School Notes: School of Medicine
September/October 2020

NIH grant renewal benefits lung cancer research

Yale Cancer Center researchers were awarded an $11 million grant renewal from the National Institutes of Health to fund the Yale Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) in Lung Cancer. The SPORE program brings together oncology, immunobiology, pharmacology, molecular biology, pathology, epidemiology, and addiction science experts to collaborate on projects. The goal of the Yale SPORE in Lung Cancer is to reduce mortality through the development of novel therapeutics and treatment approaches by quickly bringing research advances in tumor development, therapeutic resistance, and development of metastasis from the laboratory to patients with lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. “We need this kind of support to fund the research needed to make a significant difference for our patients,” said principal investigator Roy S. Herbst ’84, ’84MS, Ensign Professor of Medicine.

“White Coats for Black Lives” show of support

A Black Lives Matter demonstration sponsored by Yale Pediatrics’ Office of Diversity and Inclusion was held in front of Sterling Hall of Medicine in June. Dozens of doctors, nurses, faculty, and staff showed their support as part of a nationwide event called “White Coats for Black Lives.” The event was organized by Tanya Murtha ’20MHS, Molly Markowitz, Amanda Calhoun ’11, and Marietta Vazquez ’90. Calhoun, the keynote speaker, took the megaphone and told the crowd: “My name is Dr. Amanda Calhoun and I am a pediatrics and psychiatry intern at Yale. This white coat does not protect me. This white coat does not protect your Black colleagues. We are scared every day. We are here to stand against racism. We are also here to stand against anti-Blackness. If you’re here today, you have already mobilized, and I appreciate you and I welcome you.”