Published on April 5, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 5, 2011
MEDIA CONTACT:
Liona Chan
(703) 519-2107
Liona.Chan@preventcancer.org
Three Recipients Honored for Advocacy, National Leadership and Innovative Programs
(BALTIMORE, MD) – The Prevent Cancer Foundation presented the 2011 Laurels Awards to three recipients on March 25 at the 13th Dialogue for Action on Colorectal Cancer Screening: Prevention Now for a Healthier Tomorrow. The Cancer Prevention Laurels recognize and celebrate innovators and leaders in the fight against colorectal cancer. This year’s Laurels recipients included Dr. Whitney F. Jones, Mary Katya Doroshenk, MA and Dr. Sanja Percac-Lima, PhD.
Dr. Whitney F. Jones, recipient of the Laurel for Advocacy, founded the Colon Cancer Prevention Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing colon cancer screening rates in Kentucky and surrounding communities. “I am primarily humbled in receiving this award—this Laurel reflects on the great work of the board and our colon cancer prevention partners in the region. So many people have worked hard over the years and none of this could have been done without them,” said Jones.
Recipient of the Laurel for National Leadership, Mary Katya Doroshenk is the director of the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable, an organization co-founded by the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable brings together organizations for the purpose of increasing colorectal cancer screening rates. “The Prevent Cancer Foundation has provided tremendous leadership in the area of getting people screened for cancer, so it means a lot to be recognized by them,” said Doroshenk. “This award reflects how much Roundtable members contribute above and beyond their everyday jobs to our shared mission, to struggle with difficult concepts, to find solutions, and to actively demonstrate that by pooling our talents we can make a difference.”
Dr. Sanja Percac-Lima received the Cancer Prevention Laurel for Innovative Programs. “By recognizing this program, we hope that it can extend our culturally tailored multilingual patient navigator program across all primary care practices, especially among underserved populations,” said Percac-Lima. Not only does Percac-Lima teach at Harvard Medical School, but she also leads Cancer Outreach Programs at Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Community Health Improvement.
As the creator of Dialogue for Action on Colorectal Cancer Screening, the Prevent Cancer Foundation is committed to providing an environment to exchange ideas for increasing preventive services and colorectal cancer screening.
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About The Prevent Cancer Foundation
The Prevent Cancer Foundation was founded in 1985. Today, it is one of the nation’s leading health organizations and has catapulted cancer prevention to prominence. Through healthy lifestyle choices, you can reduce your risk of breast, cervical, colorectal, lung, oral, prostate, skin and testicular cancers.
Since its inception the Prevent Cancer Foundation has provided more than $120 million in support of cancer prevention and early detection research, education and community outreach programs across the country. The Foundation’s peer-reviewed grants have been awarded to nearly 500 scientists from more than 150 of the leading academic medical centers nationwide. This research has been pivotal in developing a body of knowledge that is the basis for important cancer prevention and early detection strategies. For more information, please visit www.preventcancer.org.
