Now in its 13th year, the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research’s Advancing Women in Science and Medicine (AWSM – pronounced “awesome”) awards luncheon raised a record-breaking $1 million in funding to support medical research conducted by women scientists. Since AWSM’s 2010 inception, more than $4 million has been raised to support women scientists.

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This year’s Advancing Women in Science and Medicine annual luncheon raised a record-breaking $1 million in funding to support medical research and women scientists at the Feinstein Institutes and across Northwell Health. (Credit: Feinstein Institutes).

This year’s event was held on May 3 at Lincoln Center’s new David Geffen Hall, where women scientists at the Feinstein Institutes and across Northwell Health received 69 awards. Donors fully fund the gifts; this year, six $50,000 Emerging Science Awards and 13 $25,000 Career Development Awards were handed out. Overall, the AWSM awards and luncheon highlight the commitment of supporters to the Feinstein Institutes and Northwell’s mission to promote equality, diversity and inclusion by creating more opportunities for women in science and medicine and investing in women early in their careers. Funding will support research programs across the health system, which address some of health care’s most pressing diseases and issues, such as cancer, autoimmune disorders, maternal health and Alzheimer’s disease.

“From molecular medicine to clinical research, education and training, the women across the Feinstein Institutes and Northwell make breakthroughs every day,” said Lior Brimberg, PhD, assistant professor at the Feinstein Institutes and co-chair of AWSM. “We are grateful to all of the donors and supporters who help make those achievements a reality.”

One special award, The Elliott J. Netzer Career Enhancement Award – generously funded by Ruth and Elliott Joseph – was given to Shih-Shih Chen, PhD, assistant professor at the Institute of Molecular Medicine and Institute of Cancer Research at the Feinstein Institutes, who is also co-chair of AWSM. The gift, totaling $225,000 over three years, will help further Dr. Chen’s research on B-cell leukemia and lymphoma, with a focus on chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

“Past AWSM awards opened up new opportunities for me, including the ability to apply for patent applications and collaborate with pharmaceutical companies,” said Dr. Chen. “Funding like this helps propel science and keep us focused on the research.”

In 2010, Betty Diamond, MD, director and professor at the Institute of Molecular Medicine and the Maureen and Ralph Nappi Professor of Autoimmune Diseases, established AWSM to advance women scientists’ career development and opportunities at the Feinstein Institutes. The program is comprised of women faculty members who lead biomedical research programs in basic, translational and clinical studies in a wide variety of diseases. Its core initiatives include recognition, career development, advocacy and education, networking and mentoring.

“Women in science are often underfunded; AWSM and its donors are helping to change that,” said Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes and the Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research. “Investing in our women investigators is an investment for the future of health care.”

Donors to AWSM are supporting Northwell’s Outpacing the Impossible campaign, a $1.4 billion comprehensive fundraising effort to fuel innovation to advance health care and support Northwell’s promise to the people it serves. The campaign, which was publicly launched in 2018, supports capital projects, improves hospitals and clinical programs, advances research and funds endowments for teaching and research initiatives.

For more information about AWSM, click here or email Sam Horowitz at Shorowitz4@northwell.edu.

About the Feinstein Institutes

The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the home of the research institutes of Northwell Health, the largest healthcare provider and private employer in New York State. Encompassing 50 research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its five institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, and molecular medicine. We make breakthroughs in genetics, oncology, brain research, mental health, autoimmunity, and are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine – a new field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit http://feinstein.northwell.edu and follow us on LinkedIn

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