Heine H. Hansen award given to Rafal Dziadziuszko

The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) have announced that the 2017 Heine H. Hansen (HHH) Award will be given to Rafal Dziadziuszko, a global leader in clinical thoracic oncology. The award will be presented at the European Lung Cancer Conference (ELCC) 2017, held 5 to 8 May in Geneva, Switzerland.

The HHH Award recognises the lifetime contribution of Heine H. Hansen1 to lung cancer research and education globally. Heine Hansen was a president of ESMO, a founder of IASLC and a mentor to many in the field of lung cancer. The HHH Award is presented annually by representatives of both organisations at ELCC, where the recipient will give a keynote lecture.2

The HHH Award acknowledges a lung cancer investigator who has made a special contribution to lung cancer research and education on an international basis. Rafal Dziadziuszko is currently Deputy Head and National Consultant in Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy, Medical University of Gdansk, and Professor, Medical University of Gdansk. He is a member of ESMO and was previously a member of the ESMO Educational Committee (2011-2016), and the ESMO National Representative for Poland (2009-2011). Dziadziuszko is a member of the IASLC and was a member of the IASLC Pathology Committee during 2011-2013.

Commenting on the importance of the award, Dziadziuszko said: "I met Heine Hansen on several occasions early in my career when he participated in events in Poland and Central-Eastern Europe to motivate us to join pan-European collaboration. This was before the iron curtain and shortly after, when access to international research projects was limited. He believed that our region needed to be fully integrated with European lung cancer research and motivated young oncologists to broaden their research capabilities. I feel I am one of his followers to realise this task."

Dziadziuszko completed his training in radiotherapy (2001) and medical oncology (2004) at the Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy, Medical University of Gdansk. He subsequently completed a translational cancer research fellowship at the University of Colorado Cancer Center which was funded by IASLC and the International Union Against Cancer. Between 2005 and 2007 he worked on predictive assays for EGFR targeted therapies in lung cancer, including immunohistochemistry, gene copy number, and activating mutations.

"I spent three very fruitful years at the University of Colorado Cancer Center with one of Heine Hansen's close colleagues from Denmark - Fred R. Hirsch, who mentored me in translational lung cancer research," said Dziadziuszko.

Dziadziuszko's main interests are lung cancer translational and clinical research, and he is a co-author of more than 120 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on this topic. He has helped organise several academic clinical research studies in Poland and Central Europe and is Vice-Chairman of the Central and East European Oncology Group. His current work includes identification of novel molecular targets for early lung cancer trials, evaluation of novel radiotherapy strategies in thoracic malignancies, and research on lung cancer screening programmes.

Recognising the contribution of others to his career, Dziadziuszko acknowledged John Horton, who advised him to become a clinical oncologist, Jacek Jassem, who introduced him to translational and clinical research in lung cancer at the international level, and Witold Rzyman, lead researcher in lung cancer screening projects.

Dziadziuszko said: "This honour is recognition for our lung cancer group of physicians and allied health care professionals in Gdansk and Poland. Together we have created a team focused on improvement of patient-centred practice with strong emphasis on translational and clinical research. The award motivates us to be more active and to further improve our performance."

ELCC Steering Committee representative for ESMO, Rolf Stahel, said: "Rafal Dziadziuszko trained in both medical and radiotherapy of lung cancer and is now a leader in clinical thoracic oncology. He has been the principal investigator of many large international clinical trials and is carrying out his goal to realise the vision of Heine Hansen."

ELCC Steering Committee representative for the IASLC, Fred R. Hirsch, said: "Dziadziuszko is a global leader with extensive international collaborations and a true follower of the ideas of Heine Hansen. Dziadziuszko is a brilliant researcher, a real clinical doctor who cares for his patients, and with a personality, which makes him very much liked and respected all over the world."

Provided by European Society for Medical Oncology