Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Morehouse School of Medicine Researcher’s Global Team Wins $25 Million Cancer Grand Challenges Award

Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM)  announced Team SAMBAI, a global team led by Melissa B. Davis, PhD, director of the MSM Institute of Translational Genomic Medicine, has been awarded a $25 million grant funded by Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute, through Cancer Grand Challenges, to address cancer disparities in populations of African ancestry, becoming the first Cancer Grand Challenge awardee to focus on cancer inequities.

Called Team SAMBAI (Societal, Ancestry, Molecular and Biological Analyses of Inequalities), Dr. Davis is leading an interdisciplinary research group from the United States, Ghana, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. The award not only marks the first one to focus on health disparities and to be led by an African American woman, but it is also the first one awarded to a researcher at a Historically Black Medical School and is the first one given to a host institution in MSM’s home state of Georgia.

“We are so incredibly proud of Dr. Davis’ leadership in directing the effort to create a truly historic and precedent setting winning proposal to Cancer Grand Challenges that holds the potential to have a tremendous impact on how we treat cancer for people with African ancestry,” said MSM President and CEO Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice. “For nearly 50 years, the driving mission of Morehouse School of Medicine has been to address health inequities for communities of color, and we are honored to have the unique opportunity to carry that mission forward in partnership with Cancer Grand Challenges.”

“I want to extend my appreciation to Cancer Research UK, the National Cancer Institute, Cancer Grand Challenges, my Team SAMBAI colleagues around the world, and my Morehouse School of Medicine family on being selected one of five world-class global research teams to win this award,” said Dr. Davis. “We are looking forward to engaging into what we hope will be groundbreaking research that will shift the paradigm for cancer inequity amongst people of African descent and hopefully helping to save lives in the future.”

Team SAMBAI Members:

  • Melissa Davis, Team Lead, Morehouse School of Medicine, United States
  • Yaw Bediako, Yemaachi Biotech, Ghana
  • Tiffany Carson, Moffitt Cancer Center, United States
  • Isidro Cortes Ciriano, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, United Kingdom
  • Zodwa Dlamini, University of Pretoria, South Africa
  • Olivier Elemento, Cornell University, United States
  • Rick Fairley, TOUCH, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance, United States
  • Fieke Froeling, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
  • Marcin Imielinski, New York University, United States
  • Sheeba Irshad, King’s College London, United Kingdom
  • Lauren McCullough, Emory University, United States
  • Gary Miller, Columbia University, United States
  • Nigel Mongan, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom
  • Nicolas Robine, New York Genome Center, United States
  • Clayton Yates, John Hopkins University, United States

The Team SAMBAI proposal integrates social determinants of health, environmental exposures, genetic contributions, and tumor biology to understand the complex interactions between genetics, environment, and social factors in cancer outcomes. The proposal also highlights the importance of patient partnership, advocacy, and support in addressing cancer disparities.

The proposal also focuses on breast cancer, particularly among Black women. While Black women have a slightly lower incidence rate of breast cancer compared to White women, they are more frequently diagnosed with advanced disease and have a higher incidence of aggressive forms of breast cancer, such as estrogen receptor (ER) negative (Triple-Negative) disease. This contributes to racial disparities in breast cancer outcomes.

“Together with our network of visionary partners and research leaders, Cancer Grand Challenges unites the world's brightest minds across boundaries and disciplines and aims to overcome cancer’s toughest problems,” said Dr. David Scott, Director of Cancer Grand Challenges. “With this investment, our largest to date, we continue to grow our global research community, and fund new teams that have the potential to surface discoveries that could positively impact cancer outcomes.”

Now in its fourth funding round, this year Cancer Grand Challenges funded five global teams providing up to $25 million in grants per team over five years for a wide range of research projects including cancer inequities, early-onset cancers, solid tumors in children and T-cell receptors.

For more information on Team SAMBAI, its members, and their approach to tackling the cancer inequities challenge, visit https://cancergrandchallenges.org/.

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

NAACP Inks Four-Book Deal with Amistad

The NAACP, the storied civil rights organization, has inked a deal with Amistad, the HarperCollins imprint and the country's oldest trade imprint dedicated to publishing Black authors. Amistad will publish two new books and a reprint of an existing work, as well as one previously self-published book nominated in the Outstanding Literary category the NAACP Image Awards, which will be selected by an independent group of judges. Judith Curr, president and publisher of HarperOne, and Patrik Henry Bass, executive editor of Amistad, who will edit the books, negotiated the international rights arrangement with NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson and Kyle Bowser, senior v-p of the NAACP Hollywood Bureau.

The first title in the series is tentatively set for fall 2025. The two new books include The Best of the Crisis, a "collection of essays and articles featuring the nation's most respected scholars, journalists, and authors from the NAACP's official magazine," which was founded by W.E.B. DuBois, and a cookbook "featuring recipes from celebrities across film, television, and the stage." The reprint is Twenty20 in Black, a "groundbreaking pictorial title that documented news and events from the pivotal year 2020," the publisher said.

Monday, March 25, 2024

Shateria Wilson Is Missing

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A 25-year-old Rochester woman has been missing since early March. Rochester Police say Shateria Wilson was last seen March 5 in the area of Lake Avenue and Driving Park, and is believed to be in the local area. A missing person report was completed March 7.

Shateria is a vulnerable adult with schizoaffective disorder and may be in need of medical attention, police said. She was last seen wearing a black jacket, blue scarf, blue jeans and moccasin shoes. Shateria’s mother says there has been no social media activity from Shateria, which is unusual.

Shateria is 5-foot-4 and 130 pounds. She is Black, with red hair and brown eyes.

Alabama Bans Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs

Watch Roland S. Martin discuss how Alabama lawmakers passed SB-129, which prohibits public entities like schools and universities from promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Alabama Governor, Kay Ivey has signed the bill into law

The law says schools cannot fund initiatives that teach concepts that "any individual should accept, acknowledge, affirm, or assent to a sense of guilt, complicity, or a need to apologize on the basis of his or her race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity, or national origin."

The law will take effect on Oct. 1.

Illinois State University Board of Trustees names Aondover Tarhule as 21st president

The Illinois State University Board of Trustees today named Dr. Aondover Tarhule as the University’s 21st president. Trustees also approved a four-year contract for Tarhule that will expire March 17, 2028. The transition to the new position takes place immediately following Tarhule’s year-long interim president appointment and a national search, led by a 29-member search committee composed of trustees, students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

“The national search for the University’s next president was highly recommended through our shared governance partners, and the process was represented with a strong cross-section of stakeholders,” said Dr. Kathryn Bohn, Illinois State Board of Trustees chairperson. “The Board of Trustees determined that not only is Dr. Tarhule known to our campus community, but his strategic and visionary perspective helped him stand out in a very competitive field of candidates. He is an approachable leader who brings a high level of integrity, knowledge, and thought to conversations that will continue our institution’s 167-year legacy well into the future. I’m proud to say he’s earned our trust and the title of president.”

Leaders of the University’s shared governance teams also serving on the presidential search committee echoed confidence in Illinois State’s new president. (shared below)

Tarhule was appointed interim president on February 17, 2023. He joined Illinois State University in 2020 as vice president for academic affairs and provost, also serving as a professor in the Department of Geography, Geology, and the Environment. He previously served as vice provost and dean of the Graduate School at Binghamton University (State University of New York) and was executive associate dean and department chair in the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences at the University of Oklahoma. He is a prolific researcher and widely published scholar.

“I must express my deepest appreciation to the Board of Trustees for entrusting me with this vital leadership role; your confidence in me is both humbling and inspiring,” said Tarhule. “To our community stakeholders, your faith and passion for all things Illinois State makes the Bloomington-Normal, surrounding area, and Illinois State communities unique. From the moment I stepped on campus to interview for the position of provost and vice president for academic affairs, the community’s investment and dedication to the success of Illinois State was clear and heartwarming. Under my leadership, Illinois State will remain visible, engaged, and a collaborative partner committed to improving the quality of life and enhancing the sense of belonging for everyone in our community.”

Born and raised in Nigeria, Tarhule is a first-generation college student, earning a bachelor’s degree in geography and a master’s degree in environmental resources planning from the University of Jos, Plateau State, in Nigeria. He later earned a master’s degree and a doctoral degree in geography from McMaster University in Hamilton (Ontario, Canada), then received a post-doctoral fellowship from the Canadian Science Advisory Council to conduct research at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario. He is married to Dr. Roosmarijn Tarhule who is a CPA with a Master of Accountancy, and a Ph.D. in geography. They have two adult children, son Sesugh of Boston and daughter Doobee of Amsterdam.

[SOURCE:illinoisstate.edu]