Five organizations receive IASLC travel awards to attend 14th World Conference on Lung Cancer

Five advocacy organizations from India, Australia and the United States have been granted travel awards by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) to send representatives to the 14th World Conference on Lung Cancer, July 3-7 in Amsterdam.

The winners are:

• The Australian Lung Foundation (Australia): The Australian Lung Foundation is the premier organization for lung health in Australia, providing medical and support group representation nationwide. http://www.lungfoundation.com.au/
• Jill's Legacy (USA): Jill's Legacy is an advisory board to the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, made up of young professionals who have been personally touched by lung cancer. http://www.lungcancerfoundation.org/
• Health Alert Organization of India (India): HAOI deals directly with patients' issues including supportive care, treatment economics, social obstacles and cultural barriers in lung cancer care.
• Lung Cancer Foundation of America (USA): LCFA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing the necessary and critical funding for creative and leading-edge lung cancer research programs. http://www.lcfamerica.org/
• Uniting Against Lung Cancer (USA): Uniting Against Lung Cancer funds innovative lung cancer research to find a cure for the nation's leading cancer killer. It also works to increase awareness of the disease, including in people who have never smoked. http://www.unitingagainstlungcancer.org/

The awards, which cover one representative from each organization, include free registration, five nights' accommodation and a fixed amount to cover travel expenses to the World Conference on Lung Cancer, the world's largest meeting dedicated to lung cancer and thoracic malignancies. Recipients also will enjoy free IASLC affiliate membership for one year.

"All funds raised by Jill's Legacy are going directly to young researchers, so we must be as informed as possible on lung cancer research so that we can fund the studies that will make the most improvements in patient health," said Darby Anderson, a Jill's Legacy board member. "As the only young person's board attending the conference, we are very excited about this wonderful opportunity to learn and also to collaborate with some of the best lung cancer minds in the world. We are very thankful to the IASLC for this grant and cannot wait for the start of the conference."

Kim Norris, president of the Lung Cancer Foundation of America, said she was delighted to be able to represent the organization as one of the IASLC travel award recipients.

"LCFA is proud to continue its productive collaboration with the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer," said Norris, a lung cancer widow who established LCFA together with two lung cancer survivors. "LCFA is grateful for the opportunity to work together with IASLC via this grant, which will allow us to expand our partnership internationally, thereby impacting lung cancer research funding opportunities worldwide."

Linda Wenger, executive director of Uniting Against Lung Cancer, said, "Uniting Against Lung Cancer is proud to have been selected as a travel award winner for the World Conference on Lung Cancer 2011 in Amsterdam, which brings together leaders in lung cancer research and treatment from around the world. As a leading funder for lung cancer research in the United States we are grateful for the opportunity to see the latest scientific advances and connect with key stakeholders worldwide to further our mission of funding critical lung cancer research that will lead to a cure."

This is the first year that the IASLC has offered travel awards to its biannual world conference, a leading forum for lung cancer specialists since 1978. IASLC is committed to engaging advocacy organizations in its mission to use all available means to eliminate lung cancer as a health threat for the individual patient and throughout the world.

"We are so pleased to announce our support of these advocacy organizations, and all advocates working to bring attention and funding to support lung cancer research and treatment," IASLC Director of Membership Kristin Richeimer said. "We know that these award winners will find the World Conference on Lung Cancer to be beneficial for their organizations' future work and their contributions to lung cancer advocacy, just as IASLC will receive equal benefit from this partnership."