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St. Baldrick’s Foundation Awards $85,000 in Summer Fellow Grants to Support Next Generation of Childhood Cancer Researchers

Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Traci Shirk
626.792.8247 x50
traci@stbaldricks.org

St. Baldrick’s Foundation Awards $85,000 in Summer Fellow Grants to Support Next Generation of Childhood Cancer Researchers

LOS ANGELES (April 25, 2012) – The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a volunteer-driven charity dedicated to raising money for childhood cancer research, announced today that it has awarded $85,000 to support summer fellows at 17 institutions across the U.S., seven of which will be hosting a St. Baldrick’s Summer Fellow for the first time.

With only 4 percent of all federal cancer research funding dedicated to childhood cancer research, few young doctors are encouraged to choose this area as a specialty. These awards allow students who might be interested in studying pediatric oncology in medical school to work on a childhood cancer research project for their summer term and explore this field of study at an early stage of their college careers.

“With the goal of ensuring the best and brightest are at work helping children with cancer, St. Baldrick’s knows that providing early exposure to childhood cancer research is key to attracting top medical students to the profession,” said Kathleen Ruddy, executive director for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. “Advancements in childhood cancer treatments would not be possible without researchers who choose to specialize in this field. One of this year’s summer fellows may one day achieve a cure we’ve been waiting for.”

The following institutions will receive a St. Baldrick’s Summer Fellow grant for the first time:

• University of Colorado Denver, Denver, Colo.
• Northwestern University, Chicago, Ill.
• Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Ind.
• The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Penn.
• Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, S.C.
• University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
• Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Wash.

The following institutions are repeat St. Baldrick’s Summer Fellow grant recipients:

• Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Calif.
• University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, Calif.
• Emory University, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Ga.
• University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kan.
• University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Min.
• Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.
• Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, N.Y.
• Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
• The Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Penn.
• Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wis.

For more information about research currently being funded, visit “Where the Money Goes” at StBaldricks.org.

Everyone can do their part to support St. Baldrick’s. To locate or organize an event in your community, sign-up to shave, donate or volunteer, visit www.StBaldricks.org. To stay up to date on all things St. Baldrick’s, “Like” us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, join our letsCONQUER movement and visit the Foundation’s YouTube and Vimeo channels. You can also do your part to help kids with cancer through the St. Baldrick’s advocacy program, Speak Up for Kids’ Cancer!

About the St. Baldrick’s Foundation
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives. The Foundation funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization except the U.S. government. St. Baldrick’s funds are granted to some of the most brilliant childhood cancer research experts in the world and to younger professionals who will be the experts of tomorrow. Funds awarded also enable hundreds of local institutions to participate in national pediatric cancer clinical trials, a child’s best hope for a cure. Since the Foundation’s first grants as an independent charity in 2005, St. Baldrick’s has funded more than $78 million in childhood cancer research. For more information about the St. Baldrick’s Foundation please call 1.888.899.BALD or visit www.StBaldricks.org.