Three Dana-Farber physician scientists receive Doris Duke Charitable Foundation 2020 Clinical Scientist Development Awards

The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) announced three Dana-Farber Cancer Institute physician scientists have been honored with the 2020 Clinical Scientist Development Award. Kenneth Kehl, MD, MPH, David Liu, MD, MPH, and Srinivas Viswanathan, MD, PhD, were selected from a pool of 208 applicants to each receive $495,000 over three years for independent clinical research.

The Clinical Scientist Development Award (CSDA) funds physician scientists who are at the early stages of their profession to help them transition to independent research careers. Through this award, these critical contributors to the field are able to protect and dedicate 75% of their professional time toward clinical research. Since 1998, the foundation has awarded more than $152 million in Clinical Scientist Development Awards. The research projects of the 2020 CSDA grantees span a wide range of pivotal health issues.

Kehl was recognized for his project entitled, “Deep Natural Language Processing to Accelerate Cancer Research using Electronic Health Records;” Liu was recognized for his project, “Dissecting Tumor and Immune Evolution in Stage III Melanoma;” and Viswanathan was recognized for his project, “Defining the Molecular Landscape and Therapeutic Targets in Translocation Renal Cell Carcinoma.”

“We are thrilled to announce our support of these physician scientists and their important medical research at a crucial stage in their careers,” said Betsy Myers, program director for medical research at DDCF. “The insights they bring to clinical research from their direct interactions with patients are indispensable to the field. We look forward to seeing both how their careers develop over the long term and their research contributes to improvements in human health.”