Dr. Raymond N. DuBois Honored With 2019 AACR Margaret Foti Award for Leadership and Extraordinary Achievements in Cancer Research

PHILADELPHIA – The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) will recognize Raymond N. DuBois, MD, PhD, FAACR, with the 13th Margaret Foti Award for Leadership and Extraordinary Achievements in Cancer Research during the AACR Annual Meeting 2019, to be held March 29-April 3 in Atlanta.

DuBois is dean of the College of Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, and professor in the Departments of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Medicine. He is being recognized for his accomplishments as a global leader in the early detection, interception, and prevention of colorectal cancer. DuBois discovered the mechanistic function of prostaglandins (PGs) and cyclooxygenase in colon cancer initiation and progression and clarified the role of PGs in the tumor microenvironment, spearheading the consideration of aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory mediators for cancer prevention.

“Dr. DuBois is a highly distinguished researcher whose innovative work, including the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory mediators for the prevention of colorectal cancer, has made him an international leader in the field of early detection and prevention of the disease,” said Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), chief executive officer of the AACR. “In addition to his groundbreaking research, Dr. DuBois’ exceptional leadership in the scientific community has garnered national and international acclaim. I am thrilled that he has been chosen by the selection committee to receive this award. We look forward with great excitement to honoring him with this award.”

The Margaret Foti Award for Leadership and Extraordinary Achievements in Cancer Research was established in 2007 to recognize a champion of cancer research whose leadership and extraordinary achievements in cancer research have had a major impact on the field. Such achievements may include scientific contributions to the acceleration of progress against cancer, significant accomplishments associated with national or international awareness of the importance of cancer research, or other ways of demonstrating a sustained extraordinary commitment to cancer research.

DuBois is an internationally renowned expert known for his discoveries elucidating the connection between inflammation, inflammatory mediators and early changes responsible for progression of colorectal cancer. His work in this area demonstrated the role of anti-inflammatory agents in the tumor microenvironment, resulting in the design of various clinical trials outlining a role for anti-inflammatory agents in the reduction of cancer risk and progression.

DuBois is past president of the AACR, chairman and president of the AACR Foundation, a Fellow of the AACR Academy, and has served as a member of the AACR Board of Directors. In addition, he is a co-editor-in chief of Cancer Prevention Research, and has served as an editorial board member of Clinical Cancer Research and as an associate editor of Cancer Research, all journals of the AACR. He also serves as vice-chair of the Stand Up To Cancer Scientific Advisory Committee.

Among other significant honors, DuBois is a recipient of the Gonzalo Rio Arronte Award (2011), the Anthony Dipple Carcinogenesis Award (2006), the Dorothy P. Landon-AACR Cancer Research Prize for Translational Cancer Research (2004), the Distinguished Achievement Award from the American Gastroenterology Association (2004), the AACR-Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation Cancer Research Award (2002), American Federation for Medical Research Outstanding Investigator Award (2000), the American Federation for Medical Research Award for Excellence in Research (1994), and the Boehringer-Ingelheim New Investigator Award (1992).

Before joining the Medical University of South Carolina, DuBois was executive director of the Biodesign Institute and Dalton Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Arizona State University. DuBois earned his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry with honors from Texas A&M University and his PhD from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He obtained a medical degree from The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, followed by an Osler Medicine internship and residency and a gastroenterology fellowship at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. He is also a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and past president of the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation, as well as the International Society for Gastrointestinal Cancer.

DuBois will be formally recognized for his award at the Opening Ceremony of the AACR Annual Meeting, Sunday, March 31, at 8 a.m. ET in Hall A of the Georgia World Congress Center. DuBois will also be presenting his award lecture on Monday, April 1, at 7 a.m. at the Georgia World Congress Center.