Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University announced that Lawrence (Larry) Boise, PhD and Erwin Van Meir, PhD will be the inaugural recipients of 2018 Winship 5K Endowed Professorships, two new endowed awards funded through a portion of the proceeds from the Winship Win the Fight 5K Run/Walk held on October 13, 2018. The awards will allow Boise and Van Meir to explore new areas of cancer research that may one day lead to new cures.
"We are thrilled to honor and support the outstanding cancer research conducted by both Larry and Erwin, two outstanding Winship faculty leaders who have each contributed to our knowledge about cancer at the most fundamental and important level," says Walter J. Curran, Jr., MD, executive director of Winship.
Boise, who is professor and vice chair for basic research in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, studies and develops novel approaches to multiple myeloma and other B cell malignancies. He was recently named interim leader of Winship's Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics Research Program.
Van Meir is a professor in the Departments of Neurosurgery and Hematology and Medical Oncology. An expert in the area of translational neuro-oncology research, including glioma and medulloblastoma, and in eye melanoma, he leads Winship's Cancer Cell Biology Research Program and is the director of the Emory Graduate Program in Cancer Biology and Translational Oncology.
More than 3,000 runners and walkers participated in the 8th annual Winship 5K and raised money for cancer research at Winship, Georgia's only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center.
The Winship Win the Fight 5K allows participants to designate their tax-deductible donations to support the Winship 5K Professorship or cancer research projects based on their interests. Donations will be accepted until November 30, 2018. For more information, go to: winship5K.emory.edu.