Cedeño–Rosario and Kaweesa win research award
Luis Cedeño–Rosario of the University of Utah Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine and Elizabeth Kaweesa of the University of Illinois Chicago received the Dr. Eddie Méndez Scholar Award from the Fred Hutch Cancer Center. The award honors outstanding early-career scientists studying cancer, infectious disease and basic science and is named after Méndez, who was a physician–scientist at Fred Hutch.
Cedeño–Rosario is a postdoctoral researcher in the Jared Rutter lab at the University of Utah. His work explores how cancer cells alter their internal wiring to support unchecked growth and resist treatment, uncovering how shifts in metabolism can give tumors a survival advantage. In 2020, he won the Tony Quinn Inclusive Excellence Award, which honors a scientist who is committed to mentoring students and increasing the participation of underrepresented students in science. Cedeño–Rosario earned his Ph.D. at the University of Toledo.
Kaweesa is a postdoctoral research associate in the Joanna E. Burdette lab, where she is exploring how natural compounds might be used to treat high-grade serous ovarian cancer, an aggressive malignancy, often diagnosed in its later stages. Kaweesa was recently featured in an ASBMB Today article. She is a National Institutes of Health Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award recipient and previously received an NIH Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers award. Kaweesa earned her Ph.D. at the University of Florida.
"This year's recipients are continuing to make strides in innovative research," Christina Termini, co-director of the Fred Hutch program, said. "Like Dr. Méndez, their passion for science and discovery will continue to drive life-changing science."
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