Newswise — Russel E. Kaufman, M.D., President and CEO of The Wistar Institute, today received the Cancer Control Award from the American Cancer Society, Southeast Region in honor of his exemplary individual achievements in the field of cancer control.
The Cancer Control Award celebrates the spirit of volunteerism and recognizes key American Cancer Society (ACS) volunteers whose work advances cancer research, patient care and advocacy. Since 1987, Kaufman has served on various scientific advisory committees for the ACS, chairing the Scientific Advisory Committee on Cell Cycle and Growth Control from 1997 " 1999. He currently chairs the Council for Extramural Grants, an advisory body he has served on since 2004, with responsibility for determining which cancer research proposals merit funding from the Society.
"I am honored by this recognition from the American Cancer Society," Kaufman said. "Advances in cancer research are improving survival rates and the quality of life for cancer survivors. The nation must continue to make cancer a national priority and advocate for cancer control."
Kaufman is a leader in the global effort to conquer cancer. Over the course of a distinguished career, his contributions as a researcher, as a clinician, an educator, administrator and as an advisor have been numerous and noteworthy.
Since 2002, Kaufman has served as president and CEO of The Wistar Institute, an independent, non-profit biomedical research center in Philadelphia. Wistar is a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center; Kaufman also serves as cancer center director. In addition to his administrative duties at Wistar, Kaufman maintains an active research program at the Institute, investigating the genetics of blood diseases and cancer. Advocacy is a priority for him, and the importance of cancer screening is a perennial theme of his many public speaking engagements. During Kaufman's tenure at Wistar, he has significantly raised the international profile of the Institute by recruiting top-notch scientists, developing new biomedical research centers and expanding scientific programs and facilities.
Speeding progress along the path of scientific discovery from the laboratory to treatments, preventions and cures for cancer patients has been a hallmark of Kaufman's career and a point of focus. He has been a pace-setter for the growing life sciences industry in the greater Philadelphia region, serving in leadership advisory roles for the CEO Council for Growth, the Greater Philadelphia Life Sciences Congress, the University City Science Center, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, BioAdvance " Biotechnology Greenhouse Corporation of Southeastern Pennsylvania, and several others.
With long-standing interests in both basic and applied cancer research, Kaufman has held leadership positions in national academic organizations in internal medicine and on committees within the National Institutes of Health, the National Academy of Sciences and the American Association of Medical Colleges. He has received honors and awards for his work from the March of Dimes, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America, the Arthritis Foundation and others. Kaufman was also named one of the first Searle Scholars, a prestigious program that supports top-flight academic research in biomedicine and chemistry.
Prior to leading The Wistar Institute, Kaufman was vice dean for education and academic affairs for the Duke University School of Medicine and associate vice chancellor for academic affairs for the Duke University Health System. He was also a professor of medicine and biochemistry at Duke.
Kaufman received the award at the 2008 American Cancer Society, Southeast Region's Annual Volunteer Awards Celebration.
The Wistar Institute is an international leader in biomedical research with special expertise in cancer research and vaccine development. Founded in 1892 as the first independent nonprofit biomedical research institute in the country, Wistar has long held the prestigious Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute. The Institute works actively to ensure that research advances move from the laboratory to the clinic as quickly as possible. The Wistar Institute: Today's Discoveries " Tomorrow's Cures. On the Web at http://www.wistar.org.
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