Dana-Farber Researchers Receive AACR 2025 Scientific Achievement Awards

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Matthew Meyerson, MD, PhD, FAACR, Toni K. Choueiri, MD, and Alice T. Shaw, MD, PhD, have been selected by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) as recipients of 2025 Scientific Achievement Awards. The three researchers will be honored during the AACR Annual Meeting 2025, held April 25-30 at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago.

James S. Ewing-Thelma B. Dunn Award for Outstanding Achievement in Pathology in Cancer Research

Meyerson is the recipient of the James S. Ewing-Thelma B. Dunn Award for Outstanding Achievement in Pathology in Cancer Research. Meyerson is the Charles A. Dana Chair in Human Cancer Genetics and director of the Center for Cancer Genomics at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He is also a professor of genetics and medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is being recognized for his significant discoveries including the identification of key oncogenic mutations and the development of genomic diagnostic approaches. Meyerson’s groundbreaking work on CDK and telomerase genes, and EGFR and RAF mutations, has shaped targeted therapies and his discoveries in cancer microbiomics and non-coding genome alterations have deepened our understanding of tumor biology.

The James S. Ewing-Thelma B. Dunn Award was named for AACR's first president, James S. Ewing, MD, and the AACR's first female president, Thelma B. Dunn, MD, both of whom were pathologists, and serves to recognize and celebrate pathologists who have significantly contributed to advancing cancer research, diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

Meyerson’s award lecture will be held on Sunday, April 27, 2025, at 3:15pm CT.

Waun Ki Hong Award for Outstanding Achievement in Translational and Clinical Cancer Research

Choueiri is the recipient of the Waun Ki Hong Award for Outstanding Achievement in Translational and Clinical Cancer Research. Choueiri is the director of the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology at Dana-Farber as well as co-leader of the Kidney Cancer Program at Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, and the Jerome and Nancy Kohlberg Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is being recognized for his transformative advancements in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer), which significantly extended patient survival rates for those with metastatic and high-risk disease.

The Waun Ki Hong Award was established in recognition of the extraordinary contributions of Waun Ki Hong, MD, to advancing cancer research, cancer care and cancer prevention during his longstanding and brilliant career as a physician-scientist. This prestigious honor recognizes a worthy cancer researcher who has conducted highly meritorious translational and clinical cancer research anywhere in the world and who has not yet reached 51 years of age at the time of the award presentation.

Choueiri’s award lecture will be held on Sunday, April 27, 2025, at 4:30pm CT.

Joseph H. Burchenal Award for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Cancer Research

Shaw is the recipient of the Joseph H. Burchenal Award for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Cancer Research. Shaw is chief of strategic partnerships, a physician in the thoracic oncology program at Dana-Farber, and former professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. She is being recognized for her revered clinical and translational research that has transformed the treatment of oncogene-driven lung cancers. Shaw's groundbreaking work in defining ALK- and ROS1-positive lung cancers and leading the preclinical and clinical development of first and next generation inhibitors has established new standards of care, dramatically improved patient outcomes and set new benchmarks in the field of targeted therapies.

The award was established in 1996 by AACR and Bristol-Myers Squibb to recognize outstanding achievements in clinical cancer research. It honors Joseph H. Burchenal, honorary Member and past president of AACR, and a major figure in clinical cancer research.

Shaw’s award lecture will be held on Monday, April 28, 2025, at 5:00pm CT.