The Department of Radiation Oncology and the Free Radical and Radiation Biology Program (FRRBP) are pleased to announce that Dr. Melissa L.T. Toeh has been selected to receive the Jeffrey Dean Kirsch Memorial SFRBM Travel Award for 2006.  Her abstract, entitled "Suppression of MIA PaCa-2 Malignant Phenotype by SOD:  Role of MnSOD, CuZnSOD, and EcSOD on cell proliferation, cell cycle distribution, and tumor invasion" was judged by a committee of four faculty members and received an outstanding overall ranking. Dr. Teoh is a post-doctoral student in the University of Iowa’s FRRBP.  She was awarded $500 to help cover expenses to attend the SFRBM meeting in Denver, Colorado to present her work.  The SFRBM annual meeting includes general plenary sessions; oral presentations of selected abstracts, poster symposia, and awards for outstanding student presentations. At the 2006 meeting, Dr. Ehab Sarsour, Kjerstin Owens, Disha Dayal, and Mike Hitchler from the FRRBP at Iowa also received awards from the SFRBM Young Investigator and travel awards committee for their student presentations. In addition to these awards, Ms. Toni Jones and family members generously established an additional 2006 SFRBM Travel Award (to be awarded by the FRRBP faculty) in the name of their beloved family member Jeffery Dean Kirsch, who was a graduate student in the FRRBP at Iowa. Jeffery was very passionate about science and believed that attending the SFRBM conference and presenting scientific findings on a national level was one of the greatest educational opportunities available to young scientists. In memory of Jeffery who passed away in 2004, his family wanted to recognize the quality education he received at the University of Iowa as well as make an outstanding educational opportunity available for a future young scientist through a travel award.

The Department of Radiation Oncology and the FRRBP wants to congratulate all of the student award winners for 2006 and particularly Dr. Melissa Teoh for receiving the Jeffrey Dean Kirsch Memorial SFRBM Travel Award.

Dr. Spitz, Melissa and Dr. Oberley