La Roche-Posay announced the winners of the 9th annual La Roche-Posay North American Foundation’s 2014 Research Awards, which supports the work of outstanding candidates with promising projects in the field of clinical, biological and pharmacological research linked to dermatology.
This year, three winners were chosen to continue their research in the field: Dr Thomas Strub received the first place grant of $10,000, while Drs Shadmehr Demehri and Emily Newsom were named the second and third place winners respectively, and each received a $5000 grant.
The winners were selected by the La Roche-Posay North American Scientific Committee, which comprises academic leaders, including committee chairman Daniel Schachter, MD (University of Toronto), Jean Bolognia, MD (Yale University), Joseph Jorizzo, MD (Weill Cornell Medical College & Wake Forest University), Ken Tomecki, MD (Cleveland Clinic), Ivan Camacho, MD (University of Miami), and Vincent Ho, MD (University of British Columbia).
The committee evaluated each of the submitted research proposals before naming Strub, Demehri and Newsom as the most promising candidates.
‘The La Roche-Posay Foundation helps to foster dermatology,’ said Dr Schachter, the Chairman of the Awards Committee. ‘This is a great opportunity to support young researchers early in their careers. This year’s winners presented excellent research proposals and will now be better able to continue their great work. We congratulate each of them and will be excited to see the results of their research.’
Dr Thomas Strub, of the Department of Oncological Sciences and Dermatology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, was awarded first prize for his study titled, Epigenetic Mechanisms Underlying Drug Resistance of Malignant Melanoma.
‘It is a privilege for me to be chosen by The La Roche-Posay North American Foundation for supporting my research goals,’ said Dr Strub. ‘Melanoma therapies remain limited and drug resistance invariably occurs with patients ultimately relapsing. I hope my research will shed light onto the epigenome of resistant melanoma tumors and insight on the elements involved in melanoma, which will ultimately improve patient outcomes.’
Dr Shadmehr Demehri, of the Division of Dermatology, Washington University, received second prize for his study titled, The Role of Calcipotriol in Treatment of Pre-cancerous Skin Lesions.
Dr Emily Newsom, of Wayne State University, Department of Dermatology, was awarded third prize for her study titled, Mapping Cytogenetic Abnormalities in Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma using FISH.
These three gifted researchers were recognised at the La Roche-Posay North American Foundation Awards dinner during the 2014 American Academy of Dermatology 72nd annual meeting.
Created in France in 1985, the La Roche-Posay Foundation is dedicated to supporting dermatological research aimed at improving the quality of life for people all over the world.
The La Roche-Posay Foundation seeks to extend its mission on a global scale, and currently exists in four continents, including Europe, Latin America and Asia, as well as North America, where it was established in 2005.
