The Sontag Foundation has announced the six winners of its Distinguished Scientist Award, a $600,000 grant awarded through a competitive scientific review process. These six extraordinary scientists, with the potential to make a significant impact in the field of brain cancer, are selected to join the prestigious network of Sontag Foundation award recipients. To date, the Foundation has invested $50 million dollars to launch the careers of young scientists at academic medical institutions throughout North America.
“Fighting brain cancer is personal for my family. This year marks the largest cohort of grantees we have funded, since our inception in 2002. This is particularly impressive given most of this year’s awardees started their labs during the height of the pandemic. We are proud to welcome these exceptional early-career researchers into our scientific community,” says Rick Sontag, President.
The following Distinguished Scientist Awardees will receive $600,000 to advance their research on brain cancer:
• Dr. William Flavahan, University of Massachusetts
• Dr. Ryan Flynn, Boston Children’s Hospital
• Dr. Samuel McBrayer, Children’s Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern
• Dr. Sigrid Nachtergaele, Yale Cancer Center
• Dr. Tomasz Nowakowski, University of California, San Francisco
• Dr. Daniel Wahl, University of Michigan
“This generous support from the Sontag Foundation will allow us to explore new areas of brain tumor biology and will be critical in translating our findings to the clinic. We are grateful to be welcomed into this wonderful community," says Dr. Sigrid Nachtergaele, one of the six 2021 award recipients.
In February 2022, the Foundation will host a scientific summit in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, bringing current and past awardees together to engage in collaborative conversations to drive science forward to make a difference in the field of brain cancer and in the lives of brain cancer patients.