Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan honored recipients of the 2021 King Hussein Award for Cancer Research during ceremony held on November 14 by the King Hussein Cancer Foundation (KHCF). The event was conducted under the patronage of Their Majesties King Abdullah II and Queen Rania Al Abdullah, and in the presence of Their Royal Highnesses Prince Talal bin Muhammad and Princess Ghida Talal.
Established in 2020, the King Hussein Award for Cancer Research promotes and celebrates cancer research efforts across the Arab world. Honoring the memory of His Majesty the late King Hussein bin Talal, a firm believer in cancer research, the award recognizes leading Arab researchers, both established and promising, who are making outstanding contributions to the knowledge of cancer.
Speaking in her capacity as Chairperson of the King Hussein KHCF and King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC), Princess Ghida said, “Today, from the heart of Jordan’s capital, Amman, let us work together to change the narrative of cancer in our region and create the only future we are willing to accept: a cancer-free future, a future that can only be assured through research.”
The Promising Researcher Grant
Margret Shirinian, PhD, Assistant Professor at the American University of Beirut, and Wafaa Ramadan, PhD student at the University of Sharjah, UAE, received the Promising Researcher Grant. This award provides funding for two research proposals to be conducted in the Arab world by young researchers in any discipline related to cancer. By funding selected projects in the amount of $100,000 over the course of 2 years, the grant endeavors to inspire a new generation of researchers and equip them with the necessary resources, structure, and support to carry out cutting-edge research in the Arab world.
The Research Project Award
The Research Project Award recognizes recently published impactful and innovative cancer research projects conducted in the Arab world. The award consists of two prizes, one for an established investigator and one for a promising investigator (individuals younger than 40 and no more than 5 years since the completion of their most advanced degree). Yacoub Yousef, MD, ocular oncologist and surgeon at KHCC, received the Promising Investigator award. Established Investigator awards were presented to Hikmat Abdel-Razeq, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director General of KHCC, and Raya Saab, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatric Medicine at the American University Beirut (AUB).
Lifetime Achievement Award
The King Hussein Award recognizes the pillars and pioneers who have played critical roles in both advancing regional research and the fight against cancer at the international level through its Lifetime Achievement Award. This award covers two areas, regional (recognizing Arab researchers working in the region) and international (recognizing Arab researchers working outside of the region). The Lifetime Achievement Award for a Regional Doctor was presented to Nagi El Saghir, MD, FACP, FASCO, Professor of Clinical Medicine, Head of the Division of Hematology-Oncology, and Director of Breast Center of Excellence, Naef K. Basile Cancer Institute, American University of Beirut in Lebanon, and Mahmoud Aljurf, MD, MPH, FRCP, Director of Adult Hematology/Oncology/Stem Cell Transplant Program and Deputy Director of the Oncology Center at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Rami Komrokji, MD, Vice Chair of the Malignant Hematology Department, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, received the Lifetime Achievement for an International Doctor.
Institutional Excellence in Research Award
Recognizing institutions demonstrating leadership, empowerment, and provision of an enabling environment for research in the Arab world, this award is given annually to hospitals and universities, in alternation. The 2021 award was presented to King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, represented by its Chief Executive Officer, H.E. Majid Alf Fayyadh, MD.
