The Global Challenge to Prevent Breast Cancer has awarded:
The Grand Prize (Researcher Category) to Victoria Seewaldt, professor and chair of Population Sciences at City of Hope, who, with Chris Sistrunk of the SoCAL STEM and Community Outread Team, proposed STEM education to help prevent breast cancer.
The Grand Prize (Advocate Category) to Nancy Buermeyer, senior policy strategist at Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, who, with co-author Janet Nudelman, advocates reducing emissions at major ports to lower breast cancer risk.
In addition to the two Grand Prize winners chosen by a judging committee of experts and advocates, those in attendance and watching online also had their say, voting on an Audience Choice Award. The winner, Michele Atlan, vice president at the Breast Cancer Care and Research Fund, proposed a novel way to repackage natural ingredients to aid prevention efforts.
Started by the California Breast Cancer Research Program last fall, the Global Challenge was designed to uncover transformative prevention research ideas, and address the staggering statistic that, despite treatment advancements, people continue to be diagnosed with breast cancer at rates that have remained essentially unchanged over the past three decades.
Finalists were selected from dozens of applications that were submitted to the Global Challenge and competed at the Idea Showcase and Competition in San Francisco.
The ideas presented at the Global Challenge Idea Showcase and Competition will inform more than $15 million in funding that CBCRP will devote to breast cancer prevention research over the next five years.
