Physician-scientist Beth Karlan, professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and director of cancer population genetics at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Gynecologic Cancer Society for her contributions to gynecologic cancer research and clinical practice.
The award is bestowed annually.
Karlan is being recognized for advancing the understanding of hereditary cancers and molecular drivers of ovarian cancer and her commitment in seeking better ways to prevent and eradicate deadly cancers.
In the laboratory, Karlan has identified subtype-specific biomarkers for early detection, prognostication and personalized therapies. She established a human tissue biorepository to collect fresh frozen tissue, serum, and germline DNA from women with ovarian and other gynecologic cancers in order to study cancers’ biologic differences and develop improved treatments.
This resource has been used in national and international collaborations including The Cancer Genome Atlas project, Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 and Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium — partnerships that have helped to shape current standards of care for gynecologic oncology.
She is also a co-PI on a national effort using a digital platform to implement population-based genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations.
The award will be presented to Karlan at the IGCS annual global meeting in Rome Sept. 1.
