(COLUMBIA, MD)- The Children’s Cancer Foundation, Inc. (CCF), is proud to announce the 2026 CCF Research Awardees, who will be recognized at the 42nd Annual Gala on November 7, 2026 at Martin’s Crosswinds in Greenbelt, MD.
The 2026 Research Awardees are:
- Michael Goldstein, M.D., Ph.D., Johns Hopkins Medicine, NextGen Awardee, $75,000
- Joanna Kitlinska, Ph.D., Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Care Center, $50,000
- Brian Ladle, M.D., Ph.D., and Dara Kraitchman, Ph.D., V.M.D., Johns Hopkins Medicine, $50,000
- Eric Raabe, M.D., Ph.D., Johns Hopkins Medicine, $50,000
- Karisa Schreck, M.D., Ph.D., Johns Hopkins Medicine, $50,000
- Aykut Üren, M.D., Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Care Center, $50,000
- Marielle Yohe M.D., Ph.D., and Michael Sargen, M.D., National Cancer Institute, $50,000
Michael Goldstein, M.D., Ph.D., has been selected to receive the 2026 CCF Giant Food NextGen Award, created to provide a promising junior pediatric cancer researcher the funds to advance their research and their professional goals. CCF is grateful to Giant Food for its support of this award through its annual Pediatric Cancer Fundraising Campaign.
Recipients of the CCF Research Awards are selected through a comprehensive review by an independent panel of prominent pediatric cancer researchers. The reviewers are affiliated with institutions outside the funding region and have no direct association with The Children’s Cancer Foundation.
“CCF recognizes how vital it is to invest in pediatric cancer research. Ensuring a healthy, cancer-free future for all children remains our priority,” says CCF President Tasha Museles. Funded projects seek to identify more effective and targeted treatments for several types of pediatric cancer, including osteosarcoma and ependymoma, a form of brain cancer.
Additionally, CCF funds local programs and services that make a profound impact on the quality of life for local children and adolescent cancer patients. The recipients of the 2026 Program Awards are:
- The Children’s Inn at NIH for a Family Respite Weekend, $7,750
- Children’s National Hospital for a Massage Therapy Program, $5,000
- Horizon Day Camp for one camper to attend a 7 week-day camp at no cost for children with cancer and their siblings, $6,000
- Kennedy Krieger Institute for the Hospital Education Liaison Program (HELP), $15,000
- MedStar Georgetown Hospital for Art Therapy program for pediatric and AYA (adolescent and young adult) oncology and hematology patients, $5,000
- Samuelson Children’s Hospital at Sinai for an Adolescent and Caregiver Psychosocial support groups, $15,000
- Sunrise Day Camp for one camper to attend a 7 week-day camp at no cost for children with cancer and their siblings $6,000
The 2027 Call for Proposals will open February 2027. Proposal guidance for 2027 Research and Program Awards can be found on the CCF website. Since its founding in 1983, CCF has awarded researchers, programs and facilities with more than $44M in the Maryland, D.C. and N. Virginia region.
