LUNGevity Foundation Issues 2022 Request for Applications for Lung Cancer Translational Research Award Supporting Veterans Affairs Researchers

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- LUNGevity Foundation, the nation's leading lung cancer-focused nonprofit organization, is pleased to offer a translational research award program to support clinical scientists who work in the Department of Veterans Affairs. LUNGevity is proud to offer this funding mechanism to researchers within the VA system. The Request for Applications for this 2022 award is currently available on the LUNGevity website at LUNGevity.org/apply-for-award and the proposalCENTRAL website at proposalcentral.com.

The 2022 LUNGevity Veterans Affairs Research Scholar Award Program supports fellows interested in lung cancer research within the Department of Veterans Affairs. Applicants must hold a doctoral degree and be within their postdoctoral fellow/medical fellowship period or within the first five years of their first faculty appointment and plan to pursue a career in lung cancer research at a Veterans Affairs institution (or an academic institution with an affiliation with a local Veterans Affairs institution). This is a mentored award, which may be for a maximum of $100,000 over two years ($50,000 per year).

"Veterans are a high-risk population for lung cancer, due to their exposure to toxic and carcinogenic materials on military bases and on the field of battle," said Drew Moghanaki, MD, MPH. "It's vital to offer optimal care to those who have served our country, many of whom develop lung cancer years after their service." Moghanaki is a co-principal investigator of the Greater Los Angeles VA Lung Precision Oncology Program and the chief of thoracic oncology at the UCLA Department of Radiation Oncology. He is also a member of LUNGevity's Scientific Advisory Board.

The translational research projects that will be funded are expected to have a direct impact on veterans at risk of developing or who have developed lung cancer, or to provide a clear conceptual or experimental foundation for the future development of methods of screening/early detection and/or individualized treatments including surgical, radiation, targeted, or immune-based therapies. In addition, the proposed research must have relevance to the veteran population, related to either screening/early detection or treatment of lung cancer.

The letter of intent is due on February 23, 2022.

About LUNGevity Foundation

LUNGevity Foundation is the nation's leading lung cancer organization focused on improving outcomes for people with lung cancer through research, education, policy initiatives, and support and engagement for patients, survivors, and caregivers. LUNGevity seeks to make an immediate impact on quality of life and survivorship for everyone touched by the disease?while promoting health equity by addressing disparities throughout the care continuum. LUNGevity works tirelessly to advance research into early detection and more effective treatments, provide information and educational tools to empower patients and their caregivers, promote impactful public policy initiatives, and amplify the patient voice through research and engagement. The organization provides an active community for patients and survivors?and those who help them live longer and better lives. 

Comprehensive resources include a medically vetted and patient-centric website, a toll-free HELPLine for support, the International Lung Cancer Survivorship Conference, and an easy-to-use Clinical Trial Finder, among other tools. All of these programs are to achieve our vision?a world where no one dies of lung cancer. LUNGevity Foundation is proud to be a four-star Charity Navigator organization.

Please visit LUNGevity.org to learn more. 

About Lung Cancer in the US

• About 1 in 16 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime
• More than 235,000 people in the US will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year
• About 65% of all new lung cancer diagnoses are among people who have never smoked or are former smokers
• Lung cancer takes more lives than the next two deadliest cancers (colorectal and pancreatic) combined
• Only 22% of all people diagnosed with lung cancer will survive 5 years or more, BUT if it's caught before it spreads, the chance of 5-year survival improves dramatically

SOURCE LUNGevity Foundation