Washington, DC -- Baris Suzek, M.S., a research associate in Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology at Georgetown University Medical Center, was awarded the 2008 Outstanding Achievement Award by the Cancer Bioinformatics Grid (caBIG™) at the 5th caBIG™ Annual Meeting in Washington on June 24.

Suzek, associate lead for the bioinformatics team for the Protein Information Resource (PIR) at Georgetown, also received two additional awards for his significant accomplishments and contributions to the caBIG™ program.

Georgetown is actively engaged in the design and development of the cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid, a revolutionary tool for cancer research. caBIG™ is a national information network that enables cancer researchers to access a rich collection of clinical data across research institutions. Through these shared resources, the grid provides opportunities to enhance and build new collaborations and accelerate the pace of discovery.

The Outstanding Achievement Award is the highest honor given by the caBIG program. "This award reflects Mr. Suzek’s demonstrated excellence in the areas of project management, development, and collaboration," said Kenneth M. Buetow, Ph.D., associate director for Bioinformatics and Information Technology at the National Cancer Institute.

Suzek was also awarded the caBIG™ 2008 Change Agent Award and the caBIG™ 2008 Teamwork Award.

"Mr. Suzek has been a tireless advocate for caBIG™ within his own institution and throughout the larger biomedical community," the Outstanding Achievement Award nomination letter states.

caBIG™ is an open-access infrastructure built on common tools and standards that seeks to modify biomedical research tools like clinical trial management systems, tissue banks and pathology tools according to the need of each individual and institution. These tools redefine the methodology of cancer research, delivery of patient care and relationship between patient and biomedical research enterprise.

The Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Protein Information Resource and Advanced Research Computing provide the research infrastructure through a "virtual web"  where cancer centers are linked together to enable information sharing. Lombardi seeks the integration of peer institutions, PIR extends access to its database to more researchers through the caBIG™ project and ARC, division of the University Information Services, designs the database to enable data-sharing.

About Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
The Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of Georgetown University Medical Center and Georgetown University Hospital, seeks to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer through innovative basic and clinical research, patient care, community education and outreach, and the training of cancer specialists of the future. Lombardi is one of only 39 comprehensive cancer centers in the nation, as designated by the National Cancer Institute, and the only one in the Washington, DC, area. For more information, go to http://lombardi.georgetown.edu.

About Georgetown University Medical Center
Georgetown University Medical Center is an internationally recognized academic medical center with a three-part mission of research, teaching and patient care (through our partnership with MedStar Health). Our mission is carried out with a strong emphasis on public service and a dedication to the Catholic, Jesuit principle of cura personalis -- or "care of the whole person." The Medical Center includes the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing and Health Studies, both nationally ranked, the world-renowned Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Biomedical Graduate Research Organization (BGRO), home to 60 percent of the university’s sponsored research funding. 

 

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Contact: Karen Mallet
414-312-7085
km463@georgetown.edu