At the Yale Class of 1961 reunion held this May, Dr. Melinda Irwin, Professor of Chronic Diseases and Associate Director for Population Sciences, was recognized for her selection as the first recipient of the Yale Class of 1961 Cancer Research Award. The Class of 1961, celebrating their 55th reunion, gives to Yale Cancer Center via an endowed class gift.
This annual award recognizes significant accomplishments in cancer research at Yale University by a young member of the faculty, coupled with the expectation for future outstanding contributions to our understanding of the causes and cures for cancer. Established through the ongoing generosity of the Yale College Class of 1961, the award provides unrestricted funds to support cancer research. Nominees must be Yale faculty members age 45 or less, whose accomplishments are documented by published papers and awarded grants in any area of cancer research including seminal investigations into basic cancer biology, important translational or clinical studies, or critical population science studies.
Dr. Irwin is a prominent leader in the field of lifestyle factors and cancer. Her research over the past 15 years has focused on randomized trials of exercise and weight loss on biological markers, treatment side effects, and quality of life in cancer patients and survivors. The funding from the Yale Class of 1961 Cancer Research Award enabled Dr. Irwin to conduct analyses of novel biomarkers from stored blood and tissue from previous exercise and weight loss clinical trials for women with breast and ovarian cancer.
Daniel C. DiMaio, MD, PhD, Waldemar Von Zedtwitz Professor of Genetics and Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and of Therapeutic Radiology and Deputy Director of Yale Cancer Center, introduced Dr. Irwin and presented her with the award.