Jane Visvader, PhD
Geoffrey Lindeman, MBBS, PhD
Matthew J. Ellis, BSc, MB, BChir, PhD, FRCP
Susan G. Komen recently named Jane Visvader, PhD; George Lindeman, MBBS, PhD; and Matthew J. Ellis, BSc, MB, BChir, PhD, FRCP, as this year’s recipients of the Brinker Awards for Scientific Distinction. The 2019 Brinker Award winners will deliver keynote lectures at the upcoming 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium and will be honored at an awards ceremony.
Established by Komen in 1992, the Brinker Awards for Scientific Distinction recognize advances in both our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of breast cancer and the clinical setting.
Brinker Award in Basic Science
Drs. Visvader and Lindeman are Joint Heads of the Cancer Biology and Stem Cells Division at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne. Their research has resulted in critical insights into the regulation of normal breast cell growth and breast cancer initiation and progression, including the identification of stem cells that give rise to normal tissue and the breast cells that are predisposed to becoming cancerous in women with BRCA1-gene mutations.
Brinker Award in Clinical Research
Dr. Ellis is Professor of Medicine and Cellular and Molecular Biology; Director of the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center; and Associate Director for Translational Research at the Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine. He is recognized for his contributions to understanding the genomics of breast cancer and translating this knowledge to the clinic to improve the efficacy of breast cancer treatment. His work to define the genomic landscape of breast cancer, drug resistance mechanisms, and biomarkers for breast cancer prognosis, coupled with his research in the presurgical treatment of breast cancer, has resulted in advances for more personalized treatments. ■
