Linda Wenger
lwenger@LUNGevity.org
(973) 449-3214
Washington, DC (January 27, 2022) — LUNGevity Foundation, the nation’s leading lung cancer-focused nonprofit organization, is pleased to offer for the second time two lung cancer research award programs to support early-stage lung cancer researchers from underrepresented populations in the biomedical research workforce. These awards, to be granted in 2022, are in addition to LUNGevity’s 2022 Career Development Awards.
The 2022 LUNGevity Health Equity and Inclusiveness Research Fellow Award program supports fellows interested in translational lung cancer research who belong to underrepresented minorities in STEM, as per the National Science Foundation. Applicants must hold a doctoral degree, be within the first or second year of their fellowship, and plan to pursue a lung cancer research career. This is a mentored award, which may be for a maximum of $100,000 over two years ($50,000 per year).
The 2022 LUNGevity Health Equity and Inclusiveness Junior Investigator Award program supports physician-scientists interested in conducting lung cancer clinical research. Applicants must hold a doctoral degree, be within the first five years of their first faculty appointment, and have completed a training fellowship. This is a mentored award, which may be for a maximum of $200,000 over two years ($100,000 per year).
“Healthcare inequity is a long-standing problem for underserved communities,” explained Robert A. Winn, MD, director of Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center and LUNGevity board member. “Lack of ethnic and racial minority clinicians and researchers exacerbates the issue. Programs like the LUNGevity HEI Awards that increase access to clinicians who understand the unique needs of underserved communities are a means to bridging the inequity gap.”
Projects funded in 2022 are expected to have a direct impact on the early detection of lung cancer or the outcomes of lung cancer or to provide a clear conceptual or experimental foundation for the future development of methods of early detection and/or individualized treatment, including through targeted therapy and immunotherapy.
The RFAs for these awards are available on the LUNGevity website at LUNGevity.org/apply-for-award and the proposalCentral website at proposalcentral.com.
“LUNGevity is proud to fund these awards to establish more diverse voices in the lung cancer workforce,” stated LUNGevity CEO Andrea Ferris.
Letters of intent for both awards must be submitted by February 23, 2022.
About LUNGevity Foundation
LUNGevity Foundation is the nation’s leading lung cancer organization focused on improving outcomes for people with lung cancer through research, education, policy initiatives, and support and engagement for patients, survivors, and caregivers. LUNGevity seeks to make an immediate impact on quality of life and survivorship for everyone touched by the disease—while promoting health equity by addressing disparities throughout the care continuum. LUNGevity works tirelessly to advance research into early detection and more effective treatments, provide information and educational tools to empower patients and their caregivers, promote impactful public policy initiatives, and amplify the patient voice through research and engagement. The organization provides an active community for patients and survivors—and those who help them live longer and better lives.
Comprehensive resources include a medically vetted and patient-centric website, a toll-free HELPLine for support, the International Lung Cancer Survivorship Conference, and an easy-to-use Clinical Trial Finder, among other tools. All of these programs are to achieve our vision—a world where no one dies of lung cancer. LUNGevity Foundation is proud to be a four-star Charity Navigator organization.
Please visit LUNGevity.org to learn more.
About Lung Cancer in the US
- About 1 in 16 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime
- More than 235,000 people in the US will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year
- About 65% of all new lung cancer diagnoses are among people who have never smoked or are former smokers
- Lung cancer takes more lives than the next two deadliest cancers (colorectal and pancreatic) combined
- Only 22% of all people diagnosed with lung cancer will survive 5 years or more, BUT if it’s caught before it spreads, the chance of 5-year survival improves dramatically