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William Hait, M.D. |
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James Armitage, M.D. |
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Tony Hollingsworth, Ph.D. |
A new honorary lectureship and a new cancer research award will be part of the events. The new Carol Bell Distinguished Scientist Award will be presented for the first time to recognize excellence in research. Recipients will be James Armitage, M.D., the Joe Shapiro Professor of Medicine, and Tony Hollingsworth, Ph.D., professor at the UNMC Eppley Institute.
Both have played important leadership roles in the Eppley Cancer Center and are nationally recognized for their research in lymphoma and pancreatic cancer, respectively.
At noon in the Durham Research Center auditorium, William Hait, M.D., Ph.D., will present “Autophagy: A Malignant Survival Mechanism with Potential Targets for Reversing Resistance” during the Mogens and Cindy Bay Lectureship.
The named lectureship was established this year to recognize the honorary chairs of the Ambassador of Hope Gala, a major fund raising event for the cancer center. The Bays were the honorary chairs for the 2006 Gala, which was the first statewide event, and most successful fund raiser for the Eppley Cancer Center.
Dr. Hait is the newly appointed senior vice president of Worldwide Hematology and Oncology Research for Johnson & Johnson. He also is president of the American Association for Cancer Research.
At 5:30 p.m. in the Durham Research Center atrium, a reception will be held to honor the Bays and Dr. Hait. The reception will be attended by business, government and community leaders. UNMC faculty, students and staff are invited to attend.
At 6:30 p.m., a program will feature a talk by Dr. Hait titled, “NCI-designated Cancer Centers: Incomparable Resource for the Community, State, and Beyond.”
Following the presentation, Carol Bell Distinguished Scientist Awards will be presented to Drs. Armitage and Hollingsworth.
Carol Bell, a longtime Omaha volunteer who died from cancer in 1997, was the wife of Bob Bell, vice president for community relations development for UNeMed Corporation, UNMC’s technology transfer organization. Bell and his family created the Carol Bell Lectureship, the forerunner of the Carol Bell Distinguished Scientist Award.
“She was a woman dedicated to family, friends and community and her role as wife, mother and volunteer,” Dr. Cowan said. “She was especially interested in helping those with cancer, often sharing her own experiences and strengths. The awards will honor her memory.”
Dr. Cowan said the award — which will be given semi-annually to two distinguished Eppley Cancer Center members — signifies demonstrated excellence in clinical/translational and basic/translational research.
He said Drs. Armitage and Hollingsworth were selected for their outstanding contributions and nationally recognized research programs in addition to their strong leadership roles in Eppley.
The new forum enables Eppley Cancer Center to continue its tradition of bringing national cancer leaders to an event attended by community, business and government leaders and the UNMC community, Dr. Cowan said.
“Through these events we increase awareness about cancer and the benefits of cancer research and share the progress being made in cancer research and at the Eppley Cancer Center,” Dr. Cowan said. “They also provide an opportunity to honor the hard work and dedication of honorary chairs of Ambassador of Hope, and our exemplary scientists for their valuable contributions.”
Dr. Cowan added a special thanks to Gail and Mike Yanney who are hosting the reception.
From January 1993 to March 2007, Dr. Hait was the founding director of the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, and professor of medicine and pharmacology, and associate dean for oncology programs at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Under Dr. Hait’s leadership, the institute was successful in obtaining cancer center designation from the National Cancer Institute in 1996 and received the National Cancer Institute’s highest designation of Comprehensive Cancer Center in 2002.
Dr. Hait received his doctor in medicine and doctoral degree in pharmacology cum laude from the Medical College of Pennsylvania. He joined the Yale University School of Medicine faculty in 1984 and was quickly promoted to associate professor of medicine and pharmacology. He served as associate director of the Yale University Comprehensive Cancer Center and director of the breast cancer unit and co-director of the lung cancer unit at the Yale. He was appointed chief of medical oncology at Yale in 1988.
Dr. Armitage, a world-renowned expert in lymphoma, is a UNMC graduate where he also completed his internship and residency in internal medicine. He served a fellowship in hematology oncology at the University of Iowa. He developed and directed the bone marrow transplant program at the University of Iowa, and in 1982 launched the UNMC bone marrow transplant program. He has served as vice-chairman of internal medicine, chairman of internal medicine and dean of the UNMC College of Medicine.
Dr. Hollingsworth is an international leader in pancreatic cancer research. He received his doctoral degree from Wake Forest University in 1982, and came to UNMC from Duke University in 1991. The general subject of Dr. Hollingsworth’s research, which is funded by grants from the National Cancer Institute, is pancreatic cancer and other diseases of the pancreas. He belongs to several professional & honor society organizations, serves as a consultant for many national organizations, is on numerous National Institutes of Health study sections, and scientific and external advisory boards.