Fox Chase Cancer Center Scientist Named Pew Scholar

PHILADELPHIA (August 1, 2001) -Fox Chase Cancer Center scientist Myung K. Shin, Ph.D. of Mendham, NJ is one of 20 scientists nationally to be named as a 2001 Pew Scholar.� The scholars, chosen from the most prestigious institutions in the United States, have demonstrated enormous promise in the field of biomedical research.

The Pew Scholar program advances the careers of promising young investigators in the basic and clinical sciences relevant to the advancement of human health by providing assured support for junior faculty as they establish their laboratories.� Each scholar receives a total award of $240,000 to help support his/her research over a four-year period.� The awards are intended to encourage scholarly innovation in their research as well as advance their knowledge of the biomedical sciences.

"These type of grants are critical to the next generation of scientists as research dollars for young investigators can be difficult to obtain," said Anna Marie Skalka, Ph.D., senior vice president of Basic Science at Fox Chase.� "Many of the researchers who receive these grants later become leading investigators in their fields."

Shin's research involves the development of pigment producing melanocytes which is important in understanding melanoma, a deadly skin cancer.

"The research we do may help shed light on the molecular basis of diseases that involve pigmentation abnormalities which are present at birth as well as identify critical stages that lead to the pathogenesis of malignant melanomas," Shin explained.

The Pew Charitable Trusts, a national philanthropy based in Philadelphia, supports nonprofit activities in the areas of conservation and the environment, culture, education, health and human services, public policy and religion.� Through their grantmaking, the Trusts makes strategic investments that encourage and support citizen participation in addressing critical issues and effecting social change.

Fox Chase Cancer Center, one of the nation's first comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute in 1974, conducts basic and clinical research; programs of prevention, detection and treatment of cancer; and community outreach. For more information about Fox Chase activities, visit the Center's web site at www.fccc.edu.

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