Massachusetts General Hospital’s talented and dedicated researchers are working to push the boundaries of science and medicine every day. In this series we highlight a few individuals who have recently received awards or honors for their achievements:

Dania Daye, MD, PhD, a resident in the Department of Radiology, has received a Trainee Research Prize from the Radiological Society of North America in the health services policy and research category, for her research, “Point of care virtual radiology consultants in primary care: A new model for patient-centered radiology.”

“This award highlights the importance of the emerging research in patient-centered care models in radiology and will further promote my efforts in this field. 

I was very humbled to have been chosen to receive the award. It will certainly have a positive impact on my career trajectory moving forward.” 

Leif Ellisen, MD, PhD, program director for Breast Medical Oncology at the MGH Cancer Center and Weissman Family MGH Research Scholar, and Srinivas Vinod Saladi, PhD, instructor in the MGH Cancer Center, have received the Douglass Foundation Prize for Excellence in Hematology-Oncology Laboratory Research.

This award honors their research published in the journal Cancer Cell. The award is given annually recognizing the excellent scientific publication from the cancer center.

Pictured from left, Nicholas Dyson, PhD, scientific director of the MGH Cancer Center; Saladi and Ellisen

“We were truly honored to receive the Douglass Family Foundation award recognizing excellence in research at the MGH Cancer Center. As a clinician-scientist, it is very rewarding to be recognized for work that yields new insights into the basic biology of cancer.

“It is also humbling to be singled out among all my brilliant investigator colleagues in our Cancer Center for recognition. This award is a tribute to the hard work of the lab members, and it encourages us all to strive for excellence in scientific discovery and clinical application.”

Shyamala Maheswaran, PhD, associate professor and scientific director of the MGH Center for Cancer Risk Assessment, has received an Outstanding Scientist Award from the American Association of Indian Scientists in Cancer Research (AAISCR).

This award recognizes outstanding, novel and significant biomedical research which has led to important contributions to the fields of basic cancer research, translational cancer research, cancer diagnosis, prevention of cancer or treatment of cancer patients. The award will be presented at the AAISCR meeting in Chicago, Illinois on April 16.

“I feel honored and happy to receive the Outstanding Scientist Award from the American Association of Indian Scientists in Cancer Research.  Important contributions to a field are never possible without the effort of a talented research team.

I have been very fortunate to work with remarkable scientists, postdoctoral fellows, students and research technicians, so this award belongs to all of us.  It gives me the impetus to continue to be more productive and answer critical questions that will make a difference in the field of basic and translational cancer research.” 

Raul Mostoslavsky, MD, PhD, The Laurel Schwartz Associate Professor in the MGH Cancer Center and Kristine and Bob Higgins MGH Research Scholar, has received the Premio Raices (Roots Prize) from the Ministry of Science and Technology in Argentina.

The prize recognizes Argentinian scientists abroad for their achievements and continued collaborations with scientists in Argentina.

“I was truly moved when I heard I received this award (and happy to know that my parents, who attended the award ceremony, will be proud!).

We, as scientists, work tirelessly for the sake of understanding nature, for the possibility of discovering something new, with the hope that one day, one of these discoveries may benefit a patient. Not for awards.

But receiving recognition like this made me feel that I’m contributing my grain of sand to advance science, that I may be doing something right, and for this, I was both flattered and thankful.”

Sabrina Paganoni, MD, PhD, of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, has received the 2017 Clinician-Scientist Development Three-Year Award in ALS sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology and the American Brain Foundation.

Paganoni is nationally recognized as a leader in cutting-edge research in ALS. Throughout the past three years, she has obtained funding to conduct four Phase 2 clinical trials for ALS.

These trials include promising biomarkers to measure target engagement of various compounds in patients with ALS.

“This Career Development Award comes at a critical time in my career when I am starting new projects, generating data, and applying for funding to become an established investigator with expertise in ALS clinical research. This award will allow me to dedicate the next few years to ALS clinical trials, while still continuing to see ALS patients in the clinic.”

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