Four of the last five CCF Giant Food NextGen awardees joined us on site. L to R – Taylor Sundby, M.D. of National Cancer Institute/NIH, Lei Peng, M.D. of Johns Hopkins, Haneen Shalabi, D.O. of National Cancer Institute/NIH, and Jeff Rubens, M.D., of Johns Hopkins.
Thirteen local researchers from Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, Children’s National, and the National Cancer Institute to receive CCF grants intended to strengthen the region’s greater research community
The Children’s Cancer Foundation, Inc. (CCF), a 501(c)3 non-profit, committed to funding locally-based researchers, programs and facilities until every child is assured a healthy future, will present grants to thirteen local pediatric oncology researchers at the 37th Annual Gala, to be held November 6, 2021 at Martin’s Crosswinds, in Greenbelt, MD. The CCF Gala will honor Giant Food and President Ira Kress with the Gift of Life Award.
The 2021 CCF Research Awards, combined with funding for local programs for children fighting cancer, total more than $1M.
The 2021 Research Awardees are:
- Julie Asare, M.D., Johns Hopkins Medicine
- Miriam Bornhorst, M.D., Children’s National Hospital
- Miranda Clements, M.D. and Liny John, M.D., National Cancer Institute at NIH (NCI)
- Charles Eberhart, M.D., Ph.D., Johns Hopkins Medicine
- Nicolas Llosa, M.D. and Christine A. Pratilas, M.D., Johns Hopkins Medicine
- Patience Obasaju, M.D., Johns Hopkins Medicine
- Jeffrey Rubens, M.D., Johns Hopkins Medicine
- Keri Toner, M.D., Children’s National Hospital
- Aykut Uren, M.D., Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center (Georgetown)
- Kristin Wessel, M.D., NCI
- Todd Waldman, M.D., Ph.D., Georgetown
Keri Toner, M.D., of Children’s National, was selected to receive the 2021 CCF Giant Food NextGen Award— a grant for a promising young pediatric cancer researcher to fund both their research and their professional advancement in the field. Dr. Toner will be the ninth recipient of this joint effort between CCF and Giant Food.
CCF aims not just to provide direct funding to the labs of these local researchers, but to build up an engaged community for local researchers. Since 2016, CCF has hosted an annual Research Symposium for the CCF grant recipients and their colleagues to present their research progress with others in the pediatric cancer community.
The Symposium puts forth the belief that local dialogue can lead to larger scientific advancement. As 2021 Research Symposium keynote panelist Haneen Shalabi, D.O. of the NCI explained, “CCF is such a strong asset for researchers in the…area. We have a unique opportunity to filter through and collaborate with people in your neighborhood to try and come up with greater ideas to propel the field forward.”
CCF President Tasha Museles adds, “The Baltimore-Washington region is home to some of the country’s greatest research institutions, but is also home to an active philanthropic community. We believe that funding local research, facilitating collaboration, and increasing awareness that pediatric cancer is consistently underfunded will lead to improved treatments and cures that children fighting cancer so desperately need.”
In addition to the Research Awards, Non-Research Awards will be presented at the CCF Annual Gala. Recipients of the 2021 CCF Non-Research Awards are Claire Marie Foundation, The Children’s Inn at NIH, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Children’s National, Hopecam, Horizon Day Camp, Kennedy Krieger Institute, and Nigel’s Neighborhood.
An open call for proposals for the 2022 Research grants will begin February 2022, with decisions made in July 2022. CCF research awards are selected by an independent panel of nationally-recognized pediatric cancer researchers. For more information, please contact the CCF office at 443-546-4479, or visit the website at www.childrenscancerfoundation.org.
