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I want to take this opportunity to thank some of the people who rarely get mentioned, at least by name, in this column. While we note the research success and clinical accomplishments of the physician staff, we often do not take the time to celebrate and express our gratitude for so many others. In Smilow and the Yale Cancer Center, we do research and take care of patients as a team. Without the nurses, APPs, social workers, pharmacists, the clinical trial specialists, and other clinicians, we could never provide comprehensive cancer care.

When I was recently in the hospital as an inpatient, I spent about five, maybe 10 minutes, a day with the physicians taking care of me, but I spent hours with nurses, physician associates, and patient care assistants. They were the ones who put a smile on my face and made sure that I was getting the care I needed. This is certainly true of our Smilow clinicians as well.

Moreover, we need to recognize the administrative staff who talk to patients on the phone, schedule appointments in the clinic, and support the work of the clinicians. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all. It is not enough to thank you during Nurses’ Week or on Administrators’ Day….we need to do it each and every day.

The Blavatnik Fund for Innovation at Yale recently announced its 2025 awards in support of 15 breakthrough interventions in oncology, cardiometabolic, autoimmunity, dermatology, and more. Since 2017, the $65-million accelerator fund's 90 unique projects have led to 23 startup businesses, four acquisitions, nine investigational new drug (IND) clearances, and work across diverse therapeutic modalities. This year’s 15 awardees continue that legacy with projects spanning novel therapeutics to AI-powered medical solutions. Awardees for cancer-related projects include:

• Craig Crews, PhD, John C. Malone Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and professor of chemistry, pharmacology, and management, “BioLong: Extending serum half-lives of therapeutics.”

• Seth Herzon, PhD, Milton Harris '29 PhD Professor of Chemistry, “DNA Self-Activating Warheads (SAWs).”

• Yingqun Huang, MD, PhD, professor, obstetrics, gynecology & reproductive Sciences, “Inflammation & Immunology Breakthrough: Molecular glues for the selective elimination of pathogenic macrophages.”

• Carrie Lucas, PhD, associate professor of immunobiology, “Resetting the immune system for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.”

• Markus Müschen, MD-PhD, Arthur H. and Isabel Bunker Professor of Medicine (Hematology) and professor of immunobiology, “A new class of selective GSK3B-inhibitors for refractory lymphoid malignancies and autoimmunity.”

Two other awardees are members of the Yale Cancer Center: Demetrios Braddock, MD, PhD, associate professor of pathology (Targeting genetically associated obesity) and Richard Kibbey, MD, PhD, Ensign Professor of Medicine (Endocrinology and Metabolism), and professor of cellular and molecular physiology
(Small molecule incretin hormone amplifier for the treatment of obesity and diabetes).

Awardees will be recognized at the 2025 Yale Innovation Summit on May 28–29. Read this for more on the awards.

The 2nd Annual Division Chiefs and Promotions Dinner, sponsored by the Yale Cancer Center, celebrated three new research scientists, an associate professor of medicine (medical oncology), and three full professors of medicine (medical oncology). The event was hosted by Roy Herbst, MD, PhD, chief of medical oncology and hematology, and attended by dozens colleagues of:
• Research scientist Kadriye Nehir Cosgun, PhD
• Research scientist Kohei Kume, PhD
* Research scientist Meina Wang, PhD
• Associate Professor of Medicine Michael Cecchini, MD
• Professor of Internal Medicine Pamela Kunz, MD
• Professor of Internal Medicine Maryam Lustberg, MD, MPH
• Professor of Internal Medicine Amer Zeidan, MBBS

For a full gallery of photos, go here.

1. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have invited Jun Deng, PhD, professor of therapeutic radiology, to be a speaker at their Gilbert W. Beebe Symposium in mid-March in Washington, DC. Deng will talk about using digital twins and AI in the context of precision medicine at the symposium held in March.

2. Lynn Carbino, RN, oncology nurse coordinator at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Greenwich, has been chosen as one of five nurses participating in the opening ceremony for the 50th Oncology Nursing Society Congress in early April in Denver. "Celebrating Yesterday, Transforming Tomorrow" is the theme of the Congress, which is billed as "the most comprehensive oncology nursing conference in the country, bringing together thousands of oncology nursing professionals for five days of learning, networking, career development, and celebration of the oncology nursing profession."

3. Congratulations to Karina (Kari) Brierley, CGC, the first recipient of “The Gene of Greatness” award by the Smilow Cancer Genetics and Prevention Program. In nominating her, co-workers said: “Kari brings a consistently positive attitude to the group, even during difficult situations. She truly brings up team morale" and “Kari has such a keen understanding of what our patients need and how we can help them. It is so reassuring being able to consult with her on various cases." Genetics counselor Carson Nestler, MS, CGC, created the award to recognize an employee whose unique qualities, dedication, and contributions enhance the program’s success.

4. A new exhibit in the fourth-floor gallery of Smilow Cancer Hospital celebrates the 100th year of the Garden Club of Madison with colorful wall-size imagery and historical information. It features a century of highlights including the very first handwritten minutes, to archival photography, and information on fascinating members including cartographer Alva Marsh Curtis who exhibited at the Smithsonian and the National Gallery. The historical exhibit at Smilow—representing about half of of the three dozen overall exhibit panels—will remain in the Healing Arts Gallery until this summer.

ALSO, congratulations to Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital's Center for Gastrointestinal Cancers for recently enrolling the first patient in the US into the OrigAMI-2 trial for unresectable or metastatic left-sided colorectal cancer. For more on the trial go here.

Since the new year, work by members of the Yale Cancer Center has been published throughout the world in dozens of journals.

In January and February alone, there was published work on a neoantigen vaccine that generatee antitumour immunity in renal cell carcinoma (Nature); prostate-specific antigen screening for prostate cancer (Journal of Urologic Oncology); a randomised, double-blind, phase 3 study for unresectable, non-metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (Lancet); the association between clinical trial participation, drug costs, and performance in the Oncology Care Model (Journal of the National Cancer Institute); survival with trastuzumab emtansine in residual HER2-positive breast cancer (New England Journal of Medicine); comparison of the incidence of breast cancer cases in the largest national US tumor registries (Cancer); assessing the quality of gastrointestinal surgical oncology care according to insurance status (Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery) and more. For a list of publications go here.

The YCC Grant & Funding Opportunities emailed newsletter has gotten a colorful makeover and is sporting a new design and layout. That makes it a good time to remind everyone of this useful resource. As with all Yale newsletters, it's a few simple steps to sign up to receive it in your email. First, go to the Yale Subscription Service here. Enter your usual NETID and password. Then, in the search bar, find "Yale Cancer Center—Grants and Funding." Select that newsletter by clicking subscribe next to its name. You are all set—watch your email for the next issue.

Yale Cancer Center is accepting applications to the 2025 Pilot Awards for Research on Cancer Equity. This internal pilot grant program is open to investigators who are YCC members with multidisciplinary teams (all members do not have to be a YCC member). The pilot grant aims to support projects that strengthen multidisciplinary scientific teams in pursuit of advancing our understanding of cancer care inequities and/or seek to mitigate known disparities. The ideal project will be collaborative, innovative, feasible and have high scientific rigor and value in diminishing cancer inequities in the YCC catchment area and/or nationally with the potential to result in external grant applications. The awards are for up to $75,000 per year for a one- or two-year period (not to exceed $150,000 per proposal) for basic, translational, clinical and/or population science research focused on cancer disparities led by one or more Yale investigators. Full proposals are due on Friday May 9, 2025. Interested parties are welcome to attend office hours to discuss possible pilot concepts (with dates in March and April detailed in the Request for Applications here). For more reach out to Melissa Hughes, MSc, or Tracy Battaglia, MD, MPH.

Applications are being accepted for the American Association of Cancer Research-Exelixis Renal Cell Carcinoma Research Fellowship until April 23 at 1 pm. The two-year, $130,000 fellowship represents a joint effort to encourage and support a postdoctoral or clinical research fellow to conduct renal cell carcinoma research and to establish a successful career path in this field. The research proposed for funding may be in basic, translational, clinical, or population sciences research and must have direct applicability and relevance to renal cell carcinoma. A partial amount of funds may be designated for non-personnel expenses, such as research/laboratory supplies, equipment, publication charges for manuscripts that pertain directly to the funded project, and other research expenses.

March 11 • Distinguished Lecture Series Yale Cancer Center • noon

Sandra Demaria, MD, presents "Opportunities and Challenges in Translating Combinations of Radiation Therapy and Immunotherapy to the Clinic." Dr. Demaria is professor of radiation oncology at Weill Cornell Medical College. Brady Memorial Auditorium. 310 Cedar St., New Haven. Lunch is served. Join us online. For more, go here.

March 11 • 7-8 pm • Smilow Shares Adrenal Tumors CME Seminar

Hari Deshpande, MD; Courtney Elizabeth Gibson, MD, MS, FACS; and Sachin Majumdar Jr, MD. Reigster for this Zoom event. For more.

March 17 • Women’s History Month Lecture • 5-6 pm

“A Woman's Resilience” with Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, the former unofficial first lady of Canada and former TV and radio journalist. She is advocate for mental health, female empowerment, emotional literacy and conscious leadership. Perspectives for Inclusion Series. Harkness Memorial Auditorium, 333 Cedar St., New Haven. Register in advance.

March 18 • noon • Schwartz Rounds

“Feeling Powerless During Times of Suffering” with Tara Sanft, MD, director of the Smilow Survivorship Clinic. Smilow Auditorium, second floor, 55 Park St., New Haven. For more.

March 21 • 1-2 pm • YCC Developmental Therapeutics Research Program
"The YCC Cancer Care Equity Research Initiative,” presented by Tracy Battaglia, MD. Sterling Hall of Medicine, B-Wing, B201, 333 Cedar St., New Haven. Flyer.

March 22 • 10 am to 12 pm • BRCA and Beyond: Navigating the Journey of Genetic Risk and Resilience

Learn more about living with genetic cancer risk from keynote speakers Joanne Barrett; Ellie Proussaloglou, MD; and Elena Ratner, MD, MBA. Folllowed by your choice of four breakout sessions: Sexuality, Menopause, and Intimacy; Financial and Insurance Implications; Communication with Family; and Coping with a Genetic Mutation. Smilow Auditorium, 55 Park St., New Haven. RSVP by March 19 to ruthann.ornstein@yale.edu

March 25 • noon • Yale Cancer Center Grand Rounds • Paul Calabresi, MD, Memorial Lecture

“Cancer at the Crossroads” with W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, the most recent Director of the National Cancer Institute. Smilow Auditorium, second floor, 55 Park St., New Haven. Lunch or join us online.

March 25 • 6:30-7:30 pm • OncLive Ask the Expert
"Evolving Treatments: Managing Prostate Cancer" with Daniel P. Petrylak, MD, chief, genitourinary oncology. ZINC, New Haven. Register for this event. For more, visit here.

March 26 • 8 am • Smilow Town Hall
Speakers Eric Winer, MD; Lori Pickens, MPH; Kevin Billingsley, MD, MBA, FACS; and Tracy Carafeno, RN, CNML. Smilow Auditorium, 55 Park St., 2nd Floor, New Haven. A Zoom link will be posted to the calendar closer to the event.

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Direct Connect's 2024 newsletters can be found online under News at the Yale Cancer Center web site.