The Richard K. Lubin Family Foundation has made a generous grant to establish the Lubin Family Foundation Scholar Award at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
The grant will create new awards open to early career physician-scientists in the greater Boston area as they launch their research careers. The Lubin Scholars will receive a four-year financial award of $150,000 per year and work under the tutelage of a Lubin Scholar Mentor to help guide them during this pivotal time in their career. Four Lubin Scholars will be selected annually.
William G. Kaelin Jr., MD, a 2019 Nobel Prize recipient and the Sidney Farber, MD, Professor of Medicine, will serve as the Scientific Director of the Lubin Family Foundation Scholar Award program. Candidates will be invited to apply from Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center institutions, which include Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Massachusetts General Hospital; and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Many studies have shown that physician-scientists leave academic research early in their careers for a number of reasons, including financial limitations and more opportunities in the private sector. Surmounting these formidable barriers to retention in academic research is critical to the future of Dana-Farber’s research enterprise and to the broader community of academic medical centers. The Lubin Family Foundation Scholar Award will create new avenues for early career physician-scientists to reach professional and financial stability within the field of academic research.
The Richard K. Lubin Family Foundation, whose Board consists of Richard and Nancy Lubin, Kate Lubin and Glen Sutton, and Emily and Greg Woods, have been longtime supporters of Dana-Farber.
“We are deeply grateful to the Lubin Family for their continued partnership with Dana-Farber, especially for their generous support of our world-class faculty,” said Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, president and CEO of Dana-Farber and the Richard and Susan Smith Professor of Medicine. “The innovative Lubin Family Foundation Scholar Award sets an inspiring example for how we encourage physician-scientists and early career investigators to continue their promising research—by providing them with crucial mentoring and financial resources at a pivotal stage in their careers. This prestigious award will not only help scientists in the field today, but also create a pipeline and support system for future talent who will someday drive the next major breakthroughs and change the landscape of cancer care as we know it.”
Lubin Scholars will be among the most promising early career investigators who are pursuing cancer-relevant basic or translational laboratory-based research and who have demonstrated potential to become the next generation of leaders in cancer research. The selection of Lubin Scholars will focus primarily on those working in fundamental science because many of today’s most important advances in cancer can trace their origins back to research of the basic principles of biology and chemistry.
“I have tremendous admiration for Dana-Farber and respect for its commitment to training the future leaders who will shape the field of oncology. I am pleased that our foundation has been able to work with the Institute to bring to fruition an award that will help the next generations of scientists succeed in their academic research careers,” said Richard Lubin, who has served on Dana-Farber’s Board of Trustees since 1983.
“I know from experience that mentoring colleagues early in their careers has a positive impact on scientific research. Certainly, mentorship combined with a financial award will be incredibly beneficial to young scientists, and this new award will assure that early career researchers can remain focused on their science and scientific training during their critical transition to independence,” said Kaelin. “I am grateful to the Richard K. Lubin Family Foundation for its vision and commitment in establishing this important and innovative award.”
This grant is another example of the Lubin family’s legacy and support for Dana-Farber’s faculty, including a gift in 2018 to establish the Richard and Nancy Lubin Family Chair at Dana-Farber and the Richard and Nancy Lubin Research Fund.
This commitment also supports The Dana-Farber Campaign, the Institute’s ongoing and ambitious, multi-year $2 billion fundraising effort to prevent, treat, and defy cancer by accelerating revolutionary science, extraordinary care, exceptional expertise, and essential opportunities. Richard Lubin serves on The Dana-Farber Campaign Cabinet.