ASTRO awards nearly $400,000 in research grants

The American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology has announced the recipients of its 2005 Junior Faculty Career Research Training Award, Residents/Fellows in Radiation Oncology Research Seed Grants, the joint ASTRO/National Cancer Institute Fellowship Faculty Translational Research Award and International Travel Grants. The total value of the awards is $378,000.

“Supporting the next generation of cancer investigators is a top priority for ASTRO, especially in this era of ever-shrinking research dollars,” said Prabhakar Tripuraneni, M.D., ASTRO President. “The bright minds that were chosen to receive these awards represent the future of cancer research and treatment in the field of radiation oncology.”

Steven J. Chmura, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Chicago was selected to receive the Junior Faculty Career Research Award. The award, worth $150,000, is given annually to kindle interest in radiation research early in academic career development by giving junior physician faculty the opportunity to focus on radiation-related research in radiation oncology, biology, physics or outcomes research.

Igor Barani, M.D., of Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center/Massey Cancer Center in Richmond, Va., and Ajay Bhatnagar, M.D., of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute in Pittsburgh, will each receive a Resident/Fellow in Radiation Oncology Research Seed Grant. The $30,000 grant is conferred upon residents or fellows who are planning a career that will focus primarily on basic science or clinical research.

Gil Bar-Sela, M.D., of Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, Israel, will be presented with the ASTRO/NCI Fellowship Faculty Translational Research Award. Dr. Bar-Sela will be awarded an annual salary of $80,000 and spend two years at NCI to take advantage of the unique resources the institute offers, including the Radiation Oncology Branch.

ASTRO has chosen four physicians to receive an International Travel Grant to allow them to present abstracts at the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology meeting and provides them with an opportunity to visit international institutions. Iris C. Gibbs, M.D., of Stanford University Medical Center in Stanford, Calif.; Bo Lu, M.D., Ph.D., of Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn.; Cynthia Ménard, M.D., of Princess Margaret Hospital at University of Toronto; and George Shu, M.D., Ph.D, of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, were selected to each receive a grant worth $2,000.

For more information on ASTRO’s research awards, visit www.astro.org/research/funding_opportunities/astro_awards/index.htm.