The National Cancer Institute has honored City of Hope epidemiologist Leslie Bernstein, Ph.D., with its Rosalind E. Franklin Award, which recognizes the commitment of women to cancer research. She received the award Jan. 7.
Named after a pioneering female scientist instrumental to the discovery of the DNA double helix, the award highlights prominent women who have distinguished themselves in the investigation of cancer and its origins and treatment. Bernstein is the ninth researcher to receive the award since it was established last decade.
 Leslie Bernstein (Photo by p.cunningham) |
Bernstein, director of the Division of Cancer Etiology and dean for faculty affairs, was honored at the National Cancer Institute’s annual retreat in Bethesda, Md. In addition to receiving the award, Bernstein delivered a lecture titled “Reducing Breast Cancer Risk through Biology, Epidemiology and Serendipity.”
The award is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health Women Scientist Advisors, or WSA. Besides sponsoring the Franklin Award, the WSA supports and promotes career development for the scientific community and addresses issues common to female scientists. During a WSA luncheon meeting at the retreat, Bernstein led a roundtable discussion on promoting scientific visibility.
“Dr. Bernstein not only has contributed important findings to the field of cancer epidemiology, but she commits her time to mentor other young scientists and lend her biostatistical knowledge to countless studies,” said Smita Bhatia, M.D., M.P.H., chair of the Department of Population Sciences. “We’re delighted to see her honored by her peers.”
Bernstein’s research primarily has focused on how personal and lifestyle factors affect risk of breast cancer and other malignancies including non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She also has studied how such lifestyle factors influence disease prognosis and quality of life among survivors.
She also contributes to national and international research, serving as a chair or member of several advisory committees for studies significant to women’s health.
Throughout her career, she has received numerous honors for her investigations into cancer, including the American Society for Preventive Oncology’s Distinguished Achievement Award, the American Association for Cancer Research’s AACR-Prevent Cancer Foundation Award for Excellence in Cancer Prevention Research and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction in Clinical Breast Cancer Research.
