Cancer Center honors nine members at 2nd Annual UACC Awards Dinner
From left, Rachna Shroff, MD, Aaron Scott, MD, Jianqin Lu, PhD, Andrew Paek, PhD, Cynthia Thomson, PhD, Jennifer Erdrich, MD, Heidi Hamann, PhD, and Clara Curiel, MD, at the 2nd Annual UACC Awards Dinner.
Sign in front of The Graduate welcoming the U of A Cancer Center.
The University of Arizona Cancer Center honored nine outstanding members during its Second Annual Awards Dinner on Sept. 4 at The Graduate.
“These awards are incredibly special because to receive one, you must be nominated by another Cancer Center member who works alongside you and is grateful for your contributions,” said Regents Professor Juanita Merchant, MD, PhD, interim U of A Cancer Center director, associate director of the cancer center basic sciences, chief of the U of A Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, for the College of Medicine. “The nominations were carefully considered by our cancer center interim leadership in determining winners, which was no easy task given the level of talent and dedication evident in our members.”
From left, Robin Harris, PhD and Cynthia Thomson, PhD, enjoy dinner during the Second Annual UACC Awards Ceremony.
Research prizes were awarded for excellence in basic science, translational science, and population science for publications produced by UACC members that have had the greatest impact on the field this year. The nominees were required to be either the first or last author to be considered for the award.
The center also honored members who excelled in community engaged research, clinical research, teaching and mentoring excellence and clinical excellence. They recognized two members with lifetime achievement awards.
Member awards
From left, Andrew Paek, PhD, holds his award presented by Joyce Schroeder, PhD, during the awards ceremony.
Andrew Paek, PhD, won the UACC Research Award for Basic Science nominated by Joyce Schroeder, PhD, for Temporal Coordination of the Transcription Factor Response to H2O2 Stress, published in Nature Communications in April. Paek is an assistant professor, University of Arizona Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology.
From left, Jianqin Lu, PhD, holds his award presented by Steffan Nawrocki, PhD, at the Awards Dinner.
Jianqin Lu, PhD, won the UACC Research Award for Translational Science nominated by Steffan Nawrocki, PhD,for Cholesterol-Modified Sphingomyelin Chimeric Lipid Bilayer for Improved Therapeutic Delivery published in Nature Communication in March. Lu is an associate professor in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy.
From left, Heidi Hamann, PhD, and Gloria Coronado, PhD, pose for a photo during the Awards Dinner.
Heidi Hamann, PhD, won the UACC Award for Population Science nominated by Gloria Coronado, PhD, for Evaluating Implementation of a Community‑Focused Patient Navigation Intervention at an NCI‑Designated Cancer Center Using RE‑AIM published in the BMC Health Services Research. Hamann is an associate professor in the U of A Department of Psychology in the College of Science, and associate head of strategic initiatives, psychology, and co-leader of the U of A Cancer Center Cancer Prevention and Control Program.
From left, Clara Curiel, MD, holds her award with Rachna Shroff, MD, who presented it to her at the Awards Dinner.
Clara Curiel-Lewandrowski, MD, won the UACC Award for Clinical Science, nominated by Rachna Shroff, MD. The UACC Award for Clinical Science recognizes a UACC member who is considered to have presented the most impactful research in clinical science this year. Curiel is an interim co-director of the U of A Cancer Center, co-director of the Skin Cancer Institute at the U of A Cancer Center, a professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Dermatology at the College of Medicine – Tucson. She specializes in melanoma chemoprevention, early detection of melanoma, cutaneous T cell lymphomas and skin cancer.
From left, Rachna Shroff, MD, gives the Award for UACC Award for Community Engaged Research to Jennifer Erdrich, MD, during the Awards Dinner.
Jennifer Erdrich, MD, won the UACC Award for Community Engaged Research nominated by Taylor Riall, MD. The Award for Excellence in Community Engaged Research is given to the UACC member who best exemplifies excellence in community-engaged, cancer-focused research or in promoting and facilitating community interactions with UACC members. Erdrich is an assistant professor in the U of A College of Medicine – Tucson in the Department of Surgery and a surgical oncologist in the Division of General Surgery who specializes in melanoma, sarcoma, and breast cancers. She also provides general surgical oncology care to tribal populations throughout Southern Arizona.
From left, Aaron Scott, MD, holds his Award for Teaching and Mentoring Excellence accompanied by Rachna Shroff, MD.
Aaron Scott, MD, won the UACC Award for Teaching and Mentoring Excellence nominated by Junaid Arshad, MD. The UACC Award for Teaching and Mentoring Excellence is given to the faculty member who best exemplifies excellence in teaching by ensuring their trainees acquire the skills they need to develop as outstanding health practitioners, scientists, and researchers, providing ongoing feedback, inspiring passion for cancer care or for their specific field of study, explaining difficult concepts in innovative and creative ways, and stimulating excitement, debate, and independent critical thinking.
Scott is an associate professor in the Department of Medicine at the U of A College of Medicine – Tucson and co-program leader for the cancer center Clinical and Translational Oncology Program. He specializes in cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, which include colon cancer, rectal cancer, anal cancer, esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, and pancreatic cancer.
From left, Rachna Shroff, MD, accepts her award from Juanita Merchant, MD.
Rachna Shroff, MD, won the UACC Award for Clinical Excellence nominated by Juanita Merchant, MD, PhD. The clinical excellence award is given to the physician who best exemplifies excellence in clinical care including outstanding clinical skills, accruals to clinical trials, use of a patient- and family-centered approach to care, and inclusion of a multi-disciplinary care model. Shroff is an interim co-director of the U of A Cancer Center, professor in the U of A College of Medicine, associate director of Clinical Investigations for the U of A Cancer Center, associate dean, Clinical and Translational Research, and chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology.
Sherry Chow, PhD, won the UACC Lifetime Achievement Award nominated by Sara Centuori. The UACC Lifetime Achievement Award is for senior members who have done exceptional work during their careers. Chow is a research professor in the Department of Medicine at the U of A College of Medicine – Tucson U of A Cancer Center Early Phase Cancer Prevention Clinical Trials pProgram, which has been continuously funded through three competitive funding mechanisms by the National Cancer Institute, Division of Cancer Prevention. She also founded and has led the Cancer Center Analytical Chemistry Shared Resource for almost 25 years. Read more about her work in Chow's recent spotlight.
Cynthia Thomson speaks at a podium holding her Lifetime Achievement award.
Cynthia Thomson, PhD, RN, was presented the UACC Lifetime Achievement Award nominated by Jennifer Bea, David Garcia, Robin Harris. Thomson retired on Aug. 31. Thomson is a former professor of health promotion sciences in the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and former co-leader of the U of A Cancer Center Cancer Prevention and Control Program. She served as associate director for Population Sciences and director of the Behavioral Measurement and Interventions Shared Resource for many years. For more information on Thomson, read her recent spotlight.