On Nov. 13 at the Magee-Womens Summit, Magee-Womens Research Institute (MWRI) awarded the $1 million Magee Prize to a team led by Ronald Buckanovich, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and MWRI, for research focused on developing new approaches to diagnose and treat high-risk types of endometrial cancer, which recently surpassed ovarian cancer as the deadliest gynecologic malignancy.
While Buckanovich has studied ovarian cancer for most of his career, rising death rates and increasing disparities in endometrial cancer pushed him to pursue a new direction with the support of the Magee Prize. By 2030, endometrial cancers will be the third most common cancer in women. Currently, Black women are dying from high-risk endometrial cancers at higher rates compared to white women.
"There is no Super Bowl for cancer research, but getting the support to drive research forward so we can impact our patients' lives is what motivates me," said Buckanovich, who is also co-director of the Women's Cancer Research Center and co-director of the Cancer Biology Program at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. "If I can make a difference that will lead to a cure for even a handful of patients, let alone the large numbers we're hoping to impact, that will be my Super Bowl, my World Series, my Stanley Cup, all combined in one."
The Magee Prize will accelerate the pace of this work by funding interdisciplinary research that leverages the tools, resources and expertise of multiple institutions. Buckanovich's team includes Bo Rueda, Ph.D., of Harvard University, and Victoria Bae-Jump, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina.
Funded by the Richard King Mellon Foundation, the Magee Prize is among the largest grants in women's health that is awarded by a non-government institution. To qualify for the prize, teams must include at least one MWRI researcher and at least one collaborator from outside of Pittsburgh or an international institution.
The winner was chosen from three finalists and announced at tonight's Magee Prize celebration.
