ALCF to honor Fred R. Hirsch with 2015 Addario Lectureship Award for lung cancer research

The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (ALCF) will honor Fred R. Hirsch, M.D., Ph.D., with the 2015 Addario Lectureship Award for his continued leadership and expertise in lung cancer treatment and research. Dr. Hirsch, CEO of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (ISLAC), will receive the award at the 16^th International Lung Cancer Congress held on July 30 – August 1 in Huntington Beach, California.

"Dr. Hirsch's contribution and dedication to lung cancer research is truly remarkable," said Bonnie J. Addario, 10-year lung cancer survivor and founder of the ALCF. "Dr. Hirsch is a cancer survivor which makes him very sensitive to patients and increases his commitment to their survival. We are thrilled to present him with the eighth Addario Lectureship Award to highlight his commitment to eliminate lung cancer worldwide. "

Known best for his unsurpassed research on the diagnostic tool, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), colleagues David Gandara M.D., Associate Director, Clinical Research at the UC Davis Cancer Center and Roy Herbst, Ensign Professor of Medicine and Chief of Medical Oncology at the Yale Cancer Center have nicknamed him the "Big Fisherman."

Dr. Hirsch has been a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Cancer Center and professor of medicine and pathology at the University of Colorado, Denver since 1999. He also serves as the conference president for the World Conference on Lung Cancer. Dr. Hirsch received his MD and PhD from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark and served as chief physician at the department on oncology at the Finsen Center in Copenhagen from 1996 to 1999. He has been a supervisor for many European and Asian post-doctoral trainees in his lab at the University of Colorado Cancer Center.

"There is no one in the entire world that has been more dedicated to IASLC and addressing lung cancer worldwide," said Paul Bunn, Jr., MD, distinguished professor, division of medical oncology at the University of Colorado and James Dudley chair in lung cancer research. "Fred has a unique perspective – he is not only both a pathologist and a medical oncologist but also has trained and practiced in both Europe and the U.S. He has been involved in studies of lung cancer diagnosis, staging, prevention, early detection and treatment that have revolutionized the care of lung cancer patients. He works diligently to bridge international ties for lung cancer and recognizes it is a global disease that requires a global effort."

Dr. Hirsch received the Mary J. Matthews Distinguished Scientific Award from ISLAC, the Japanese Lung Cancer Society Merit Award, the British Medical Association Medical Book Award, The Annals of Oncology Award, the Lise and Gunnar Waerums Foundation Award, the Fru Agnes Andressons Memory Award and the Lung Cancer Foundation of America Young Investigator Award, among many others. He has authored hundreds of peer-reviewed papers and has current funding for his work on Squamous Cell lung cancer from ISLAC.

"Dr. Hirsch is working diligently to bridge international ties for lung cancer, sparking a global effort to address a global disease," said Addario. "We are honored to recognize him as a scientist, a physician and a friend."

Past Addario Lectureship Award recipients include:

• 2014 Recipient: Roy S. Herbst, M.D., Ph.D., Ensign Professor of Medicine and Chief of Medical Oncology, Yale Cancer Center
• 2013 Recipient: Tony Mok, M.D., Professor in the Department of Clinical Oncology, Chinese University of Hong Kong in Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong
• 2012 Recipient: D. Ross Camidge, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Thoracic Oncology Clinical Program and Associate Director for Clinical Research, Colorado University Cancer Center
• 2011 Recipient: William Pao , M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Ingram Associate Professor of Cancer Research, Director, Personalized Cancer Medicine, Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center
• 2010 Recipient: David R. Gandara , M.D., Associate Director, Clinical Research, UC Davis Cancer Center
• 2009 Recipient: Harvey Pass , M.D., B.A., Director of the Division of Thoracic Surgery and Chief of Thoracic Surgery, New York University Medical Center
• 2008 Recipient: Paul A. Bunn, Jr. M.D., Principal Investigator and Director, University of Colorado Cancer Center

The ALCF has supported the Lung Cancer Congress for the past eight years and serves as a co-sponsor along with the IASLC. The annual three-day event provides physicians with practical information about the clinical implications of lung cancer screening, the latest clinical data impacting the treatment of lung cancer and novel agents and strategies that are changing the future of lung cancer therapy.

SOURCE Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation