sharabi, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore (Radiation and Cancer Biology)• Madhu Sudhan Reddy Gudur, PhD, Stanford University, Stanford, California (Radiation Physics)• Stephanie Markovina, MD, PhD, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis (Clinical Practice)
The Resident Digital Poster 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 will be recognized with trophies during the Poster Viewing Reception on Monday, September 15 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. in Hall D. The 2014 Resident Digital Poster Recognition Award recipients are:• Pranshu Mohindra, MD, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin (Radiation and Cancer Biology)• Adam Gladwish, MD, University of Toronto, Toronto (Radiation Physics)• Kim Cao, MD, Institut Curie, Paris (Clinical Practice)
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 (radiation and cancer biology, clinical practice and radiation physics) are awarded this recognition. Recipients receive the trophy award during the Poster Viewing Reception on Monday, September 15 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. in Hall D. The 2014 Resident Poster Viewing Recognition Award recipients are:
Clinical Practice:• First place: Steven Sckolnik, MD, University of Arizona, Tuscon, Arizona• Second place: Jessica Zhou, MD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan• Third place: Thomas Mullen, MD, PhD, University of Washington, Seattle
Radiation and Cancer Biology:• First place: Nils Nicolay, MD, PhD, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany • Second place: Kate Barrett, MD, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto • Third place: Chi Zhang, MD, PhD, Columbia University Medical Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York
Radiation Physics: • First place: Paul Romesser, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York• Second place: Roohi Gupta, PhD, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia • Third place: Ziad Simon Fawaz, MD, University of Montreal Health Centre, Montreal
The Basic Science Abstract Award recognizes up to 10 basic scientists (lead authors) of abstracts selected for presentation at the 2014 Annual Meeting, in the biology or physics categories, with a $1,000 grant and a certificate. Up to five awards are available in each category. 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 2014 Basic Science Abstract Award are:
Radiation and Cancer Biology:• Masayuki Matsuo, MD, PhD, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland• Everett Moding, BS, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina• Ngoc Pham, BS, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston• Corey Speers, MD, PhD, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, Michigan• Daniel Spratt, MD, BS, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York
Radiation Physics:• Ganiyu Asuni, PhD, Cancercare Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba• Jeremy Booth, PhD, Northern Sydney Cancer Centre, Sydney• Fiona Hegi-Johnson, MBBS, University of Sydney, Sydney• Xia Li, PhD, University of Nevada, Las Vegas• Yana Zlateva, MS, McGill University, Montreal
The Annual Meeting Scientific Abstract/Travel Award recognizes outstanding abstracts submitted by early career scientists, biologists and physicists. Up to 15 awards of $1,000 each are given (five in each category) to help offset travel expenses to attend ASTRO’s Annual Meeting. Awardees are the lead authors of high-scoring abstracts selected for presentation at the 2014 ASTRO Annual Meeting. The 2014 Annual Meeting Scientific Abstract Award recipients are:
Clinical Practice: • Kamran Ahmed, MD, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida• Ben Creelan, MD, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida• Clement Ho, MD, MS, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta• Anthony Paravati, MD, MBA, University of California, San Diego• John Vargo, MD, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh
Radiation and Cancer Biology:• Miran Blanchard, MD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota• Nevine Hanna, MD, MPH, University of California, Irvine, California• Amanda Walker, MD, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore• Christopher Wright, BS, Thomas Jefferson Medical School, Philadelphia• Zachary Zumsteg, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York
Radiation Physics: • Olivia Kelada, MS, BS, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut• Yilin Liu, PhD, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina• Jan Schuemann, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston• Almut Troeller, MS, Beaumont Health System, Royal Oak, Michigan• Stephen Yip, PhD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston
The International–U.S. Annual Meeting Scientific Abstract Award provides a $4,000 grant to a radiation oncologist from a developing country (as defined by the World Bank’s criteria) to attend ASTRO’s Annual Meeting and to spend one week 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. Recipients are the lead author of an abstract selected for presentation at the 2014 ASTRO Annual Meeting and have a letter of support from the chair/mentor of the U.S. institution that will host the awardee at their cancer center. The awardee must submit a written summary of their Annual Meeting participation and the experience garnered at the host cancer center. The award will be presented at the International Attendee Welcome Breakfast on Sunday, September 14 from 6:45 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. The recipient of the 2014 International – U.S. Annual Meeting Scientific Abstract Award is:• Yun Chiang, MD, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
The Annual Meeting Nurse Abstract Award honors the two highest rated abstracts 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 2014 ASTRO Annual Meeting. Awardees will be recognized with a $1,000 grant and certificate at the Nurses’ Luncheon on Saturday, September 13 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. The 2014 Annual Meeting Nurses’ Abstract Award recipients are: • Chiaki Fujioka, RN, Tane General Hospital, Osaka, Japan• Diane Serra, MS, RN, Mount Sinai Beth Israel Medical Center, New York
ASTRO’s 56th Annual Meeting, to be held at San Francisco’s Moscone Center, September 14-17, 2014, is the nation’s premier scientific meeting in radiation oncology. The 2014 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 G. Haffty, MD, FASTRO, a radiation oncologist specializing in breast cancer, the theme of the 2014 Meeting is “Targeting Cancer: Technology and Biology,” and the Presidential Symposium, “Local-regional Management of Breast Cancer: A Changing Paradigm,” will feature Jay R. Harris, MD, FASTRO, and Thomas A. Buchholz, MD, FASTRO, to highlight recent practice-changing, landmark studies and current developments in the local-regional management of breast cancer. ASTRO’s four-day scientific meeting includes presentation of up to four plenary papers, 360 oral presentations, 1,862 posters and 144 digital posters in more than 50 educational sessions and scientific panels for 20 disease-site tracks. Three keynote speakers will address a range of topics including oncologic imaging, biology and targeting in oncology, and human error and safety concerns: Hedvig Hricak, MD, PhD, Chair of the Department of Radiology and the Carroll and Milton Petrie Chair at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Frank McCormick, PhD, FRS, DSc (hon), Professor Emeritus and the David A. Wood Distinguished Professor of Tumor Biology and Cancer Research of the University of California at San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center; and Sidney Dekker, PhD, MA, MSc, Professor and Director of the Safety Science Innovation Lab at Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.
For more information about ASTRO’s 56th Annual Meeting, visit www.astro.org/AnnualMeeting. For press registration and media policies for ASTRO’s 56th Annual Meeting, visit www.astro.org/AMPress.
ABOUT ASTRO ASTRO is the premier radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 10,000 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 two medical journals, International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics (www.redjournal.org) and Practical Radiation Oncology (www.practicalradonc.org); 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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