Dr. Sujuan Ba and NFCR have been awarded the 2024 Pioneer in Medicine Award at the 21st Annual GFC Awards Gala
The National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) is proud to announce that both the organization and our CEO, Dr. Sujuan Ba, have been honored with the “2024 Pioneer in Medicine Award” by the World Brain Mapping Foundation and the Society for Brain Mapping and Therapeutics. The award was presented to Dr. Ba at the 21st Annual GFC Awards Gala on Friday, March 15th, 2024. This recognition highlights a significant landmark in NFCR’s over 50 years of impact in charting new pathways through research to find cures for cancer and its leadership in the global fight against cancer.
The World Brain Mapping Foundation’s Annual “Gathering for Cure” Gala is designed to recognize pioneers in medicine and science and celebrate their achievements, especially in brain mapping, health policy, neuroscience, and mental health philanthropy. Dr. Ba and NFCR have made significant commitments and contributions to combating Glioblastoma (GBM), one of the deadliest brain cancers.
Dr. Ba and NFCR have been at the forefront and leading supporters of creating the revolutionary clinical trial platform, GBM AGILE (Glioblastoma Adaptive Innovative Learning Environment), a paradigm-shifting clinical trial system to speed up the clinical trial process to bring new treatments and drugs to brain patients.
NFCR was also the first founding partner for the Global Coalition for Adaptive Research (GCAR), which Dr. Ba co-founded with a group of dedicated brain cancer researchers, clinicians, and patient advocates. GCAR operationalizes the GBM AGILE, now open at 60 sites in 6 countries, with six new agents in the system and more to come soon. GBM AGILE has screened over 1900 patients as of today, giving new hope to GBM patients.
Furthermore, this platform is not only transforming the landscape of glioblastoma treatment but also extending the innovative approach to other deadly cancers, such as pancreatic cancer and ovarian cancer.
Reflecting on NFCR’s 51-year-long journey to make cures possible, Dr. Ba said: “We have made significant progress fighting cancer, especially in the last 20 years. This award is a significant motivation for NFCR and a recognition for all our supporters who believe in our journey, even when hope was dim.”
NFCR’s pathway to this distinguished moment has been both challenging and rewarding. By supporting long-term, high-risk, and high-impact research, NFCR has pursued new frontiers and breakthroughs, providing scientists with the venture and flexible funding to explore and innovate. NFCR has stayed true to the mission of its founders and is committed to finding cures for ALL CANCERS.
“NFCR represents the collective efforts of our researchers, supporters, staff, leadership board, scientific advisors, and cancer fighters worldwide. We can achieve what we have because of our supporters and partners. We greatly appreciate everyone who supports us in our quest for cures,” says Dr. Ba.
Dr. Ba and NFCR thank the GFC Awards Gala, the World Brain Mapping Foundation, and the Society for Brain Mapping Therapeutics for this recognition. Looking into the future, Dr. Ba stated, “Doing great science is fantastic, but that’s not the end result. Saving people’s lives is the ultimate goal. The Pioneer in Medicine Award really energizes me personally and my team to continue to pioneer and push forward the new frontiers for medicine and cancer patients.”
About NFCR:
The National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization co-founded in 1973 by Nobel Laureate Dr. Albert Szent-Györgyi and Attorney/Business Entrepreneur Franklin Salisbury, Sr. NFCR provides scientists in the lab with the critical seed funding they need to make game-changing discoveries in cancer detection, treatments, prevention, and ultimately, a cure for all cancers. NFCR has distinguished itself in the cancer research sector by emphasizing “high-risk, high-impact” long-term and transformative pioneering research fields often overlooked by other major funding sources. With the support of more than 5.3 million individual donors over the last 51 years, NFCR has provided $410 million in funding to cancer research, prevention, and public education. NFCR-supported research has led to some of the most significant life-saving discoveries that benefit patients today.
