AACI Awards Recognize Scientific Excellence, Philanthropy, and Dedication to Health Equity

The Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) congratulates this year’s Distinguished Scientist, Cancer Health Equity, and Champion for Cures award recipients, selected by the AACI Board of Directors. The awards will be presented on Monday, October 21, during the 2024 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting in Chicago. The Distinguished Scientist Award will be presented to Paula D. Bos, PhD, an associate professor of pathology and the co-leader of the Cancer Biology Program at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center. A major focus of Dr. Bos’s research is the identification of tumor-promoting mechanisms by regulatory Treg cells, a subset of CD4 lymphocytes prominently found in tumors and associated with poor prognoses.

After analyzing breast cancer models in which Treg cells had been targeted and destroyed, she discovered an increased presence of IFN-γ and functional reprogramming of macrophages into tumor-fighting cells. Her findings, published in 2020 in Cell Reports, validate the potential for adoptive transfer therapeutics using macrophages programmed with the IFN-γ protein to effectively treat breast cancer.

The Cancer Health Equity Award will be presented posthumously to Edith P. Mitchell, MD, MACP, FCCP, FRCP (London), with Dr. Mitchell’s family accepting the award on her behalf.

Prior to her death in January 2024, Dr. Mitchell served as enterprise vice president for cancer disparities at Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center (SKCCC) at Jefferson, director of the Center to Eliminate Cancer Disparities and associate director for diversity affairs at SKCCC, and clinical professor of medicine and medical oncology at Thomas Jefferson University’s Sidney Kimmel Medical College.

Cancer health disparities were also central to her research, which examined factors affecting clinical trial participation and barriers to accrual among underrepresented populations.

The Champion for Cures Award will be presented to Friends of Dartmouth Cancer Center and the Prouty. Since its founding in 1977, Friends of Dartmouth Cancer Center (the Friends) has raised more than $65 million to support cancer research and patient and family support services. The group’s signature fundraiser is the Prouty, a family-friendly event combining cycling, walking, rowing, golf, and other sports. The Friends raises roughly $8 million each year through small gifts from more than 12,000 individual donors.

Funds raised by the Friends fuel cancer research by providing seed funding to scientists to support the discovery of new and better ways to treat cancer and enhance survivorship. On average, every $1 the Friends invests in research leads to a 12:1 return in investment in terms of additional funding from other sources. The Friends also helps fund support services for patients and their caregivers, including transportation assistance; yoga, massage, art, and music therapy; creative writing classes; support groups; and a food pantry.

The AACI awards program was established in 2002 with the Distinguished Scientist Award. The Champion for Cures Awards was introduced in 2018, followed by the Cancer Health Equity Award in 2021. A Public Service Award has been presented to Members of Congress in alternating years since 2003. 

###

AACI’s mission is to accelerate progress against cancer by enhancing the impact of North America’s leading academic cancer centers and promoting cancer health equity. For more information, please visit aaci-cancer.org.