Newswise — Two leaders in the field of melanoma treatment – a surgeon and an oncologist – from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Election as a Fellow, a tradition that began in 1874, is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.
MD Anderson’s faculty now includes 48 AAAS Fellows, including the two newly elected Fellows:
- Jeffrey Gershenwald, M.D., professor of Surgical Oncology, for distinguished contributions to the field of clinical and translational medicine, particularly for evidence-based advances in melanoma staging and prognosis and molecular classification of melanoma.
- Patrick Hwu, M.D., head of the division of Cancer Medicine, chair of the Melanoma Medical Oncology, for distinguished contributions in the development of novel cancer immunotherapies, vaccines, and rational combinations of targeted immunotherapies, and for improving treatment outcomes for cancer patients.
“Election to AAAS recognizes outstanding achievements by Drs. Hwu and Gershenwald that have improved cancer treatment to the benefit of patients everywhere,” said MD Anderson President Peter WT Pisters, M.D. “They exemplify MD Anderson’s research-based pursuit of excellence in cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and education.”
This year, 416 members across 24 scientific disciplines ranging from astronomy to medical sciences have been awarded this honor by AAAS because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. New Fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin on Feb. 16 at the AAAS Fellows Forum during the 2019 AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
This year’s AAAS Fellows will be formally announced in the AAAS News & Notes section of the journal Science on Nov. 29, 2018.
Founded in 1874, the AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society. Fellows must be nominated by either the steering groups of the association’s 24 sections, or by any three Fellows who are current AAAS members (so long as two of them are not affiliated with the nominee's institution), or by the AAAS chief executive officer. Each steering group then reviews the nominations within its respective section and a final list is forwarded to the AAAS Council, which votes on the aggregate list.
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