Awards and Honors
A selection of awards recently earned by Dana-Farber and its staff
October 2012 - April 2013
The Institute
Boston magazine named 55 physicians and surgeons affiliated with Dana-Farber to its "Top Doctors" guide.
Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center was named one of the first three Centers of Excellence by Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) and will receive funding of $350,000 for up to five years, totaling $1.75 million. ALSF's Centers of Excellence Program funds the research of premier childhood cancer institutions devoted to conducting early phase clinical trials.
The League of American Cyclists awarded Dana-Farber a Bronze Award for the Bicycle Friendly Business Program. Dana-Farber was one of 71 companies to be recognized, along with Facebook, Apple and Hewlett-Packard.
Dana-Farber's satellite centers were recently certified by the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®). The centers (Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center at Milford Regional Medical Center, Dana-Farber/New Hampshire Oncology-Hematology and Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center in clinical affiliation with South Shore Hospital) earned a three-year certification for meeting the highest standards of cancer care.
Individuals
A clinical research team at Dana-Farber was honored by the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) for their contributions to conducting clinical trials of treatments for multiple myeloma. The MMRF selected Kenneth Anderson, MD; Irene Ghobrial, MD; Jacob Laubach, MD; Nikhil Munshi, MD; Paul Richardson, MD; Robert Schlossman, MD; and project manager Dianne Warren as the recipients of its MMRF Accelerator Award. The award recognizes the DFCI team for their contributions to the rapid completion of clinical trials supported through the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium, the clinical trials network of the MMRF.
Kenneth Anderson, MD, director of Dana-Farber's Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center, received the American Cancer Society's Medal of Honor Award on Nov. 16. It is the organization's highest honor. He also participated in a briefing held Feb. 12 by the American Association for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C. With the possibility of significant cuts in the National Institutes of Health budget, the AACR made a presentation to Congressional members and their legislative staff about blood cancer care and research.
Donna Berry, PhD, RN, was honored by the Association of Community Cancer Centers with the 2012 Annual Clinical Research Award.
Magnolia Contreras, MSW, director of Community Benefits, and Elizabeth Gonzalez-Suarez, director of Community Health Practice, were recognized Jan. 5 with the Nuestra Voz (Our Voice) Award from the Sociedad Latina. The award recognizes their work at Dana-Farber to improve health care services available to Latino families, advance accessibility, and decrease community health disparities.
Mary E. Cooley, PhD, RN, nurse scientist in the Phyllis F. Cantor Center for Nursing and Patient Care Services, was inducted as a Fellow to the American Academy of Nursing.
Alan D'Andrea, MD; A. Thomas Look, MD; and David Pellman, MD, were designated Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world's largest general scientific society.
Matthew Davids, MD, of Medical Oncology, received a Young Scientist Award from the Lymphoma Foundation of America.
Jane deLima Thomas, MD, associate director of the Harvard Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program at Dana-Farber, is one of five physicians in the United States to receive the 2013 Hastings Center Cunniff-Dixon Physician Award. She was honored for her leadership in the development of the field of palliative care through training and modeling excellence in her practice.
Glenn Dranoff, MD; Kai Wucherpfennig, MD, PhD; and Stephen Hodi, MD will represent Dana-Farber in a new Dream Team in cancer immunology formed by Stand Up to Cancer and the Cancer Research Institute. The team, which includes scientists at eight cancer centers across the country, will receive $10 million over three years to explore therapies that harness the immune system to combat cancer.
Judy Garber, MD, MPH, director of the Center for Cancer Genetics and Prevention at Dana-Farber, was appointed a member of the National Cancer Advisory Board by President Barack Obama. The board consists of 18 members who advise the Department of Health and Human Services secretary and the National Cancer Institute.
Serkan Kir, PhD, was named one of 15 new Damon Runyon Fellows by the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting innovative early career researchers.
Ann LaCasce, MD, director of the Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare Hematology-Medical Oncology Fellowship Program, was named to the Scientific Advisory Board for the Lymphoma Research Foundation.
Stuart H. Orkin, MD, chairman of Pediatric Oncology at Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, received the Jessie Stevenson Kovalenko Medal at the 150th annual meeting of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). The Kovalenko Award, consisting of a medal and a prize of $25,000, is given every three years by NAS for important contributions to the medical sciences.
Wayne Anthony Marasco, MD, PhD, was promoted to full professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Dana-Farber President Emeritus David Nathan, MD, received the first Dr. von Hauner Medal from a German children's hospital with which he has had close ties. The medal recognizes Nathan's "pioneering achievements in the field of pediatric hematology."
Kornelia Polyak, MD, PhD, received the Outstanding Investigator Award for Breast Cancer Research from the American Association for Cancer Research at the 2012 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
Holly Prigerson, PhD, was honored by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization with the 2012 Distinguished Researcher Award at the organization's 13th Clinical Team Conference on Nov. 5.
Paul G. Richardson, MD, was promoted to full professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS) effective Dec. 1, 2012, and named the first incumbent of the recently endowed R.J. Corman Chair of Medicine at HMS.
David Rosenthal, MD, hematologist-oncologist and medical director of the Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies, was recognized by the New England Patriots in a special halftime ceremony at Gillette Stadium Dec. 30. The Kraft family and the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation presented grants to 16 nonprofits as part of a season-long campaign, "Patriots Difference Makers." Rosenthal was named "Difference Maker of the Year" and awarded a $10,000 grant. He also received the Distinguished Achievement in Cancer Award from the American Cancer Society.
Leo D. Wang, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, is among the first group of recipients of a Damon Runyon-Sohn Pediatric Cancer Research Fellowship.
David A. Williams, MD, of Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, was elected vice president of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) and will serve as president-elect and president in succeeding years. ASH also elected Margaret Shipp, MD, to a four-year term as councilor.
Saul Weingart, MD, PhD, vice president for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, received a national award for his long-standing commitment and contributions to patient safety. Weingart was recognized by the National Quality Forum (NQF) and The Joint Commission, which presented him with the 2012 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award during the 2013 NQF annual conference and membership meeting in Washington, D.C.
Kai Wucherpfennig, MD, PhD, was appointed co-chair of Cancer Immunology and AIDS, joining Harvey Cantor, MD, the department chair.