Olivera Finn receives Richard V. Smalley Memorial Award and Lectureship

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on email
Share on print

Olivera Finn, University of Pittsburgh Distinguished Professor and founding chair of the Department of Immunology, was named the 2019 recipient of the Richard V. Smalley Memorial Award and Lectureship from the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, the society’s highest honor.

Finn is credited with identifying the first tumor-associated T cell target on human adenocarcinomas in 1989. Her research group also identified certain antibodies in cancers of the breast, pancreas and colon, which led to the development of a potential cancer vaccine currently being tested in clinical trials.

The Smalley Memorial Award, established by SITC in 2005, is presented annually to a clinician or scientist who has significantly contributed to the advancement of research in the field of cancer immunotherapy. The award is named in honor of the past SITC president and charter member of the society.

Finn is the former director of the Pitt Cancer Institute Cancer Immunology Program.

Table of Contents

YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN

Despite steady progress in reducing overall cancer mortality rates, cancer incidence in women is rising, according to the American Cancer Society’s “Cancer Statistics, 2025” report. Incidence rates in women 50-64 years of age have surpassed those in men, and rates in women under 50 are now 82% higher than their male counterparts, up from 51% higher in 2002. In 2021, for the first time, lung cancer incidence was higher in women under 65 than in men. 
Over the past five years, Cedars-Sinai Cancer has built an integrated, regional system designed to provide cancer care close to where patients live and work. This model of care, directed by an academic medical center to patients at the community level, proved to be the best possible approach to supporting patients in our 11-million-person catchment area during the worst fire disaster in California history. 

Never miss an issue!

Get alerts for our award-winning coverage in your inbox.

Login