The Victoria’s Secret Global Fund for Women’s Cancers - Awards
In Partnership with Pelotonia and AACR
2024 Career Development Awardees
Louise V. Fets, PHD
MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, to investigate how differences in the distribution of PARP inhibitors affect treatment outcomes in ovarian cancer
Francesca S. Gazzaniga, PHD
Massachusetts General Hospital, to explore microbiome and immune interactions for improving immunotherapy in Triple Negative Breast Cancer
Utthara Nayar, PHD
Johns Hopkins University, to investigate novel estrogen receptor mutations and their role in endocrine resistance in metastatic breast cancer
Sangeetha Reddy, MD, MSCI
UT Southwestern Medical Center, to enhance CD8 T cell immunity in triple-negative breast cancer by targeting myeloid cells and Tregs
Priyanka Verma, PHD
Washington University in St. Louis, to explore the role of cellular metabolism in PARP inhibitor responses in BRCA-mutant cancers
Career Development Awards foster innovation in the understanding, prevention, interception, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of breast and gynecologic cancers with the goal of eliminating cancer health disparities and improving patient outcomes.
2023 Career Development Awardees
Sarah E. Johnstone, MD, PhD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, to develop novel theraputic approaches to gynecologic cancers
Purna Joshi, PhD
The University of Texas at Dallas, to develop improved screening tools and effective interventions to tackle obesity-associated breast cancer
Mary M. Mullen, MD
Washington University in St. Louis, to combat chemotherapy resistance in ovarian cancer
Angelina Regua, PhD
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, to identify effective treatments for patients with triple-negative breast cancer that develop breast cancer brain metastases
Ana Ruiz-Saenz, PhD
Center for Cooperative Research in Biosciences (CIC bioGUNE), to improve the efficacy of treatments for all breast cancer patients
Career Development Awards foster innovation in the understanding, prevention, interception, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of breast and gynecologic cancers with the goal of eliminating cancer health disparities and improving patient outcomes.
2023 Rising Innovator Grantees
Priscilla K. Brastianos, MD
The Mass General Cancer Center, to identify drivers of brain metastasis from breast cancer
Kemi M. Doll, MD, MCSR
University of Washington, to study the dissemination tool of biopsy-first early detection of endometrial cancer
Marleen Kok, MD, PhD
The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Netherlands, to study single cell analyses of immunotherapy responses in triple negative breast cancer
Joyce Liu, MD
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, to advance targeted therapies for high-grade endometrial cancer
Sandra S. McAllister, MD
The Brigham and Women’s Hospital, to eliminate age-and race-based disparities in breast cancer outcomes
Rising Innovator awards are presented to mid-career scientists working to pursue innovative research projects in breast and gynecologic cancers.
2022 Career Development Awardees
Valentina Hoyos Velez, MD
Baylor College of Medicine Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, to advance the treatment of triple negative breast cancer
Martina McDermott, PhD
The Regents of the University of California, Los Angeles, to develop a novel therapy designed to target ovarian and endometrial cancers
Chemtai Mungo, MD, MPH, FACOG
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, to improve the prevention of cervical cancer among women living with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa
Mya Roberson, PhD, MSPH
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health, to improve the genetic testing and treatment trajectories for hereditary breast and ovarian cancers in black women
Shuang Zhang, PhD
The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, China, to advance the understanding of high-grade serous ovarian cancer to improve treatment outcomes
Career Development Awards foster innovation in the understanding, prevention, interception, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of breast and gynecologic cancers with the goal of eliminating cancer health disparities and improving patient outcomes.
2022 Meritorious Awardees
Joan S. Brugge, PhD, FAACR
Ludwig Center, Harvard Medical School, for her lifelong investigations dedicated to unraveling the mechanisms that initiate cancer, its progression and resistance to drugs
Susan M. Domchek, MD
Basser Center for BRCA, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, for her international expertise in genetic testing to determine cancer susceptibility
Karen H. Lu, MD
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, for her fundamental studies on the identification on tissue biomarkers and the prevention of endometrial cancer in women with Lynch Syndrome
Lisa A. Newman, MD, MPH
New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, for advancing the understanding of the causes of breast cancers in African and African American women
Martine J. Piccart, MD, PhD, FAACR
Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, for her leadership in advancing breast cancer clinical trials and drug development
Meritorious Awards are presented to five female cancer researchers to recognize and further their outstanding contributions to the field of women’s cancers.
Scientific Advisory Committee
The Scientific Advisory Committee is composed of an international group of cancer research experts appointed by the AACR in collaboration with Pelotonia and The Victoria’s Secret Global Fund for Women’s Cancers.
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