SITC 2014 Award Recipients

SITC is pleased to announce the 2014 award recipients honored at the Awards Ceremony held on Saturday, November 8, 2014 in National Harbor, Maryland.

Supported by the Forward Fund, these awards are an opportunity to recognize the lifetime achievements of a key leader in the field, as well as promote young and up-and-coming researchers.

Richard V. Smalley, MD Memorial Award

Established in 2005, the Richard V. Smalley, MD Memorial Award is presented each year to a luminary in the field that has significantly contributed to the advancement of cancer immunotherapy research. The award serves to honor those that have been pioneers in their work and made a notable impact worthy of high regard and recognition by their peers. Named in memory of former Society President and SITC charter member, Richard V. Smalley, MD, this is the Society’s most prestigious award.

SITC selected Dr. Giorgio Trinchieri, MD, of the National Cancer Institute as the recipient of the 2014 Richard V. Smalley, MD Memorial Award for his outstanding research, work and achievements in cancer therapy. As part of the award, Dr. Trinchieri gave a keynote address at the Society's Annual Meeting titled, "Cancer as a Disease of the Metaorganism."

Giorgio Trinchieri, MD
National Cancer Institute

SITC-EMD Serono Cancer Immunotherapy Clinical Fellowship Award

This year’s award was established through the generosity of EMD-Serono and is intended to support the development of the next generation of immunotherapy experts. Through this funding of novel research, the Society intends to cultivate those individuals who have a vested interest in furthering the clinical research and translation of cancer immunotherapy. This award is the first of its kind offered by the Society.

The Cancer Immunotherapy Clinical Fellowship Award provides funding support in the amount of $100,000 for one year of salary, equipment, supplies, and fringe benefit support to a young investigator. The award also includes travel support to attend the SITC Annual Meeting and the opportunity to present their work to the cancer immunotherapy community at this venue.

Marco Ruella, MD
University of Pennsylvania

Presidential Award

Established in 1991, the SITC Presidential Award was created to showcase promising young investigators who submit an abstract for the SITC Annual Meeting. It is the most prestigious Young Investigator Award and serves to recognize the young investigator deemed to have the most outstanding oral abstract presentation at the SITC Annual Meeting as presented in the Presidential Session.

Paul Thevenot, PhD
Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center

Young Investigator Awards

SITC supports growth and achievement among young investigators in the field of cancer immunotherapy. To fulfill this goal, in 2014 SITC offered 20 Young Investigator Awards, double that of the previous year, to recognize excellence in novel research presented in submitted abstracts.

Presidential Travel Award Recipients

SITC congratulates the following four Presidential Travel Award recipients! Their abstracts were noted at the top scoring, young investigator submitted abstracts due to the quality of research, excellence in results and methods, and the potential to advance the field demonstrated in their work.

Sema Kurtulus, PhD
Center for Neurologic Diseases
Brigham & Women's Hospital

Marcela Maus, MD, PhD
University of Pennsylvania

Stefani Spranger, PhD
University of Chicago

Paul Thevenot, PhD
Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center

Abstract Travel Awards

The Abstract Travel Award was created in 2008 to highlight promising young investigators who had top-scoring abstracts submitted for the SITC Annual Meeting based on quality of research and potential to advance the field.