8/22/2016 ​PHILADELPHIA — The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) has established a new award named in honor of Waun Ki Hong, MD, AACR Past President (2001-2002), professor of medicine in the Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, and the Samsung distinguished university chair in cancer medicine emeritus at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

The AACR-Waun Ki Hong Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cancer Research recognizes Hong's extraordinary contributions to cancer research, care, and prevention during his brilliant career as a physician-scientist. This award will recognize a worthy cancer researcher who has conducted highly meritorious laboratory, translational, or clinical cancer research anywhere in the world at a relatively early state in his or her career, honoring the outstanding research of a young investigator who has not yet have reached 46 years of age at the time of the presentation of the award.

The recipient of the inaugural AACR-Waun Ki Hong Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cancer Research will deliver an award lecture at the AACR Annual Meeting 2017, to be held April 1-5 in Washington D.C., and will receive an honorarium of $10,000.
Hong’s pioneering research has resulted in three seminal contributions in cancer medicine. He conceptualized and led the landmark Veterans Administration Cooperative laryngeal preservation trial using induction chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which changed the way the disease is managed and served as a model for organ preservation in many other cancers. Hong also established proof of principle that chemoprevention works in patients with head and neck cancer, thereby helping define a new discipline in cancer prevention. Additionally, he was the main architect and principal investigator for BATTLE (Biomarker-integrated Approaches of Targeted Therapy for Lung Cancer Elimination), the first successful biopsy-driven trial in lung cancer. This formative work opened up a new paradigm of personalized cancer therapy in solid tumors.

Hong’s service on behalf of the AACR began in 1982. He was influential in expanding the AACR’s international membership and played a major role in promoting multidisciplinary translational cancer research. He was a founding deputy editor of Clinical Cancer Research and was elected to the inaugural class of Fellows of the AACR Academy in 2013.

In addition, Hong has served in additional leadership roles, including the National Cancer Institute board of scientific advisors, the National Cancer Advisory Board, American Society of Clinical Oncology board of directors, and the subspecialty board of medical oncology for the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Hong’s commitment to cancer research has been recognized with numerous other recognitions throughout his career, including the AACR Margaret Foti Award for Leadership and Extraordinary Achievements in Cancer Research, AACR-Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation Award, AACR-Joseph H. Burchenal Award, AACR-Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation Award, and the American Cancer Society Medal of Honor in Clinical Research. He is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The nomination deadline is Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016. For more information, contact Monique P. Eversley.

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