AGA Research Foundation secures $1.4 million endowment grant for pancreatic cancer research

The AGA Research Foundation has announced a $1.4 million endowment grant from The Bern Schwartz Family Foundation. The AGA Institute will provide matching support, resulting in a $2.8 million endowment dedicated to advancing basic research in pancreatic cancer, the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. 

The endowment will fund a second AGA-Bern Schwartz Family Fund Research Scholar Award in Pancreatic Cancer. The first award, created in 2013, will also continue. Both awards provide selected early career-investigators with $100,000 per year for three years to have protected time to focus on pancreatic cancer research. The award is named in honor of the late businessman and photographer, Bern Schwartz (1914-1978) who died from the disease. 

Over the last two decades six researchers have received this prestigious award: 

• Kenneth Yu, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 

• Kenneth Olive, PhD, Columbia University Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center 

• Laura D. Wood, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine 

• Florencia McAllister, MD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center 

• Jason R. Pitarresi, PhD, UMass Chan Medical School 

• Srinivas Gaddam, MD, MPH, Cedars-Sinai 

We believe that progress toward a cure for pancreatic cancer will come from the concentrated efforts of smart investigators who have the resources they need and enough dedicated time to do their work. We warmly thank The Bern Schwartz Family Foundation for their commitment to continuing this research." 

Michael Camilleri, MD, DSc, AGAF, Chair of the AGA Research Foundation

The Schwartz family added, "The AGA Research Foundation recognizes the critical need for young research talent that is focused on this area, and we are delighted to be their partner in creating a second Research Scholar Award."