American Cancer Society LeadershipTeam to Visit ASU’s Cancer Biology Research Program

 

By Hazel Scott/ASU

On April 24, two American Cancer Society (ACS) representatives will conduct a site visit at ASU’s Cancer Biology Research and Training (CBRT) program as part of their grant review process.

Last year, ACS awarded Manoj K. Mishra, founder and director of CBRT, a four-year, $2.6 million grant to continue the University’s cutting-edge cancer research program and outreach. Mishra received an additional $84,000 to the existing four-year $2.6 million grant later that year. Both grants come from ACS’ Diversity in Cancer Research Institutional Development Grant (DICRIDG).

Well-known in their fields, Dr. Michael Pignone, professor of Medicine and Inaugural Vice Chair of Quality and Innovation in the Department of Medicine at Duke University’s School of Medicine, and Dr. Elvan Daniels, Senior Vice President for the Center for Diversity in Cancer Research Training, will meet with ASU administrators to gauge the institutional support for research on campus.

During the visit, Pignone will present a seminar about the “importance of equity in cancer screening.”

“We are thrilled to have the ACS’s representatives see the accelerated pace of cancer research progress on our campus. ASU is one of the few HBCUs in Alabama with outstanding cancer research and training programs working on quality research to help the local and scientific community,” said Mishra.

The DICRIDG provides pilot projects and clinical scientist development grants to junior faculty interested in cancer research at ASU. This award also supports six Master of Science students (stipend and tuition fees) and two postdoctoral fellows to conduct cancer research. Under the grant, Mishra will have the opportunity to travel and discuss his research with different stakeholders, including community leaders, to enhance the cancer research capacity at the University.

The broader objective of the grant, Mishra noted, is to eliminate cancer health disparities by enhancing cancer education and training and supporting groundbreaking cancer research investigations among underserved minority groups.

“No academic institution in Montgomery has a cancer program to engage students and faculty. So, there is a compelling need for a grant like the ACS’s Diversity in Cancer Research Institutional Development Grant (DICRIDG) at ASU to provide opportunities in cancer research for faculty, clinicians, and students,” Mishra said.