Outstanding Research Publication Awards
The Outstanding Research Publication Awards recognize the achievements of postdoctoral fellows for work accomplished at MD Anderson. These annual awards are sponsored by the MD Anderson Odyssey Program and funded by the Ernst W. Bertner Memorial Fund and the Heath Memorial Fund. When a recipient is chosen, he or she will be acknowledged as the first author of an outstanding contribution to the scientific literature in the broadly defined area of cancer research.
Research Publication Award Recipients
2022 Outstanding Research Publication Award recipients Han Chen, PhD, Chao Mao, PhD, Ansab Sinjab Fayed, PhD, & Debabrata Das, PhD
Han Chen P.hD., Recipient of 2022 Outstanding Research Publication Award
Debabrata Das P.hD., Recipient of 2022 Outstanding Research Publication Award
Chao Mao P.hD., Recipient of 2022 Outstanding Research Publication Award
Ansam Sinjab Fayed, P.hD., Recipient of 2022 Outstanding Research Publication Award
Description of Awards
The Outstanding Research Publication Awards will recognize excellence in two research categories - basic and translational. This award includes monetary prizes, certificates and invitations to give public presentations at an Odyssey Program-sponsored public seminar, where the awards will be officially presented to the winners.
Eligibility
The awardee must have been employed at MD Anderson as a postdoctoral fellow when the manuscript was submitted for publication. The awardee must be the first author on this paper, and the work must have been done at MD Anderson. The paper must have been published (online or paper) within FY22 (Sept. 1, 2021, to Aug. 31, 2022). Papers that are in press and is not available online at the time of submission, although officially accepted for publication will not qualify.
Who Can Apply?
All MD Anderson postdoctoral fellows are eligible to apply. You must be the first author on the article. This may include authors contributing equally or co-first authors.
Application Dates
The application opens on Oct. 1, and the deadline is Nov. 15, at 5 p.m. CST. Eligible postdoctoral fellows will receive an email with detailed information.
What Do I Need to Apply?
Applications must contain the following:
- Application form which includes a brief description (in 4 bullet points or less) explaining the significance of the publication
- The research paper under consideration (must be e-published or published in print).
How Do I Submit My Application?
- Download and complete the Outstanding Publication Award application form (pdf).
- Save your completed application form and a copy of published paper/manuscript as PDF documents.
- Combine your documents, in the order listed above, into a single PDF document.
- Name the combined PDF document as follows: Lastname_Firstname.pdf.
Criteria for Selection of Recipients
The Odyssey Program Advisory Committee will select award recipients based on this score sheet. The following are the criteria for scoring:
- Importance and novelty of the work described in the manuscript
- Likelihood thata the reported findings will open new research areas
- Impace in cancer patients and understanding of cancer biology
If several outstanding entries score similarly, additional considerations will include the following criteria:
- Number and importance of other recent publications by the same author
- Number of additional authors on the publication (listing fewer authors suggests a more significant contribution by each author)
- Quality of writing of the publication
2022 Award Recipients
2022 Outstanding Research Publication Award - supported by The Ernst W. Bertner Memorial Fund and The Heath Memorial Fund
Han Chen, Ph.D., Instructor, Bioinformatics and Computational
Biology
Mentor: Dr. Han Liang
“A High-Resolution Map of
Human Enhancer RNA Loci Characterizes Super-enhancer Activities in
Cancer”
Cancer Cell, 2020
Debabrata Das, Ph.D.,
Odyssey Fellow, Genetics
Mentor: Dr. Swathi Arur
“ERK
phosphorylates chromosomal axis component HORMA domain protein HTP-1
to regulate oocyte numbers”
Science Advances, 2020
Chao Mao, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow, Experimental Radiation
Oncology
Mentor: Dr. Boyi Gan
“DHODH-mediated ferroptosis
defence is a targetable vulnerability in cancer”
Nature,
2021
Ansam Sinjab Fayed, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow,
Translational Molecular Pathology
Mentor: Dr. Humam Kadara
“Resolving the Spatial and Cellular Architecture of Lung
Adenocarcinoma by Multiregion Single-Cell Sequencing”
Cancer
Discovery, 2021
Contact Information
Questions regarding the Outstanding Research Publication Award competition should be addressed to odyssey@mdanderson.org.
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