Cancer

　　The AACR Congratulates President Tyler Jacks and AACR Members Elected to the Institute of Medicine October 14, 2009 PHILADELPHIA - The American Association for Cancer Research congratulates its president Tyler Jacks, Ph.D., director of the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and 10 other AACR members including a past president, who are among 65 new members and five foreign associates elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Considered among the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine, the award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service in the fields of health and medicine. The AACR members who were selected for this honor are: Setsuko Kuki Chambers, M.D., Bobbi Olson Endowed Chair in Ovarian Cancer Research; professor and vice chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; and director, women’s cancers, Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz.; Arul M. Chinnaiyan, M.D., Ph.D., investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; S.P. Hicks Endowed Professor of Pathology, and director, Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.; recipient of the 2008 AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cancer Research; and recipient of the 2007 Team Science Award as a member of 2007 University of Michigan-Brigham and Women’s Hospital Team; Thomas Curran, Ph.D., deputy scientific director, Joseph Stokes Jr. Institute, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; professor of pathology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; past president of the AACR; and recipient of the 1993 AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cancer Research; Alfred L. Goldberg, Ph.D., professor of cell biology, Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Daniel A. Haber, M.D., Ph.D., investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Kurt J. Isselbacher/Peter D. Schwartz Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; director, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston; member of the AACR board of directors; past AACR annual meeting chair; and recipient of the 2007 AACR Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Memorial Award; Michael B. Kastan, M.D., professor, Department of Oncology; director, Comprehensive Cancer Center, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tenn.; editor-in-chief of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, a journal of the AACR; past AACR annual meeting chair; and recipient of the 2007 AACR G.H.A. Clowes Memorial Award; Joanne J. Lupton, Ph.D., distinguished professor, regents professor, and William W. Allen Endowed Chair in Nutrition, Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Texas AANDM University, College Station, Texas; Mary V. Relling, Pharm.D., faculty member and chair, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tenn.; and recipient of the 2009 Team Science Award as a member of 2009 St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Team; Selwyn M. Vickers, M.D., Jay Phillips Professor and Chair, Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis; Ralph Weissleder, M.D., Ph.D., professor of systems biology and radiology, Harvard Medical School; and director, Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. "We are thrilled that Dr. Jacks and other AACR members have been honored by the Institute of Medicine," said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. "Their selection is fitting - the Institute of Medicine has chosen true leaders in the cancer field who are advancing cancer science and medicine, and are making great strides in the fight to eradicate the more than 200 diseases we call cancer." New members are elected by the current active members through a highly selective process that recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care and public health. "It is a great pleasure to welcome these distinguished and accomplished individuals to the Institute of Medicine," said IOM President Harvey V. Fineberg. "Each of these new members stands out as a professional whose research, knowledge, and skills have significantly advanced health and medicine and who has served as a model for others. The Institute of Medicine is greatly enriched by the addition of our newly elected colleagues." The IOM is unique in its structure as both an honorific membership organization and an advisory organization. Established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the IOM has become recognized as a national resource for independent, scientifically informed analysis and recommendations on health issues. With their election, members make a commitment to volunteer their service on IOM committees, boards and other activities. Studies and initiatives during the past year include: a review of the long-term effects of traumatic brain injury among military personnel; an assessment of the health effects due to lack of insurance; recommendations for comparative effectiveness research priorities; new guidelines for how much weight women should gain during pregnancy; a blueprint for American leadership in advancing global health; a strategy for preventing medical conflicts of interest; and a series of meetings on improving health care value through evidence-based medicine. Subscribe to the AACR News RSS Feed Media Contact: Michele Leiberman (267) 646-0622 michele.leiberman@aacr.org # # # The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is to prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, AACR is the world’s oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research. The membership includes 30,000 basic, translational and clinical researchers; health care professionals; and cancer survivors and advocates in the United States and nearly 90 other countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise from the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer through high-quality scientific and educational programs. It funds innovative, meritorious research grants, research fellowship and career development awards. The AACR Annual Meeting attracts more than 16,000 participants who share the latest discoveries and developments in the field. Special conferences throughout the year present novel data across a wide variety of topics in cancer research, treatment and patient care. The AACR publishes six major peer-reviewed journals: Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers AND Prevention; and Cancer Prevention Research. The AACR also publishes CR, a magazine for cancer survivors and their families, patient advocates, physicians and scientists. CR provides a forum for sharing essential, evidence-based information and perspectives on progress in cancer research, survivorship and advocacy.