AICF Recognizes Breakthroughs in Oncology Treatment at Annual Gala

Last night, the American Italian Cancer Foundation held its 42^nd annual gala at the Pierre Hotel in Manhattan. Featuring both silent and live auctions, the event raised funds for its ongoing operations, which include a roving mammography bus that performs breast cancer screenings in underserved communities across New York City, as well as direct funding for cancer research.

As attendees sat down for dinner after the cocktail hour, AICF took the opportunity to recognize doctors and researchers who have brought innovative methods and techniques to the fight against cancer. AICF gave special recognition to Gabriella Pravettoni, full professor of cognitive psychology at the University of Milan, for her work in integrating psychological support with traditional oncology care and improving doctor-patient communication. She has worked with the European Institute of Oncology since 2012, and has also founded the largest psycho-oncology division in Italy. Dr. Pravettoni thanked the foundation for its recognition not just of her work specifically, but her discipline overall, which she says is often marginalized as an afterthought in patient care. “It could be easy to remove a cancer from a person’s body,” said Pravettoni “but very difficult to remove it from their mind.” She also thanked the AICF for “building a bridge” between the United States’ and Italy’s medical communities.

The Foundation also awarded Dr. Laura Esserman its 2024 Prize for Scientific Excellence in Medicine. Dr. Esserman, working as director of the UCSF Breast Care Center, was praised  by the AICF  for her innovative designs of clinical trials that yield more telling results while reducing costs – a template that is now being used across a variety of medical fields, including COVID research. Dr. Esserman acknowledged the support of her colleagues in their success, saying that their work “takes a village,” as well as her family, “who puts up with me working into all hours of the night.” While she was galvanized by the progress that her own research had yielded, she remained focused on the work left to be done: “on behalf of all of my patients, I am very impatient.”

Dr. Giulio F. Draetta was also a recipient of AICF’s award for pioneering the identification of and characterization of mammalian cyclin-dependent kinases and their targeting for anticancer agents. With a career spanning four decades as a professor of genomic medicine as well as the NCI Cancer Center’s Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Draetta echoed Esserman’s emphasis on collaboration as a key to success. “What made me successful was the opportunity of having tremendously talented individuals come and join my team, and letting them run” he said. “If you think you are the smartest in the bunch, I think you are a fool.”

Since its inception in 1980, AICF has awarded over 550 postdoctoral fellowships and has provided more than 124,000 women with no-cost mammograms, clinical breast exams, and educational services.