Congratulations to Kathy Han, Hon. B.Sc. in Immunology, M.D. C.M., and final-year radiation oncology resident at the University of Toronto!

She has been awarded the $75,000 2012 CARO-Elekta Research Fellowship for her proposed study on ‘Optimizing MRI-guided brachytherapy in cervical cancer: target delineation, accessibility, and clinical efficacy’, to be carried out at Princess Margaret Hospital, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto.

A challenge faced by Canadian radiation oncologists is that MRI-guided brachytherapy is resource-intensive, and currently available at only a few Canadian centres. A recent Canadian Brachytherapy Group survey reported that 80% of respondents agreed that 3D image-guided brachytherapy should become standard of care for treatment of cervical cancer in Canada. Dr. Han also aims to improve accessibility to MRI-guided brachytherapy by exploring alternative ways of performing the procedure.

To learn more visit the Research Fellowship web page on the CARO-ACRO website.

Dr. Bristow is Senior Scientist, Division of Applied Molecular Oncology and Clinician-Scientist & Clinical Studies Resource Centre Member at the Ontario Cancer Institute, Princess Margaret Hospital. His research programs and clinical trials are endeavouring to find the best therapy for men with prostate cancer.

“In the field of prostate cancer, and especially as it applies to collaboration and leadership, Rob Bristow has no peer,” said Steve Jones, President and CEO of Prostate Cancer Canada. “He is internationally respected for his achievements, and universally respected for his compassion, vision and strength of character. Dr. Bristow is a committed volunteer, who was an important member of the PCC Board of Directors and Scientific Medical Advisory Committee. From being the leader and driving force behind the international ICGC-CPC Gene project, to speaking at virtually any event we ask him to attend, to working long hours with a passion that is a marvel to witness. Dr. Bristow is a most deserving choice to receive PCC’s most prestigious award.”

Sangjune won an Educational Stipend to give an oral presentation at the annual meeting on his project at the ISMRM annual scientific meeting this year.

He was also awarded the Summa Cum Laude Merit Award for the 20th Annual ISMRM meeting for the same presentation. This award is given to student members of ISMRM whose abstract scored in the top 3% of all abstracts submitted to the same general category.

This is an inspiring example of successful teamwork and multidisciplinary collaboration within the DRO! Congratulations to all!

Dr. Mary Gospodarowicz (Dept. of Radiation Oncology, University Health Network) has been awarded the 2012 CMA May Cohen Award for Women Mentors recognizing her many years of outstanding mentoring that have changed the lives and careers of so many. The award is presented to a woman physician mentor who has contributed to the success of mentees through career and leadership support, sharing of knowledge and perspective, and the building of networks of relationships to support mentees.

The Cressy awards enable UofT alumni associations to recognize the value of student contributions to the University. This award gives highly esteemed recognition to Ms Omar, as well as the UTDRO MRS Program offered jointly with The Michener Institute.

Congratulations on behalf of the Department of Radiation Oncology and the Faculty of Medicine!

This very prestigious honour is awarded by the University of Toronto for “sustained excellence in teaching over a five-year period” to a faculty member who demonstrates “creativity, innovation, style, enthusiasm, commitment, effectiveness and originality” in their Continuing Education contributions.

This is the first time that a Department of Radiation Oncology faculty member has been awarded this honour. He will receive his award at the annual Education Achievement Celebration held by the Faculty of Medicine in the spring of 2012.

Press release (excerpt):

OTTAWA, Oct. 14, 2011 /CNW/ – Five leading Canadian radiation oncologists receive RAZCER Awards of $22,727 each for novel studies of radiation-drug interactions that have the potential to either protect normal tissues or sensitize tumours, and thus to enhance the effectiveness of radiation therapy for cancer patients. A selection committee of members of the Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology (CARO) selected the 2011 recipients from among a field of 12 applicants. Astrazeneca provides the funds for the RAZCER Award as an educational grant.

Dr. Bassam Abdulkarim, committee chair, explains, “The RAZCER Award program provides our CARO members with a highly-valued source of funding to study drugs or molecular inhibitors, which may or may not include Astrazeneca compounds. In vitro and in vivo pre-clinical studies are eligible, as are correlative studies tagged to Phase 0-III clinical trials.”

The 2011 research initiatives include:

• Dr. Shun Wong of Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, and his co-investigator, Dr. Georg Bjarnason, medical oncologist, will conduct preclinical studies to determine how the circadian cycle can regulate the brain response after radiation. They will further test if the neuro-hormone melatonin can confer protection against cognitive dysfunction due to the effect of radiation on the brain.
• Dr. Michael Milosevic of Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto is coordinating a combined endeavor by radiation oncologists, medical oncologists and basic cancer researchers to better understand how a particular signaling pathway in cancer cells – the Hedgehog pathway, might influence the curability of cervix cancer with radiotherapy and new targeted drugs. This research is a collaboration with Dr. Helen MacKay (Medical Imaging) and Dr. Richard Hill (UT DRO).

From the AACR:

Report Calls on Congress to Provide Critical Funding Increases for Life-saving Research Supported by the NIH and NCI

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Association for Cancer Research will unveil the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2011 at 3:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Sept. 20, during a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The AACR is the world’s oldest and largest association dedicated to the acceleration of advances in cancer research for the prevention and cure of cancer.

The AACR Cancer Progress Report 2011, released 40 years after the National Cancer Act was signed into law, comes at a critical time – when decades of fundamental knowledge about cancer have led to incredible scientific and technological breakthroughs. Yet, because of the relatively flat funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) since 2003, both the momentum gained and future progress of cancer research are now seriously threatened.

“Today, more than any time in history, cancer researchers are maximizing the impact of the fundamental discoveries made over the past 40 years and are translating them into improved patient care. Sustained funding increases for the NIH and NCI are an urgent national priority that will improve the health of Americans and strengthen America’s innovation and economy,” said AACR Immediate Past President Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Ph.D., Nobel Laureate and Morris Herzstein professor of biology and physiology at the University of California, San Francisco.

The AACR Cancer Progress Report 2011 is a call to action for the general public and for lawmakers to intensify their efforts in supporting cancer and biomedical research. Past breakthroughs have resulted in new approaches that are transforming the prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer and are ushering in a new era of personalized cancer medicine [read more...]