Hoosier Oncology Group recently honored Safi Shahda, M.D., as the inaugural recipient of the Danny Danielson Translational Innovation Award.

The $10,000 award, granted by the Walther Cancer Foundation through the generous support of Danny Danielson, is given twice each year to an investigator to support the correlative components of clinical trial protocols when financial support is not otherwise available.

The correlatives under investigation must have a future clinical application, such as development of new treatment strategies or identification of patient subsets for specific treatment therapies, and/or provide hypotheses for future clinical trials.

Shahda, a researcher at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, received an M.D. from Damascus University in 2004 and attended pathology residency until 2006 when he moved to the United States. He completed an Internal Medicine residency at the Indiana University School of Medicine in 2010 and joined the IU School of Medicine that year as a hematology/oncology fellow. Shahda is a medical oncologist specializing in gastrointestinal malignancies and conducting phase I clinical trials.

Shahda will use the award to collect tumor samples from patients with pancreatic cancer. Samples will be collected before and after treatment, with the goal of learning why some patients benefit from treatment while others do not.

“We still have long way to go to improve the lives of our patients,” said Shahda. “This could not be possible without the collaboration that dedicated institutions like Indiana University and the Hoosier Oncology Group provide, and the generous contributions of Mr. Danielson and others who consistently support young investigators, like me, to advance their career and improve the lives of their patients.”

Danielson is well-known for his business leadership and generous support of individuals and organizations in the state of Indiana and beyond. He began a long and rewarding career with Modernfold, Inc., in 1948, in charge of sales, and later served as president of the company, based in New Castle, Ind. During his tenure at Modernfold, Danielson led the development of a new industry whose product, the Modernfold Door, transformed the way businesses, schools, and churches utilized interior space.

A career move in 1976 led Danielson to City Securities Corporation in Indianapolis, where he has served as vice chairman since 1981. At City Securities, he led a succession plan for CEO and president that selected leaders who have more than doubled revenues and earnings.

A graduate of Indiana University, Danielson has remained a lifelong champion of his alma mater, serving as a member of the Indiana University board of trustees from 1959-1980 and as chairman of the board for 11 years. He served as vice chairman of the Campaign for Indiana and co-chairman of the Endowment Campaign for Indiana University, both of which far exceeded fundraising goals. Indiana University has recognized Danielson with numerous awards over the years, including the President’s Medal for Excellence, the Thomas Hart Benton Medallion, the Distinguished Alumni Service Award, the Zora G. Clevenger Award, and an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

Danielson’s impact has reached far beyond the business and university communities, and into the numerous organizations and boards on which he has served. Just a few brief examples serve to illustrate how deeply he has touched the state of Indiana and the nation:

• He served as chairman of the National Board of Trustees of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes from 1983-1987, during a time when the ministry more than doubled in size.
• He was appointed in 1990 by President George H. W. Bush to the Credit Standards Advisory Committee.
• He has received two Sagamore of the Wabash awards, and in 2009, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels named him the recipient of the Sachem Award, the state’s highest honor given annually in recognition of a lifetime of excellence and personal virtue that reflects credit and honor upon the state.
• In 2010, he was inducted into the Junior Achievement of Central Indiana Business Hall of Fame.

Danielson was a friend and admirer of Dr. Joseph E. Walther. At age 94, he continues to serve on the Board of Directors of the Walther Cancer Foundation, which he joined at inception in 1985. He has been a great proponent of the Hoosier Oncology Group since its founding and, through the Foundation, a major contributor to the organization.

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 of Dr. Shahda courtesy of Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center