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20th Anniversary Cancer Leadership Awards Dinner

20th Anniversary Cancer Leadership Awards Dinner

20th Anniversary Cancer Leadership Awards Dinner

September 21, 2016

Honors Dr. Janet Woodcock, Dr. Eric Lander, and Mr. Sean Parker for Contributions to Cancer Research

Highlights from 20th Anniversary Celebration

In addition to the awards program with remarks from each honoree, Friends showcased four videos during the 20th anniversary celebration. Each of the four videos are linked to below.

At the end of the evening, NIH Director, Dr. Francis Collins, delighted the crowd with an original song he crafted honoring Friends and their work over the last 20 years.

On September 21, 2016, Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) celebrated its 20th anniversary with a reception held at the United States Institute of Peace. Leaders from the government, advocacy, industry, and science sectors attended a dinner celebration to mark two decades of partnership and innovation on the behalf of patients. The event honored Dr. Janet Woodcock, Dr. Eric Lander, and Mr. Sean Parker.

During the last 20 years, Friends has changed the way drugs are developed and reviewed, leading to a revolution in cancer care and research. Working tirelessly throughout the years, the organization has helped ensure patients receive the best and most effective treatments in the fastest and safest way possible.

This year’s recipient of the Ellen V. Sigal Advocacy Leadership Award was Dr. Janet Woodcock, Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). She was honored for her dedication to patients by providing safe and timely drug reviews, her continued work on spearheading initiatives designed to improve drug safety management, and her expertise and commitment to cancer research.

Dr. Eric Lander and Mr. Sean Parker each received Friends of Cancer Research Cancer Leadership Awards for their efforts and contribution in the fight against cancer. Dr. Lander was honored for his work decoding a molecular taxonomy for cancers, which has allowed for an increased understanding of the molecular origins of these cancers. These taxonomies and increased understanding have in turn aided the design of more effective therapies. Over the past several years, Mr. Sean Parker has dedicated significant time and money to cancer research. He was honored for his dedication of $250M to start a new collaborative center focusing on cancer immunotherapy: The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. The new Institute is working hard to enable real collaboration, accelerating the most ambitious research to deliver new immunotherapies engineered to save lives.