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International Day of Women and Girls in Science

cancer research, women in cancer research, International Day of Women and Girls in ScienceToday is International Day of Women and Girls in Science, a day to recognise the inspirational women who are achieving incredible feats, many of which we already benefit from. From our world-class Medical Research Advisory Committee (MRAC) we would like to recognise the following women who have dedicated their careers to advancing cancer research.

Professor Michelle Haber AM, BSc (Psych) (Hons), PhD, Hon DSc UNSW: Professor Haber was appointed to the MRAC in 2012. She is the Executive Director of the Children’s Cancer Institute Australia in Sydney. Additionally she is the Conjoint Professor at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of NSW.

Professor Jennifer Stow, BSc (Hons), PhD: Professor Stow was appointed to the MRAC in 2009. She is an NHMRC Principal Research Fellow and the Deputy Director for Research and Group Leader at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience located in the University of Queensland.

Associate Professor Connie Trimble, MD: Professor Trimble was appointed to the MRAC in 2014 and is one of the first international members of our committee. Professor Trimble is the Associate Professor of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Oncology at John Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, USA. She is also a Diplomat of the American Board of Pathology and the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology as well as a Fellow of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Professor Emma Whitelaw: Professor Whitelaw was appointed to the MRAC in 2012. She is an NHMRC Australia Fellow as well as the Director of the La Trobe Institute of Molecular Sciences.

Each of these women have done amazing work with the ACRF and is an inspiration to young women looking for mentors in leading roles. We’re extremely proud to work with these women on a regular basis and thank them all very much for their dedication to cancer research in Australia.

Professor Haber wins NSW Cancer Researcher of the Year

Prof-M-Haber-WebThe annual Cancer Institute NSW’s Premier’s Awards for Outstanding Cancer Research were awarded last Friday evening at Sydney Town Hall and we are extremely proud to announce that ACRF Medical Research Advisory Committee member Professor Michelle Haber AM has been awarded the Outstanding Cancer Researcher Award for 2014. 

This prestigious award honours an individual who has made significant and fundamental contributions to any field of cancer research in NSW, and comes with a prize of $50,000 to further the recipient’s research endeavours.

Professor Haber is the Executive Director of the Children’s Cancer Institute Australia, and has previously been awarded the Excellence in Translational Research Award at the Premier’s Awards in 2012. She is internationally recognised for her world-class research into the treatment of neuroblastoma and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in children.

We are very proud to count Professor Haber as a member of the ACRF Medical Research Advisory Committee. Committee members are cancer scientists of the highest national and, in many cases, global repute.

They are leaders in Australian cancer research and advise the ACRF on applications received for ACRF grants funding, making recommendations to the Board of Trustees of ACRF as to where grants should be awarded for maximum impact and innovation in cancer prevention, diagnosis and cure.

Excellence in children’s cancer research was further recognised on the night with the Premier’s Rising Star Award and the Outstanding Cancer Research Fellow of the Year going to members of the Kids Cancer Alliance.

Associate Professor Georgina Long from the Melanoma Institute Australia was awarded the Wildfire Award, and collaborations working in haematological clinical research and asbestos research were also acknowledged for their efforts in their fields.

CCIA Director and cancer scientist recognised for excellence in biomedical science

Professor Michelle HaberThe Australian Cancer Research Foundation would like to congratulate Professor Michelle Haber AM, Director of the Children’s Cancer Institute Australia, on her recent award at the NSW Science and Engineering Awards.

Professor Haber was recognised for excellence in biomedical science, having dedicated her career to drug discovery and biomedical therapeutics for children with cancer.

That same night, at a separate ceremony at Taronga Zoo, Professor Haber was also acknowledged as one of four NSW finalists for the 2012 Australian of the Year Award, lending further weight to her incredible commitment to ground-breaking cancer research in Australia. Continue reading “CCIA Director and cancer scientist recognised for excellence in biomedical science”

Australian Cancer Research Foundation announces biggest ever private grant

The Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) is paving the way for the next wave of cancer research with the announcement today of the biggest private grant ever of $5 million to help make cancer history.

The $5 million grant recipient will be decided by a panel of internationally recognised scientists, chaired by Professor Mathew Vadas and including Professor Sir David Lane. It will be awarded to an Australian researcher who provides the most compelling proposal for cancer research including potential cures for cancer, cancer prevention and the treatment of cancer patients.

“This is an exciting announcement for not only the scientific community but everybody who has been touched by cancer. The $5 million grant will be awarded to help fund what we hope will be a quantum leap in the field of cancer research. The ACRF grant will not exclude big picture, far-reaching proposals for seed funding if that’s what it’s going to take to move into the next wave of cancer research and innovations that matter. Anything is possible,” ACRF Chairman Tom Dery said.

Continue reading “Australian Cancer Research Foundation announces biggest ever private grant”