Cancer Care Manitoba Foundation

C O V E R S T O R Y C O N T ' D O N PA G E 3 Five years ago we introduced you to Dr. Versha Banerji, who had just returned home to Winnipeg after four years of research and training at Harvard along with her husband Dr. Shantanu Banerji. The couple, who met in medical school and married, specialized in hematology and medical oncology respectively. Their time at Harvard was sponsored by CancerCare Manitoba and fully supported by donors to CancerCare Manitoba Foundation. Their plan post-Harvard – return to help build Manitoba's cancer research program while providing clinical care to patients. Dr. Banerji's research in Acute Myeloid Leukemia held a lot of promise as upon her return she could transfer her discoveries to Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), where CancerCare Manitoba is an acknowledged leader in the field. She was recently granted the Research Manitoba New Investigator Award for her research study Resetting the Clock: Modifying Circadian Rhythm in CLL. Dr. Banerji, a clinician scientist at CancerCare Manitoba and senior scientist at CancerCare Manitoba's Research Institute, competed against scientists from around the province, every university and research program, and is thrilled she was able to receive this prominent award. "Typically these awards go to scientists with one hundred per cent protected time for research. It's harder for clinicians with dual responsibilities as a clinician scientist to prove they're equally worthy," she says. As a doctor balancing her work in the clinic with her research, she would need some way to compete with scientists who could devote all of their resources to research. That's where the generosity of the Foundation's donors came in, because without you, none of this would have been possible. "Thanks to the Foundation's donors, I had a generous start-up that allowed me to get my feet wet, buy new equipment, hire staff, and recruit a post-doc fellow," says Dr. Banerji. "This allowed me to generate data so I could apply to additional granting agencies to secure additional funds." Your contributions have been essential to this amazing work, as your trust in Dr. Banerji's research meant she could focus on CLL and the fight against cancer, instead of worrying about finances. And now with this new award, that steady focus can continue as she will receive $75,000 for each of the next three years. "I think this award shows how committed the Foundation's donors are to my success," she says. "And it demonstrates that CancerCare Manitoba can protect its clinician scientists, so that they can be equally successful in the future. It's good for all parties involved." "I think this award shows how committed the Foundation's donors are to my success." DONORS SHARE IN SCIENTIST'S TREMENDOUS RESEARCH PROGRESS YOUR DONATIONS HELPED FUND DR. BANERJI'S RESEARCH TEAM C U R R E N T T E A M M E M B E R S Cheryl Pelletier s e n i o r t e c h n i c i a n Dr. Nabanita Chatterjee, PhD Coordinated Fellowship funded by CancerCare Manitoba Foundation and Research Manitoba Ryan Saleh s u m m e r s t u d e n t P R E V I O U S T E A M M E M B E R S Armando Poeppl s e n i o r t e c h n i c i a n Dr. Iris Gehrke, PhD p o s t d o c t o r a l f e l l o w Coordinated Fellowship funded by CancerCare Manitoba Foundation and Research Manitoba Eric Bouchard, MSc g r a d u at e s t u d e n t CLL cluster funded 2

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