Leonard I. Zon, MD
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) awarded the 13th AACR–Irving Weinstein Foundation Distinguished Lectureship to Leonard I. Zon, MD, Grousbeck Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, Director of the Stem Cell Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, during the 2017 AACR Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.
The AACR–Irving Weinstein Foundation Distinguished Lectureship was established in 2004 to acknowledge an individual whose outstanding personal innovation in science and whose position as a thought leader in fields relevant to cancer research have the potential to inspire creative thinking and new directions in cancer research. The recipient is selected by the AACR President.
Dr. Zon is being honored for his scientific contributions to establishing zebrafish as an effective animal model system by which to study hematopoiesis and blood-related cancers and for his efforts associated with understanding fundamental stem cell biology, most notably in regard to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and migration.
“Dr. Zon is a world-renowned physician-scientist whose exceptional body of work has revolutionized cell biology,” said Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), Chief Executive Officer of the AACR. “His pioneering research established the zebrafish as a model organism for studying hematopoietic development and disease, including many types of cancer. This created the foundation for countless studies dedicated to understanding the complexities of cancer initiation and progression, and the AACR is proud to honor Dr. Zon’s extraordinary accomplishments with this prestigious award.”
Awards and Experience
Dr. Zon is Cofounder and Past President of the International Society of Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) and Past President of the American Society for Clinical Investigation. Additional awards recognizing Dr. Zon include the Knudson Award in Cancer Genetics from the National Cancer Institute (2016); the inaugural ISSCR Tobias Award Lecture (2016); and the Donald Metcalf Lecture from the International Society for Experimental Hematology (2013). He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American College of Physicians. ■
