Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
The Goal: Stop Cancer Disparities
African Americans have a higher overall death rate from cancer than all other racial and ethnic groups in the U.S.
This is not a new development. Since inception of the Stuart Scott Fund, the V Foundation has awarded nearly $16 million in research grants from combined funds raised through the Sports Humanitarian Awards, Bristol Myers Squibb, signature events and other generous donors. We are working to close the gap, overcome racism, unconscious bias and disparities in our work to end cancer. Please join us in stopping cancer disparities today.
"It is incredibly concerning that our patients’ survival from cancer can be impacted by their race. Understanding how race influences cancer will allow us to find better treatments and ultimately improve lives."
The recent The State of Cancer Health Disparities in 2020 report by American Association for Cancer Research provides data regarding higher cancer incidence and lower survival rates for underserved populations. Some of the concerning disparities found in the report:
- The breast cancer death rate is 39% higher for African American women compared with white women.
- African American men have prostate cancer incidence and death rates that are more than 1.5-times and more than 2-times those for men of any other race or ethnicity respectively.
- Multiple myeloma and stomach cancer are two other types of cancer for which African Americans have a death rate that is at least double that for whites.
- Substantial disparities in colorectal cancer incidence and death rates between African Americans and whites have existed for many years. Among the factors that contribute to incidence rate disparities between African Americans and whites are higher rates of obesity, which is a risk factor for the disease, and lower rates of colorectal cancer screening among African Americans.
Grants Awarded through the Stuart Scott Fund
After receiving the Jimmy V Perseverance Award at the ESPY Awards in 2014, Stuart gave an unforgettable speech. He said, “When you die, it does not mean you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live and in the manner in which you live.” Stuart passed away less than six months later at the age of 49. His extraordinary impact on cancer research continues.
The Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund supports underrepresented researchers through two types of grants.
Translational Grants fund research of the biological basis of cancer disparities experienced by patients of minority populations. The research topics include causes, aggressiveness, treatments or relapses of cancer.
The Fund also supports V Scholar scientists from minority ethnic groups underrepresented in science. This gives minority researchers important, early-career funding to establish their labs and begin their careers as cancer researchers.
Stuart Scott Fund Translational Grant Recipients
- Victoria Bae-Jump, M.D., Ph.D. UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center Chapel Hill, NC Metabolic and Molecular Biomarkers of Metformin Response in Obesity-driven Endometrial Cancer Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Fund
- Yanis Boumber, M.D., Ph.D. Fox Chase Cancer Center Philadelphia, PA Biomarkers of combined PD1 and VEGFR2 blockade in metastatic NSCLC Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Fund
- Margaret Callahan, MD, Ph.D. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center New York, NY Immunotype Identifies Immune Checkpoint Blockade Responders: dissecting the mechanism and understanding the scope and impact of immunotype across diverse cancer patient populations Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Marcin Cieslik, Ph.D. and Co-PI: Ajjai Alva, M.D. University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center Ann Arbor, MI Large-scale discovery and validation of predictive biomarkers for immunotherapy across cancers and treatments Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Roisin Connolly, M.D. and Vered Stearns, M.D. Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center/John Hopkins Medicine Philadelphia, PA Harnessing the Immune System to Treat Breast Cancer Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Fund
- Irene Ghobrial, M.D. Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Boston, MA Defining The Role of The Immune Microenvironment in Precursor Multiple Myeloma Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Sanford Markowitz, M.D., Ph.D. Case Comprehensive Cancer Center Cleveland, OH Interpreting the Mutational Signature of African American Colorectal Cancers Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Fund
- Matthew Meyerson, M.D., Ph.D. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Boston, MA The contribution of germline genomic variation to EGFR mutation frequency in non-small cell lung cancers in Latin American populations: implications for cancer risk prediction, screening and intervention. Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Fund
- Adam Murphy, M.D. Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Chicago, IL A Prospective Validation of a Prostate Cancer Biomarker in African American Men Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Haeseong Park, M.D. Siteman Cancer Center St. Louis, MO Targeting the Tumor-Stromal Innate Immune Pathway to Potentiate Chemo-immunotherapy in Pancreatic Cancer Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Jong Park, Ph.D. Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute Tampa, FL Genomic predictors of aggressive and lethal prostate cancer in African-American men Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Fund
- Ulrich Steidl, M.D., Ph.D. Albert Einstein Cancer Center Bronx, NY Role of Stem Cell Subclones in Myelodysplasia and Leukemic Progression Partially funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Ralph Weissleder, M.D., Ph.D. Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center Boston, MA Enhanced holographic diagnostics and profiling of breast cancer using smartphones for point-of-care use Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Fund
Stuart Scott Fund V Scholar Grant Recipients
- Daniel Arango, Ph.D., Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, IL, Investigating the mechanistic role of RNA Acetylation and Oxidation in Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Daniel Blanco-Melo, Ph.D., Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, Understanding the diverse roles of human endogenous retroviruses in cancer, Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund and the V Foundation Wine Celebration in honor of Leo Slattery, 2022 Volunteer Grant Honoree
- Rogelio Hernandez-Lopez, PhD, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford, CA, Engineering Next-generation Breast Cancer Cell Therapies: Targeting HER2 heterogeneity, Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund and the V Foundation Wine Celebration for Julie Maples, in honor of Antrese Rose Allegro
- Richard Phillips, MD, PhD, Abramson Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA, Targeting chromatin in adult midline glioma, Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Francisco Sánchez-Rivera, PhD, Koch Institute For Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, Cambridge, MA Deconstructing cancer using precision functional genomics, Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Claudio Alarcon, Ph.D. Yale Cancer Center New Haven, CT Epitranscriptomic Regulation of Cancer Metastasis Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Raymond Blind, Ph.D. Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Nashville, TN Nuclear lipids as hepatocellular carcinoma biomarkers Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Donita Brady, Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Philadelphia, PA Targeting autophagy in KRAS-Driven pancreatic cancer via copper reduction Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Mariana Byndloss, DVM, Ph.D. Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center Nashville, TN Obesogenic diet links epithelial dysfunction, intestinal dysbiosis and colorectal cancer Funded through the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund by John and Michele Truchard in honor of Jo Ann Truchard
- Stephanie Correa, Ph.D. Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center Los Angeles, CA Hypothalamic targets for mitigating the side effects of adjuvant endocrine therapy Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Christian Dibble, Ph.D. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston, MA Understanding and Exploiting Deep Deletions within the Coenzyme A Biosynthetic Pathway in Cancer Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Hector Franco, Ph.D. UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center Chapel Hill, NC Mining Transcriptional Enhancers to Identify Regulatory Addictions in Ovarian Cancer Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Francine Garrett-Bakelman, M.D. University of Virginia Health System Charlottesville, VA Determining of an age-appropriate integrative risk classification in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Gianna Hammer, Ph.D. Duke Cancer Institute Durham, NC Microbiota induced upregulation of PDL√ on intestinal dendritic cells in intestinal tumorigenesis Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Rodney Infante, MD, Ph.D. Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center Dallas, TX A JAK-dependent Cytokine-Adipose-Hypothalamic Axis is Central to Cancer Cachexia Development Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Verline Justilien, Ph.D. Mayo Clinic in Florida Jacksonville, FL RAB27B-Dependent Mechanisms in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Stem Cells Funded by Bristol Myers Squibb in honor of the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Catherine Marshall, MD Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins Baltimore, MD Clonal hematopoiesis on outcomes in men with advanced prostate cancer Funded by Bristol Myers Squibb in honor of the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Marcela Maus, M.D., Ph.D. Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center Boston, MA Design and pre-clinical evaluation of CAR T cells for myeloma Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Jasmine McDonald, Ph.D. Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center New York, NY The Tumor Microenvironment and Lymphatic Remodeling in Pregnancy Associated Breast Cancer Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Michelle Mendoza, Ph.D. Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT Differential Regulation of Tumor Invasion by RSK Family Isoforms Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Akinyemi Ojesina, M.D., Ph.D. University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center Birmingham, AL Metatranscriptomic Biomarkers for Predicting Tumor Recurrence Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Fund
- Jihan Osborne, Ph.D. Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center Dallas, TX Understanding the role of the developmental transcription factors during cancer stem cell formation Funded by the KAAB Memorial Foundation and the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Justin Perry, Ph.D., MA Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center New York, NY Hypoxia conditioning of phagocytes programs the pro-tumorigenic breast cancer microenvironment Funded through the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund by the Marks Family in honor of Lisa Curtis
- Sorbarikor Piawah, MD UCSF/Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center San Francisco, CA Exploring the Role of Diet, Lifestyle, and the Gut Microbiome in Young Onset Colorectal Cancer among Latino Populations Funded by Bristol Myers Squibb in honor of the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Avery Posey, Jr., Ph.D. Abramson Cancer Center Philadelphia, PA Dual CAR-T and CAR-NK cell therapy for multiple myeloma Funded by Bristol Myers Squibb in honor of the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Miguel Rivera, M.D. Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center Charleston, MA Function of the protein kinase VRK1 in Ewing Sarcoma Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Fund
- Charles Rogers, Ph.D., MPH, MS, CHES Huntsman Cancer Institute Salt Lake City, UT iBeat CRC: A Community-based Intervention to Increase Early-onset Colorectal Cancer Awareness using a Sequential Explanatory Mixed Methods Approach Funded through the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund by the Ayodele family in memory of Ade Ayodele
- Melody Smith, MD Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center New York, NY Donor CD19 Chimeric Antigen Receptor T cells as a Strategy to Prevent Relapse Following Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Funded by Bristol Myers Squibb in honor of the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- David Soto-Pantoja, Ph.D. Comprehensive Cancer Center of Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC Metabolic & Immune Endpoints as Biomarkers of Immune Checkpoint Therapy Response Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Marcia Tan, Ph.D. The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center Chicago, IL Addressing tobacco use in adults outside of primary care: Developing a tobacco cessation curriculum for community health workers Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
- Stefani Thomas, Ph.D. Masonic Cancer Center Minneapolis, MN Proteome-level mechanisms of PARP inhibitor sensitivity in BRCA1/2-mutated high-grade serous ovarian cancer Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
Stuart Scott Fund Designated Grant Recipients
- Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati, Ph.D. USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center Los Angeles, CA Optimizing Enrollment of Blacks living in Los Angeles County in Clinical Cancer Trials: Engaging African Americans and African Nationals Funded in collaboration with ESPN
- Jeffrey Clarke, M.D. Duke University Durham, NC Identification of Genetic Determinates for Disparities in African American Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Funded in partnership with the Lung Cancer Initiative of North Carolina, utilizing Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Fund matching funds
- Edward Kim, M.D. Levine Cancer Institute/Carolinas Health Care Charlotte, NC Dynamic functional assessment of the host (vs tumor) immune system in patients with non-small cell lung cancer utilizing a novel blood-based immunokinetic platform Funded in partnership with the Lung Cancer Initiative of North Carolina, utilizing Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Fund matching funds, and the Richard Jones Fund for lung cancer.
- Nita Lee, M.D., MPH University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center Chicago, IL EMPOWERED U: Community-Engaged Action to Enhance Diversity and Inclusion in Cancer Clinical Trials Funded in collaboration with ESPN
- Chad Pecot, M.D. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC Targeting the Immune Microenvironment to Treat Squamous Cancers Funded in partnership with the Lung Cancer Initiative of North Carolina, utilizing Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Fund matching funds
- Qingy Wei, M.D., Ph.D. Duke Cancer Institute Durham, NC Characterization of functional variants of GWAS-identified CRL-related Gene DCAF4 for racial disparity in lung cancer Funded in partnership with the Lung Cancer Initiative of North Carolina, utilizing Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Fund matching funds and the Richard Jones Fund for lung cancer.
- Jared Weiss, M.D. UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center Chapel Hill, NC Targeting G2 Ganglioside in Small Cell Lung Cancer Funded in partnership with the Lung Cancer Initiative of North Carolina, utilizing Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Fund matching funds
Stuart Scott Fund “Thrivership” Grant Recipients
- Saro Armenian, DO, MPH City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center Duarte, CA Clonal hematopoiesis and its impact on outcomes after autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation Funded by the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund
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