Hoosier Cancer Research Network recently honored two investigators with awards for their contributions to clinical cancer research.

Gabriela Chiorean, MD, received the 2014 Danny Danielson Translational Innovation Award. The award was created in 2013 by Donald C. “Danny” Danielson and is granted twice each year through the Walther Cancer Foundation to investigators working in partnership with Hoosier Cancer Research Network. The award supports the correlative components of clinical trial protocols when financial support is not otherwise available.

Dr. Chiorean is associate professor of medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine with clinical expertise in colorectal, gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, and pancreatic cancers, as well as Phase I clinical studies. She earned her medical degree at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. She completed her residency at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., and her fellowship at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Chiorean is currently serving as lead investigator on a number of clinical trials.

Gregory Durm, MD, received the 2014 George and Sarah Jane Fisher Young Investigator Award. Established in 2011 by HCRN co-founder William B. Fisher, MD, the award honors Indiana University oncology fellows and faculty members who have made significant contributions to clinical or basic science research in collaboration with Hoosier Cancer Research Network.

Dr. Durm is a graduate of Notre Dame and the Indiana University School of Medicine. He completed his internal medicine residency at Indiana University, where he served as chief fellow. He is currently a second-year hematology/oncology fellow with an interest in an academic career in thoracic oncology.

Watch for stories in the coming weeks featuring Dr. Chiorean and Dr. Durm.

About Hoosier Cancer Research Network:

Hoosier Cancer Research Network (formerly known as Hoosier Oncology Group) conducts innovative cancer research in collaboration with academic and community physicians and scientists across the United States. The organization provides comprehensive clinical trial management and support, from conception through publication. Created in 1984 as a program of the Walther Cancer Institute, Hoosier Cancer Research Network became an independent nonprofit clinical research organization in 2007. Since its founding, Hoosier Cancer Research Network has initiated more than 150 trials in a variety of cancer types and supportive care, resulting in more than 300 publications. More than 4,400 patients have participated in Hoosier Cancer Research Network clinical trials.