Effective May 1, Brian Bolwell, MD, FACP will assume the role of Chair, Physician Leadership and Development at Cleveland Clinic's Mandel Leadership and Learning Institute. Dr. Bolwell has served as Chair of Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute since 2010, and on the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center (Case CCC) Executive Committee first as Associate Director for the Taussig Cancer Institute and then Deputy Director for Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Bolwell’s calm and understated leadership, advocating for the Case CCC and Cleveland's cancer research community, has benefited all at our center. Please join us in thanking him and wishing him the best of luck in his new position.

Jame Abraham, MD, Chair of the Cleveland Clinic Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, will serve as Acting Chair of Taussig Cancer Institute. Dr. Abraham currently serves as Chairman of the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Cleveland Clinic. He is also Professor of Medicine at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and a member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center's Developmental Therapeutics Program.

The 2021 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting is taking place virtually in two parts. Part I of the meeting was held this week, and Part II will be held May 17-21. The AACR Annual Meeting program covers the latest discoveries across the spectrum of cancer research—from population science and prevention; to cancer biology, translational, and clinical studies; to survivorship and advocacy—and highlights the work of the best minds in research and medicine from institutions all over the world.

Check out our compilation of presentations, posters and more from Cleveland-based institutions or review highlights from the AACR team below. Standard meeting registration includes on-demand access to all sessions through June 21, 2021!

From The Daily: Medical researchers from Case Western Reserve University, New York University (NYU), and University Hospitals have been awarded a five-year, $3 million National Cancer Institute grant to develop and apply artificial intelligence (AI) tools for predicting which lung cancer patients will respond to immunotherapy.

For the first time, the study will involve testing the team's specific AI tools during an ongoing clinical trial. While these real-time treatment predictions will be used exclusively for research–and not for clinical diagnosis or treatment–the work is the next step toward trials that would allow physicians to apply the tools with participating patients.

“Clinical trials down the road will be our biggest test, but now we will be—for the first time—studying changes in the tissue-scan patterns of patients as they are being treated, and that will provide real-world context of our tools,” said Anant Madabhushi, PhD director of Case Western Reserve’s Center for Computational Imaging and Personalized Medicine. “Our AI tools have excelled in previous studies, but they have all been after-the-fact.” Dr. Madabhushi, the Donnell Institute Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Case School of Engineering, is a member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center's Cancer Imaging Program.

The School of Medicine Office of Research Administration is hosting an information session on Wednesday, April 21 from 12-1:30 pm to help faculty members navigate and understand NIH policies for submitting grant proposals. The recently released NIH guidelines for Biosketches and Other Support pages will also be discussed in detail.

This 90-minute virtual session will be led by Erin Fogarty, Assistant Dean for Research Administration, and the staff from the SOM Office of Grants and Contracts.

Please join the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center administration in welcoming Carey Fornal as Assistant Director of Funded Projects! Carey joins us from the Case Western Reserve University Office of Grants and Contracts and manages and oversees the financial and administrative functions of faculty with primary appointments in the Cancer Center.

Available award: Up to $120,000 for one year

Available award: $75,000 for 18 months

Available award: $180,000 for 18 months

Available award: $50,000

Available award: $50,000

Available award: $25,000 for one year

Available award: up to $150,000

The Center for Immunotherapy and Precision Immuno-Oncology at Cleveland Clinic is accepting applications for a highly selective postdoctoral fellowship that will provide the successful applicants with a unique environment to conduct translational cancer or immunology research at one of the best hospital and research centers in the world.

The program will expose successful applicants to high impact research, enhance exposure and learning about clinical oncology, and provide mentorship aimed at preparing the fellow for independence.

Full applications including cover letter, curriculum vitae, a brief summary of current and future

research interests and three references should be submitted to: postdocfellowship@ccf.org.

The Department of Defense and its Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) have announced program details and application instructions for the following FY2021 programs:

The CWRU Translational Fellow Program (TFP) seeks to train individuals in entrepreneurship and the translation of innovation into commercial ventures by connecting them to programs and workshops around campus while protecting time for their entrepreneurial activities.

Applications are sought from individuals who are employed by CWRU or its hospital partners, or who are students at CWRU who are interested in a career in entrepreneurship and technology commercialization. Applications are especially encouraged from doctoral students, post-docs, and/or research staff. Applicants will commit to work through the process of developing a technology for commercialization either from their own laboratory or agree to be assigned a technology. This fellowship will run from 7/1/2021 through 6/30/2022.