The Sontag Foundation Awards $1.8 Million for Medical Research
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (October 1, 2003) - The Sontag Foundation , a private foundation located in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, announced the presentation of five Distinguished Scientist Awards totaling $1.8 million. Through The Distinguished Scientist Award, The Sontag Foundation seeks to recognize and support the work of outstanding early career scientists in this country whose research has the potential to generate new knowledge relating to the causes, cure or treatment of brain tumors.
The Distinguished Scientist Awards for 2003 were presented to the following scientists: Dr. Anjen Chenn at Northwestern University, Dr. Richard Gilbertson at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Dr. Anna Kenney at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Dr. Joon Uhm at Mayo Clinic- Rochester, and Dr. Keqiang Ye at Emory University. According to Frederick B. Sontag, the foundation's President, "The Sontag Foundation is very pleased to sponsor the work of these fine researchers. With these and future awards we will be giving, we hope to make a difference in understanding and treating this terrible disease."
In response to a published request for applications, sixty-one scientists whose research focuses on brain tumors submitted applications for the award. The applicants, who hold faculty appointments at 45 research and academic institutions throughout the United States, sought the award to support their brain tumor research projects. The four-month selection process focused on each scientist's personal and career goals, professional credentials, recommendations from senior researchers in their respective fields, and evaluation of the research proposals by a scientific review committee appointed by the foundation. The final step of the selection process was a site visit where representatives of The Sontag Foundation interviewed each finalist at his respective institution.
The Sontag Foundation was established by Rick and Susan Sontag in 2000 as a result of their strong desire to improve the lives of people suffering from brain cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. Both medical conditions have devastating long-range effects for those who endure the ravages of the disease as well as the negative effects of available treatments. The Sontag Foundation Distinguished Scientist Award was created to help meet a critical need for funding for medical research with a goal of improving the prognosis and quality of life of brain tumor patients. It is estimated that over 39,500 primary brain tumors of all types will be diagnosed in the United States in 2003; approximately 17,000 of those will be malignant. Although the incidence rate for brain tumors is not as high as many other cancers (less than 2% of all cancers diagnosed in a given year), the outcomes are routinely more dismal. For more information about The Sontag Foundation, log on www.sontagfoundation.org.
Contact:
Kay W. Verble
Executive Director
The Sontag Foundation
904-273-8755
904-273-8745
info[at]sontagfoundation.org
