Cancer Research Institute to Honor Leaders in Cancer Immunotherapy

The Cancer Research Institute (CRI), a New York-based nonprofit organization established in 1953 and committed to establishing cancer immunotherapy as a successful cancer treatment approach, announced today the winners of the 2014 Oliver R. Grace Award for Distinguished Service in Advancing Cancer Research. This annual award recognizes the contributions of exceptionally dedicated individuals whose leadership has had significant impact on medical research, patient care, or public education. 

CRI will present the award to Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), for leading scientific advances and research in the field of immuno-oncology. Murdo Gordon, president, U.S., of Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), will accept the award on behalf of the company, and in recognition of his leadership in delivering immuno-oncology medicines to patients. In 2011, Bristol-Myers Squibb introduced the first checkpoint inhibitor to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the company continues to conduct immuno-oncology research in more than 20 tumor types. The award also honors BMS’s ongoing support of CRI over the past two decades.

The second recipient is Jacques C. Nordeman, chairman and co-founder of the executive talent search firm Nordeman Grimm, Inc., for his more than 30 years of service to CRI as a board member, past president, and current vice chairman of the board. Nordeman helped CRI secure two $20 million gifts from The Atlantic Philanthropies, which transformed the Institute and allowed for significant expansion of its research and training programs. The honorees will receive the award at CRI’s 28th annual awards dinner on October 7, 2014, at Guastavino’s in New York City.

“We are deeply grateful for the important roles both our honorees have played in enabling the Cancer Research Institute to carry out its life-saving mission,” said Jill O’Donnell Tormey, PhD, CEO and director of scientific affairs at CRI. “Through their generous support of CRI and their leadership, immunotherapy’s potential to revolutionize cancer treatment within our lifetimes is becoming a reality for more and more patients.”

In addition to the Grace Award, at the dinner CRI will bestow the William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Basic and Tumor Immunology and the Frederick W. Alt Award for New Discoveries in Immunology, which are presented annually to scientists whose outstanding contributions to cancer immunology have made tremendous impact on the lives of cancer patients.

About the Oliver R. Grace Award for Distinguished Service in Advancing Cancer Research
This award, established in 1995, recognizes the contributions of dedicated laypersons whose leadership has had a significant impact on cancer research. The award is named in memory of the late Oliver R. Grace, founding chairman of the Cancer Research Institute, whose vision, wisdom, and generosity benefited the Institute for nearly 40 years.

Former Grace Award winners include: Sean Parker, serial tech entrepreneur and philanthropist (2013); Bahija Jallal, PhD, executive vice president, AstraZeneca, and head of MedImmune (2013); Mark P. Frissora, Hertz Corporation chairman and CEO (2012); Mitchell H. Gold, MD, former CEO, Dendreon Corporation (2011); American fashion designer Michael Kors (2010); Andrew Witty, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline (2010); Fred Hassan, former chairman and CEO of Schering-Plough Corporation (2009); Wade F.B. Thompson, chairman, CEO, and co-founder of Thor Industries (2007); Julian H. Robertson Jr., chairman, Tiger Management LLC (2006); and Katie Couric, global anchor of Yahoo! News (2002). To view a complete list of Grace Award recipients, go to https://www.cancerresearch.org/about/annual-awards/oliver-r-grace-award.