President Obama Names Physician-Scientist Charles Sawyers to National Cancer Advisory Board

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By Media Staff

Pictured: Charles Sawyers

Physician-scientist Charles Sawyers

President Barack Obama announced on December 6 his intent to appoint Memorial Sloan Kettering physician-scientist Charles Sawyers as one of six new members of the National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB).

“I am grateful these accomplished men and women have agreed to join this Administration, and I’m confident they will serve ably in these important roles,” President Obama said in a White House press release. “I look forward to working with them in the coming months and years.”

The NCAB and the President’s Cancer Panel are the only advisory bodies at either the National Institutes of Health or the Department of Health and Human Services whose members are appointed by the President. The primary task of the NCAB is to advise the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and ultimately the President of the United States on a range of issues affecting the nation’s cancer program and, specifically, NCI operations. The NCAB reviews and recommends grants and cooperative agreements following technical and scientific peer review.

Revolutionizing the Molecular Treatment of Cancer

Dr. Sawyers, Chair of Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, is widely recognized as someone who is revolutionizing the molecular treatment of cancer. His research involves investigating the signaling pathways that promote the growth of cancer cells, with an eye toward designing new treatments.

His laboratory discovered the recently approved prostate cancer drug enzalutamide (Xtandi®), and Dr. Sawyers has been instrumental in the development of two drugs for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia: imatinib (Gleevec®) and dasatinib (Sprycel®), which work by blocking the activity of BCR-ABL, the mutant protein that causes the disease.

Dr. Sawyers is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and is President-Elect of the American Association for Cancer Research. He is past President of the American Society of Clinical Investigation, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine. He has received numerous honors and awards, including the Dorothy P. Landon-AACR Prize for Translational Cancer Research, the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s David A. Karnofsky Memorial Award, and the Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award.

Dr. Sawyers received his MD degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 1985. He joined Memorial Sloan Kettering in 2006 after nearly two decades at the University of California, Los Angeles.

“Dr. Sawyers will be a wonderful addition to the NCAB – a body that advises on some of our nation’s most pressing issues in cancer research and treatment,” says Memorial Sloan Kettering President and CEO Craig B. Thompson. “His appointment is also a fitting tribute to a man whose work has made profound contributions to research in cancer-related molecular therapeutics.”

Comments

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Ibrahim Al-Seragy

Dec 8, 2012 • 3:36 PM

HELLO Dr. Sawyers , Warm congratulations to you and your research deserve thanks and appreciation of the world the fact that your work serve all humankind and I would like to inquire about some aspects of scientific and I'm sure I knelt answer your . I introduce myself , I am

a researcher in medicine old Arab and herbal remedies with Inherited experience in this area more than 100 years. I have Master degree the same specialty dealt with many cases of cancer and some of them recovered completely, But seen from the follow-up cases that the Simple or In the beginning situations recovering faster than cases chronic which has already drug treatment chemical or radiation, either those cases where removal of the tumor and then after surgery addresses herbal they recover fully by up to more 90%.
If he use of chemotherapy cause insurgency for cancer cell and non-response to treatment, or is it that the radiation has a role in transforming cancer cell-to-cell resistant to treatment? What is the difference between physiological cancer cell that had not been treated Chemical medicines or radiation and cancer cell exposed to these materials? Is it possible to identify the mechanism that is to stop the growth of cancer cells by certain types of medicinal plants?
Sorry for prolong talk Please reply and thank you for your sincere efforts.

Gary Jones

Dec 10, 2012 • 10:03 PM

What is your feeling and medical feeling about a patient using herbal products after being treated by brachytherapy and external radiation treament for stage T1 prostate cancer with no DRE evidence and a PSA of 5.1? could it hurt or help to recover fully?

Kelly L Lowry

Dec 14, 2012 • 4:49 AM

I thank you for the amazing work you do and the hope it brings for a brighter future

Bill Ridgeway

Dec 14, 2012 • 5:58 AM

Thank You for your great work.

Skordas John

Dec 14, 2012 • 6:26 AM

Thank you Dr. Sawyers

Clive Mann

Dec 14, 2012 • 6:33 AM

Well done! Many, many thanks for your extremely important work.

Rajee Seetharam

Dec 14, 2012 • 6:44 AM

Thanks to Care2 for this post. I wouldn't have known about Dr.Sawyers otherwise.
Sir, your work is so appreciated...in a sense you are God sent to the world.
Congratulations and all the best for the future.

Kathryn Breseman

Dec 14, 2012 • 6:49 AM

After I read the article about some of your accomplishments - I had to let you know how much it means to have someone like you, who cares and has devoted their life to helping others. Thank You for all your hard work. Kathi

Nancy Briggs

Dec 14, 2012 • 7:15 AM

Thank you Dr. Sawyers

Kathryn Breseman

Dec 14, 2012 • 7:16 AM

P.S. I forgot to congratulate you on your achievement - You deserve it and will be a great President! Kathi

Martin Gem

Dec 14, 2012 • 7:32 AM

Well done. Please keep up your good work.

Tanya Williams

Dec 14, 2012 • 7:46 AM

Dear Dr Sawyers, Thank you for your devotion to finding a cure and for revolutionizing a treatment for cancer. Your work will help and save many lives and give hope to even more.

Denise Hok

Dec 14, 2012 • 8:25 AM

Thank You so much for all of the work that you do.

Carole Nixon

Dec 14, 2012 • 8:30 AM

Keep up the good work and many thanks

Gina Mosley

Dec 14, 2012 • 8:44 AM

Thank you for the work you do to help others!

Evan Roman

Dec 14, 2012 • 8:47 AM

Congratulations on your appointment!

Rickon

Dec 14, 2012 • 8:49 AM

God bless us all and well done!!!

Georgia Georgiadou

Dec 14, 2012 • 8:50 AM

Thank you Dr. Sawyers. So many people expect help or even better, treatment, so keep up the good medical work!

Farah Hage Ali

Dec 14, 2012 • 8:58 AM

Thank God for blessing the Human society with such brilliant people, keep up the good work Dr Sawyers.

Marlene Flemens

Dec 14, 2012 • 9:00 AM

I support the research of cancer treatment Program.

Michael Kirkby

Dec 14, 2012 • 9:08 AM

The guy they should have been recognizing was a German doctor who came to the US in 1932 to present a proven cure for cancer. He actually cured two different types of cancer with no remissions. Unfortunately for us the AMA decided there was more money in cutting and expensive drugs.
The man's name was Dr. Royal Raymond Ride and his machines are still available today; providing of course you have the right connections. There's a real cancer fighter. He should have been to medicine what Tesla should have been to energy. What a myopic, puerile and sophomoric species we are when covetousness and avarice prevail over the health of our species and this planet.

Andrea Kitrel

Dec 14, 2012 • 9:15 AM

How about educating the nation on the true importance of a healthy diet and implementing some real laws and real departments that will regulate and actually SERVE THE PEOPLE'S HEALTH INTEREST so that we can AVOID cancer in the first place? For instance, PROPERLY LABELING OUR FOOD and BANNING GMOs. How about educating ALL "doctors" on the importance of the health as a WHOLE and not just throwing expensive pills/"treatments" at a patient's symptoms which in many cases make them more ill or even cause cancer? They certainly don't HEAL. I've yet to visit a conventional doctor that asks for details regarding a patient's DIET and EMOTIONAL STRESS LEVELS. How about.... making our health care system actually about HEALTH and not just maintaing/managing disease???? I know you and your family eat organic... get out of Monsanto's (and all the others) pockets- PLEASE - get real. (Congratulations Dr. Sawyer- these questions are really directed more to our President/government).

K KREISS

Dec 14, 2012 • 9:35 AM

Thanks for your work

Adia

Dec 14, 2012 • 9:38 AM

Good job you're awesomee geep up the good work cheers

Liu Wai Ling

Dec 14, 2012 • 9:55 AM

Thank you Dr. Sawyers . Great .

Richard A. Pearlson

Dec 14, 2012 • 10:03 AM

Your efforts to help others are strongly appreciated and also serve as a wonderful inspiration and encouragement for everyone to strive to contribute to the improvement of life. Thank you.

Dorinnus

Dec 14, 2012 • 10:09 AM

You,my friend are a life saviour keep up the good work God bless

Sarah Hunt

Dec 14, 2012 • 10:19 AM

Well done! Many, many thanks for your extremely important work.

Sarah Hunt

Dec 14, 2012 • 10:21 AM

Well done! Many, many thanks for your extremely important work.

Danielle L.

Dec 14, 2012 • 10:26 AM

Thank you so much for the work you do!

Debbie Williamson

Dec 14, 2012 • 10:29 AM

Thank you very much for the extremely important work that you do.

Karim

Dec 14, 2012 • 10:30 AM

Thanks for your contributions, Doc! To say that your work has been impressive is to understate the value of your work.

Katlentz

Dec 14, 2012 • 10:33 AM

It is wonderful that these talented doctors give their time snd talent to helping eradicate cancer. Thank you to all of them.

Adam Izak-Sunna

Dec 14, 2012 • 10:40 AM

Thank you for your magnanimous commitment and work, Sir.

Barbara

Dec 14, 2012 • 10:48 AM

I thank you for your efforts regarding cancer treatments as long as it does not include using animals for your research.

Ruth Saldanha

Dec 14, 2012 • 10:52 AM

Dr. Lawyers,
Thanks for the work you and your team are commited to. May you keep on helping many. Wish everyone of you that your best wishes come true!

Claudia Collins

Dec 14, 2012 • 10:54 AM

As the mother of a six year old girl battling leukemia I know firsthand the obstacles that cancer gives. I congratulate you on your achievement and wish you and your team much success. I hope that more time will be spent on finding better treatments for children. They deserve so much more than they currently get.
Once again congratulations.
Claudia Collins

Kim R.

Dec 14, 2012 • 11:00 AM

Dr. Sawyers,
Congratulations on your appointment and thanks for all the time and energy you have put towards cancer research. It is truly appreciated.

Brian J. Liebenstein

Dec 14, 2012 • 11:05 AM

Congratulations on this appointment. Here's hoping that there is no impediment on Dr. Sawyers' continuing to research medication which might prove beneficial to treatment of prostrate cancer, among others. It would be nice to see "the rest of the story". Are the members of this cancer board being put to work or simply garnering some sort of award as payment for past accomplishment, for which they were already compensated? Please don't take that as an implied indictment - it's simply a question. Many BLessings for all the work by Dr. Sawyers and the rest of the group.

Donald J. Swanz

Dec 14, 2012 • 11:07 AM

"Congratulations" on being nominated and "thank you" for accepting Dr. Sawyers. Our Nation and our World are truly blest because of you and your work. :-))

Sudhir Pandit

Dec 14, 2012 • 11:07 AM

Humanity is forever indebted to you. May God continue to work through you to alleviate suffering.

Diana

Dec 14, 2012 • 11:08 AM

Congrats to these wonderful doctors. I am now 24 years stage 2 cervical cancer free thanks to medical technology. Thank you and GOD BLESS

Bobbi Martel

Dec 14, 2012 • 11:09 AM

thank you. God bless you.

Connie Moreno

Dec 14, 2012 • 11:11 AM

Thank you to Dr. Sawyers for all you do for the world! We need more compassionate doctors like you! May God Bless you and your family and please keep up the good work!!

Beth

Dec 14, 2012 • 11:12 AM

Thank you Dr. for your fantastic work.

Richard Sherman

Dec 14, 2012 • 11:13 AM

Thank you for making such a positive difference in the lives of so many people and their families.

Nancy Black

Dec 14, 2012 • 11:20 AM

Kudos to you, Dr. Sawyers. You are a soldlier in the battle against a devastating disease. Every family has at least one person in its midst that has or has died from this horrible disease. We all thank you.

Denise

Dec 14, 2012 • 11:32 AM

Thank you, Dr. Sawyers for all of your wonderful work! Hopefully, one day, cancer will be a thing of the past and will not take those we love from us.

Andrei Skvarsky

Dec 14, 2012 • 11:32 AM

Quite many of my friends have died of cancer. Anyone who makes any progress in fighting this desease deserves huge praise, especially somebody who has done as much as you have, Dr. Sawyers. Great thanks to you, and a lot of success in your future work.