Awards, Professorships, and Presidencies
Leona SamsonLeona Samson, professor of toxicology in the Department of Cancer Cell Biology, has been named an American Cancer Society (ACS) research professor. The professorship is among the most prestigious given by the society, which appoints no more than two each year. Former recipients include Nobel Prize-winners David Baltimore and Harold Varmus. The professorship provides $80,000 a year for five years and can be renewed for another five years.
Samson's research focuses on how cells respond to a class of common chemical agents that cause cancer and damage DNA. She is currently working on methods to insert DNA-repair genes in the bone marrow of patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Samson was asked to apply for the professorship by the ACS. Said Betty Tarnowski, scientific program director at ACS, "The award is given to people who are at the top of their fields. They need to show a real passion for science and an ability to draw new scientists into the field because that is where the future lies. Leona Samson not only fulfills all of those aspects, but she is going to set a high bar for the next group of applicants."
Louise RyanLouise Ryan, professor of biostatistics in the Department of Biostatistics, is serving as president of the Eastern North American Region of the International Biometric Society. The region over which Ryan presides is the largest of the society, which has 6,000 members worldwide. Ryan said the theme that has guided her presidency is fostering diversity, and she has helped organize workshops in which minority college students interact with faculty members and graduate students from respected universities. She also organized the society's annual meeting, which produced a record number of attendees.
Ryan works on the development and application of statistical methods for environmental health research.
Frank SpeizerFrank Speizer, professor of environmental science in the Department of Environmental Health, received the American Thoracic Society World Lung Health Award on September 2 at the World Congress on Lung Health in Florence, Italy. Speizer was chosen from more than 70 nominations. The award was specially created for the meeting by the European Respiratory Society.
Speizer is recognized for an extensive body of work in researching the natural history of respiratory diseases and environmental risks for chronic diseases. He also is the founding principle investigator of the Nurses' Health Study I.
Dimitrios TrichopoulosDimitrios Trichopoulos, Vincent L. Gregory Professor of Cancer Prevention and professor of epidemiology in the Department of Epidemiology, has received the Brinker International Award for Breast Cancer Research. The award is given by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, one of the nation's largest private funding sources for breast health and breast cancer research. Trichopoulos will receive the award at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Conference on December 8.
Among the reasons that Trichopoulos was chosen for the award was his
work on the relationship between hormones and the onset of breast cancer
and his hypothesis that the intrauterine environment contributes to the
risk of breast cancer in adult life.
