PRESS RELEASE: The Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance Is Now Accepting Applications for its 2021 Prize for Early-Career, Radically Innovative Cancer Researchers
NEW YORK, OCTOBER 5, 2020 (Business Wire) – The Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance (PSSCRA) today announced the opening of applications for its 2021 Prize for Young Investigators in Cancer Research. The prize of $200,000 per year for up to three years is awarded annually to at least six New York City area-based scientists. The prize empowers researchers to pursue innovative, high-risk/high-reward cancer research at a stage when traditional funding is lacking.
“Science, social justice and the collective environmental conscience have never been as intertwined. Symbolizing the notion of infinity, our eighth year promises to reveal new insights and innovation in cancer research at a scale that is as broad as it is entangled: spanning the micro and the macro, the individual and the societal; the biologic and the synthetic,” said Pershing Square Foundation Trustee Neri Oxman. “We look forward to reviewing radically innovative applications as we continue to grow our PSSCRA community.”
Applicants must have between two and eight years of experience running their own laboratories by the award start date (July 2021), hold a PhD, MD or MD-PhD (or degree equivalent), and be affiliated with a research institution in the greater New York City area. The greater New York City area includes New York City’s five boroughs, Long Island, Westchester County, New Jersey, and Western Connecticut (Fairfield and New Haven Counties). The deadline to submit a Letter of Intent is November 9, 2020. For more details on PSSCRA and the application process, including the full eligibility criteria, please visit: https://psscra.org/application/.
Now providing funding and support for 46 investigators at eleven academic research institutions, the highly competitive Prize underwrites the bold research of cancer scientists at a formative stage in their careers. In order to facilitate collaboration and innovation, each Prize winner is given access to leaders in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries and the opportunity to present his or her work to scientific, business, and philanthropic audiences.
“As we embark on the eighth year of the Prize, we remain extremely impressed by the remarkable scientific talent in the NYC area. It is our goal to build a community of innovative and skilled individuals and to support their exploration of the most exciting and revolutionary ideas, especially during a time when scientific research is more pressing and vital than ever,” said Olivia Tournay Flatto, PhD, President of The Pershing Square Foundation and Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance. “The future of the New York area’s life science research and industry relies on our ability to discover and support such new talent.”
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“The Pershing Square Sohn Prize is an immense honor for me and my team,” said Britta Will, PhD, a 2020 Prize winner who is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. “It provides us with a truly unique opportunity to comprehensively explore a wholly new research direction which would have otherwise taken years to realize.”
“The Pershing Square Sohn Prize will open the gateway for my laboratory to tackle high-risk and bold questions. This award will also provide the means to establish communication and collaboration with other outstanding scientists by virtue of participation in networking events. It will, therefore, undoubtedly support the development of my scientific career,” said Camila dos Santos, PhD, a recipient of the 2018 Prize and Assistant Professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. “I am incredibly honored to be a recipient of this prestigious award and become a part of such an extraordinary effort and community.”
“This is a highly impactful and prestigious award which has made a major impact on my career,” remarked 2014 Prize winner Ross Levine, MD, the Laurence Joseph Dineen Chair in Leukemia Research and Director of the MSK Center for Hematologic Malignancies at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Levine concluded his project in 2017 and has participated in PSSCRA’s application process as a guest reviewer for the past three years.
About the Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance
The Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance was formed in 2013 through a $25 million commitment by The Pershing Square Foundation, which partnered with The Sohn Conference Foundation. The Alliance is dedicated to playing a catalytic role in accelerating cures for cancer by supporting innovative cancer research and by facilitating collaborations between academia and industry. Annually, the Alliance awards The Pershing Square Sohn Prize to young New York based scientists who are engaged in cutting-edge cancer research. For more information, visit https://psscra.org/.
About The Pershing Square Foundation
The Pershing Square Foundation (PSF) was established in 2006 to support exceptional leaders and innovative organizations that tackle important social issues and deliver scalable and sustainable impact across the globe. PSF has committed $400 million in grants and social investments across a number of fields, including health and medicine, education, economic development and social justice. Since 2019, Bill Ackman and Neri Oxman have served as co-trustees of the Foundation. By investing in pioneering individuals, non-profits and mission driven companies who dare to re-imagine the possible, PSF has helped to bring about important breakthroughs — from cancer research and small-scale agriculture to criminal justice reform and educational opportunities for young people in communities around the world. For more information visit: www.pershingsquarefoundation.org.
About The Sohn Conference Foundation
The Sohn Conference Foundation is dedicated to the treatment and cure of pediatric cancer. The Sohn Conference Foundation supports cutting-edge medical research, state-of-the-art research equipment, and innovative programs to ensure that children with cancer survive and thrive. The Sohn Conference Foundation raises its funds through premier investment conferences around the world, including the renowned annual Sohn Investment Conference in New York.
The Sohn Investment Conference honors the memory of Ira Sohn, a Wall Street Professional who lost his battle with cancer at age 29. His friends and family founded The Sohn Investment Conference in New York in 1995. Since then, investment leaders from across the globe have been inspired to launch partner Sohn Conferences to bring the financial community together for charitable causes. Sohn Conferences include Sohn Australia, Sohn Brazil, Sohn Canada, Sohn Geneva, Sohn Hong Kong, Sohn India, Sohn London, Sohn Monaco, Sohn San Francisco, and Sohn Tel Aviv. To date, The Foundation has raised more than $90 million. More information on The Sohn Investment Conference is available at www.sohnconference.org.