Megan Caram named a recipient of 2018 PCF Young Investigator award

A total of $6 Million granted to 29 promising young scientists to support innovative research to defeat prostate cancer.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) announced today that it has granted a total of $6 million to 29 promising early career scientists dedicated to advancing critical research in developing better early detection methods, improving life-saving treatments and finding a cure for prostate cancer. Sponsored by the PCF, the Young Investigator Awards program provides both financial support and a comprehensive career development program to early career scientists with unique approaches and groundbreaking ideas to drive the critical research needed to defeat prostate cancer, a disease that nearly 14 million men worldwide are currently battling.

“We are honored to invest in new cutting-edge ideas for prostate cancer research. This year’s recipients show great potential for unlocking new discoveries and achieving unprecedented strides toward research leading the way to help countless men affected by the disease,” said Jonathan Simons, MD, PCF’s President and CEO.

As a nonprofit organization committed to globally accelerating the development of new breakthroughs in prostate cancer, the PCF has invested more than $53 million to support 255 young investigators since 2007. The 2018 Young Investigator Awards recipients were selected from a pool of 103 applications from 55 institutions in 11 countries.

Recipients of the PCF Young Investigator Award must demonstrate significant promise for having a long-term and impactful career in the prostate cancer research field. Awardees must be within six years of completing professional scientific training programs and be under the guidance of at least one mentor. Eleven of the 2018 PCF Young Investigator Awardees are conducting research to improve prostate cancer outcomes in U.S. Veterans. Additional research focus areas include: novel precision medicine; new treatments and treatment strategies; immunotherapy; studying inherited genetic alterations for those at increased risk; and prostate cancer disparities particularly among African-American men.

Among the recipients is IHPI member Megan Caram, M.D.