UT MD Anderson honors exceptional faculty with institution's highest academic awards

HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center yesterday recognized outstanding faculty members for their exceptional contributions to cancer research, patient care, prevention, education and leadership. The institution’s annual Celebration of Faculty Excellence honors faculty whose achievements advance UT MD Anderson's mission to end cancer and make a meaningful impact on patients and communities worldwide.

"These distinguished faculty members represent the very best of our commitment to excellence in research, patient care, prevention and education," said Peter WT Pisters, M.D., president of UT MD Anderson. "Their remarkable accomplishments continue to drive innovation and improve outcomes for patients while strengthening our position as a global leader in oncology."

During the celebration, UT MD Anderson announced the promotion of 58 faculty members to the academic rank of professor, named six early-career Faculty Scholars, six recipients of the Faculty Achievement Awards, and recognized the esteemed group for excellence in quality improvement and patient safety, research, community engagement, education and mentorship. Six faculty members were honored with UT MD Anderson’s most prestigious endowed faculty awards: the Jack and Beverly Randall Prize for Excellence in Cancer Care, the R. Lee Clark Prize, the Shirley Stein Scientific Endowed Research Award, and the President’s Award for Leadership Excellence. 

Jack and Beverly Randall Prize for Excellence in Cancer Care
Established in 2011 by UT MD Anderson Board of Visitors member Jack Randall and his wife, Beverly, the Jack and Beverly Randall Prize for Excellence in Cancer Care promotes innovation and breakthrough advances in cancer research and care. The $100,000 award recognizes exceptional vision, creativity and excellence among researchers and clinicians, alternating annually between the two groups. This year’s recipient is Hilary Ma, M.D., professor of General Oncology.

R. Lee Clark Prize
Established in 2016 through support from Jeanne F. Shelby’s estate, the R. Lee Clark Prize awards $5,000 annually to two UT MD Anderson faculty members, one in clinical research and one in basic or translational research. The award honors the scholarship, service and social responsibility exemplified by R. Lee Clark, M.D., UT MD Anderson’s first president. This year’s recipients are Jeffrey Gershenwald, M.D., professor of Surgical Oncology, and Mark Bedford, Ph.D., professor of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis.

Shirley Stein Scientific Endowed Research Award
The Shirley Stein Scientific Endowed Research Award recognizes promising investigators whose work demonstrates exceptional potential to advance cancer medicine. Established in 2014 by Gary Stein and his family along with UT MD Anderson Board of Visitors Life Member Regina Rogers, the award recognizes outstanding clinical research by faculty with limited project resources. The award provides $10,000 to support preliminary data generation, helping recipients compete for larger grants and federal funding. This year’s recipients are Ethan Lin, M.D., assistant professor of Interventional Radiology, and Hongxia Sun, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of Anatomic Pathology.

President’s Award for Leadership Excellence
This award combines the former John Mendelsohn Award for Faculty Leadership and Charles A. LeMaistre, M.D., Outstanding Achievement Award in Cancer, creating a single honor. The President’s Award for Leadership Excellence recognizes one individual each year who exemplifies exceptional leadership with broad and lasting impact on the institutional mission. This year’s recipient is Katy Rezvani, M.D., Ph.D., vice president and head of the Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation, and professor of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy.

Faculty Scholars
The Faculty Scholar Program was established to recognize assistant and associate professors who exhibit outstanding abilities and excellence in research, education, patient care or prevention. These awards are made possible by the E.N. Cobb Faculty Scholar Endowment and the Dallas/Fort Worth Living Legend Faculty Scholar Award Endowment. Honorees this year include:

• Hussein Abbas, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor, Leukemia
• Scherezade Mama, Dr.P.H., associate professor, Health Disparities Research
• Amy Moreno, M.D., assistant professor, Radiation Oncology
• Van Morris, M.D., associate professor, Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology
• Natalie Vokes, M.D., assistant professor, Thoracic Head and Neck Medical Oncology
• Tao Wang, Ph.D., associate professor, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology

Faculty Achievement Awards
The Faculty Achievement Awards recognize faculty for exemplary work at UT MD Anderson across a variety of disciplines. Recipients have made significant, original contributions that greatly advance the understanding and treatment of cancer while enhancing the institution's global reputation. Honorees and generous supporters for each award include:

Basic Science Research (Supported by the Dallas/Fort Worth Living Legend Faculty Achievement Award in Basic Research Endowment)

• Betty Kim, M.D., Ph.D., professor, Neurosurgery

Cancer Prevention (Supported by the Margaret and James A. Elkins, Jr. Faculty Achievement Award in Cancer Prevention)

• Sanjay Shete, Ph.D., professor, Biostatistics

Clinical Research (Supported by the Otis W. and Pearl L. Walters Endowment for Faculty Achievement Award)

• Rodabe Amaria, M.D., professor, Melanoma Medical Oncology

Education (Supported by The William Randolph Hearst Foundations Faculty Achievement Award in Education)

• Phyu Aung, M.D., Ph.D., professor, Anatomic Pathology

Patient Care (Supported by the UT MD Anderson Cancer Foundation)

• Peter Balter, Ph.D., professor, Radiation Physics

Translational Research (Supported by the Dallas/Fort Worth Living Legend)

• Tina Cascone, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor, Thoracic Head and Neck Medical Oncology