COLUMBUS, Ohio – Dr. Levi Garraway, an
associate professor of medicine in the Department of Medical Oncology at the
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard
Medical School,
and a senior associate member of the Broad Institute, has been selected to
receive the 19th annual Herbert
and Maxine Block Memorial Lectureship Award for Achievement in Cancer. He
will visit The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G.
James Cancer
Hospital and Richard J. Solove
Research Institute (OSUCCC–James)
on Wednesday (10/24) to deliver the Block Lecture.
The award,
established by the Block family of Columbus,
honors the memory of their parents, Maxine and Herbert J. Block, who both died
of cancer. It is given annually to a renowned cancer researcher who is invited
to OSUCCC-James to accept the award
and deliver the annual Block Lecture.
Garraway
will present “An Integrative Framework for 'Precision' Cancer Medicine,” at 8
a.m. Wednesday (10/24) in 518 James.
An
internationally renowned oncologist and researcher, Garraway leads an
investigative team in cancer genomics at Dana-Farber and the Broad Institute,
and he is co-leader of the Cancer Genetics Program at the Dana-Farber/Harvard
Cancer Center. He has made significant research contributions in cancer
genomics, drug resistance and genomics-driven (or “personalized”) cancer
medicine. He published the first gene-sequencing studies of aggressive prostate
cancer and has led other major gene-sequencing initiatives in prostate cancer,
melanoma, and head and neck cancers.
Garraway’s
scholarly work has consistently been published in the world’s top scientific
journals. In recognition of his contributions, he has been the recipient of
several awards and honors including induction into the American Society for
Clinical Investigation in 2009.
A monetary
award of $25,000 is associated with the Block Memorial Lectureship, making it
one of the largest prizes awarded by an academic institution in the field of
cancer. The Block Memorial Lectureship is funded by proceeds of the annual Herbert
J. Block Memorial Tournament, a golf outing established in 1982 by the
Block family of Columbus
to honor their father. The event has raised more than $4.5 million for cancer
research at OSUCCC-James. The
lecture is free, but seating is limited. To make a reservation, e-mail Nancy
Jones at Nancy.Jones@osumc.edu.
The Ohio State University
Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J.
Solove Research Institute strives to create a cancer-free world by
integrating scientific research with excellence in education and
patient-centered care, a strategy that leads to better methods of prevention,
detection and treatment. Ohio State is one of only 41 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated
Comprehensive Cancer Centers and one of only seven centers funded by the NCI to
conduct both phase I and phase II clinical trials. The NCI recently rated Ohio State’s
cancer program as “exceptional,” the highest rating given by NCI survey teams.
As the cancer program’s 210-bed adult patient-care component, The James is a “Top Hospital”
as named by the Leapfrog Group and one of the top cancer hospitals in the
nation as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
# # #
Contact:
Eileen Scahill, Wexner
Medical Center
Public Affairs and Media Relations,
614-293-3737, or Eileen.Scahill@osumc.edu