To date, we’ve funded 118 projects. These projects have been incredibly successful in moving us toward our goal of one day living in a cancer-free world. Our fellows have made discoveries that are published in prestigious journals, the data collected from their projects have been used in applications for bigger grants, they have received additional awards and are now going on to graduate and medical schools and into postdoctoral, industry and faculty appointments.
We’re very proud of the diversity and transparency of our program. If you look at the data in this report, you will see we’ve funded projects from 34 departments in eight different colleges around Ohio State. We understand that new discoveries occur when people look at problems from different points of view. Funding talented student researchers in diverse disciplines like Engineering, Physics and Business to help in our fight against cancer pays tremendous dividends.
A program like this would not be successful if it weren’t for the hard work of all of our 18 committee members who represent 13 different departments. They are incredibly dedicated to the success of this program, and we thank them for the time they put into it. Special thanks to Amanda Simcox, PhD, for her work helping develop our undergraduate and international programs and Denis Guttridge, PhD, for helping develop our graduate program. We are also thankful to the Pelotonia participants (both traditional and virtual riders, volunteers and donors), OSU faculty, departments, colleges and especially the graduate program for supporting and providing matching funds to this program.
Cancer is a complicated disease, and if we are to reach our goal of one day living in a cancer-free world, we need to develop cures by taking a multidisciplinary approach. The Pelotonia Fellowship Program funds cutting-edge cancer research by the best undergraduate, graduate, medical and postdoctoral students, regardless of their field of study. These students move the field of cancer research forward by making new discoveries, and have the potential to become independent cancer researchers.
Even though this fellowship program has had some amazing accomplishments in a short period of time, moving forward, emphasis will be put on raising the bar on quality applications; increasing diversity in all programs with a focus on undergraduate students; extending medical student program to the colleges of Veterinary Medicine (DVMs), Pharmacy (PharmDs), Optometry (ODs) and Dentistry (DDSs); increasing pool of Population Science, Clinical and Biomedical Informatics applications
Sincerely,
Michael Caligiuri, MD
Director, The Ohio State University
Comprehensive Cancer Center
CEO, James Cancer Hospital
and Solove Research Institute
Gustavo Leone, PhD
Associate Director Basic Research
The Ohio State University
Comprehensive Cancer Center
James Cancer Hospital
and Solove Research Institute
Co-Director Pelotonia Fellowship Program
Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, PhD
Director, Division of Health Psychology
Department of Psychiatry, Co-Director
Pelotonia Fellowship Program