Hoosier Oncology Group recently honored Shadia Jalal, M.D., as the 2013 recipient of the George and Sarah Jane Fisher Young Investigator Award.

The $10,000 award, established in 2011 by Dr. William B. Fisher through the George and Sarah Jane Fisher Fund, is given annually to an Indiana University oncology fellow or faculty member who has made significant contributions to clinical or basic science research in collaboration with the Hoosier Oncology Group. Fisher is a co-founder of the Hoosier Oncology Group and served as the organization’s vice chair until 2000.

Jalal attended the University of Jordan, where she earned her MD, and completed her residency and fellowship at the IU School of Medicine. She is a thoracic oncologist at IU Health and an accomplished investigator, with a number of publications to her credit. Jalal is a researcher at the IU Simon Cancer Center and the principal investigator for several trials at IUSCC.

“Shadia is an extraordinary individual,” said Patrick Loehrer, Sr., MD, director of the IU Simon Cancer Center and member of the Board of Directors for Hoosier Oncology Group. “She knows medicine very well and cares deeply about her patients and wants to do something to make a difference.”

Jalal plans to use the award to study the role that EME1, a DNA repair protein, plays in esophageal cancer development and resistance to therapy.

“I am honored to receive this award and will always be grateful for Hoosier Oncology Group’s dedication to research,” said Jalal.

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.

Photo courtesy of Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center