Newswise — Neurosurgeon Keith L. Black, M.D., received the Thomas Bradley Unsung Hero Award at the annual fundraising event of the California African American Museum (CAAM) in Los Angeles, Saturday evening, Oct. 20.
Black, chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery and director of the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, was honored for his medical, surgical and scientific efforts. Recognized as one of the top neurosurgeons in the nation, he is equally well known for his groundbreaking research in the treatment of brain tumors. His work has been the subject of numerous TV and print stories, locally, nationally and internationally.
His study of a natural mechanism called the blood-brain barrier led to a thousand-fold increase in the amount of chemotherapy reaching brain tumors. As a result of this work, he received the Jacob Javits award from the National Advisory Neurological Disorders and Stroke Council of the National Institutes of Health. The award recognizes research likely to have a high impact on science.
Black also developed a vaccine for the most aggressive and deadly form of brain cancer. Clinical trials are now in progress at Cedars-Sinai, and additional research is ongoing to further enhance the experimental treatment.
Accepting the award from CAAM board member Leon Banks, M.D., Black noted that he believes patients fighting potentially devastating conditions are the true unsung heroes.
Also at the event, 80-year-old sculptor and painter Artis Lane was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award for her work spanning more than 60 years, and the Annenberg Foundation received the Partnership Award for its outstanding support of many nonprofit educational and cultural organizations, including CAAM. Wallis Annenberg, vice president and a trustee of the foundation established by Walter Annenberg, her father, accepted the award.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, state Sen. Ed Vincent, state Assembly members Mike Davis and Curren Price, and Los Angeles City Council member Jan Perry were among the more than 400 guests. L. Charmayne Mills and Sylvia Hart, co-chairs of the event for Friends, the Foundation of the California African American Museum, the museum's major support group, estimated proceeds from the evening to be about $105,000. The funds will continue CAAM's work to research, collect, preserve and interpret the history, art and culture of African Americans.
A black-tie event including dinner, dancing, entertainment, a live auction and a silent auction, "An Artful Evening at CAAM" was the museum's third annual fund-raiser. A state-funded agency, CAAM relies heavily on fund-raising efforts to supplement its budget. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center was one of more than a dozen organizations providing support for the event.
The first in Southern California and one of only 10 hospitals in the state whose nurses have been honored with the prestigious Magnet designation, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is one of the largest nonprofit academic medical centers in the Western United States. For 19 consecutive years, it has been named Los Angeles' most preferred hospital for all health needs in an independent survey of area residents. Cedars-Sinai is internationally renowned for its diagnostic and treatment capabilities as well as breakthroughs in biomedical research and superlative medical education. It ranks among the top 10 non-university hospitals in the nation for its research activities and is fully accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, Inc. (AAHRPP). Additional information is available at www.cedars-sinai.edu.
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