The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has selected five researchers—including Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Professor William Tansey, Ph.D.—to receive its prestigious Stohlman Scholar Award, recognizing outstanding contributions to the advancement of blood cancer research. The awards will be officially announced at the Society’s Stohlman Scholar Scientific Symposium in Dallas on November 2 and 3.
The Stohlman award is given to Society Scholars who are in the fifth year of their research. Society Scholars are highly qualified investigators who have demonstrated their ability to conduct original research bearing on leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma. These Scholars hold faculty-level or equivalent positions at major research institutions.
The focus of Dr. Tansey’s research is a protein known to contribute to the growth of leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells. Dr. Tansey and his team have established that normal cells control the levels of this protein, Myc, by destroying it soon after synthesis, but that this process is abnormal in lymphomas, leading to elevated levels of Myc in these tumor cells. Dr. Tansey has been studying the mechanisms that cells use to control Myc destruction and how this process goes awry in cancer.
“The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society believes that the work of these exceptional scholars and the nearly 400 gifted scientists we are supporting around the world will result in substantial improvement in the lives of patients afflicted with leukemia, lymphoma, or myeloma,” said Marshall A. Lichtman, M.D., the Society’s Executive Vice President of Research and Medical Programs. “That is our mission, that is our goal and gifted scientists such as these five Stohlman Scholars will accomplish the job, if we provide them with the means.”
In addition to Dr. Tansey, this year’s Stohlman Scholars include the following individuals: John Byrd, M.D., professor, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.; Margaret Goodell, Ph.D., associate professor, and director of the Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine (STaR) Center at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX; Wei Gu, Ph.D., associate professor, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY; and Aaron Rapoport, M.D., associate professor, Greenebaum Cancer Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD. The Stohlman Scholar Award is given in memory of Frederick Stohlman Jr., M.D., a major figure in stem cell physiology and blood cell cancer research.
Written by: Communications Department | publicaffairs@cshl.edu | 516-367-8455
About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society®, headquartered in White Plains, NY, with 66 chapters in the United States and Canada, is the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. The Society’s mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Since its founding in 1949, the Society has invested more than $424 million in research specifically targeting leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Last year alone, the Society made over 2.5 million contacts with patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals.
For more information about blood cancer, visit www.LLS.org or call the Society’s Information Resource Center (IRC), a call center staffed by master’s level social workers, nurses and health educators who provide information, support and resources to patients and their families and caregivers. IRC information specialists are available at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.