Whitehead’s Rudolf Jaenisch named a Fellow of the AACR Academy

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) announced today that Whitehead Institute Founding Member Rudolf Jaenisch is one of 11 newly elected Fellows of the AACR Academy.

The AACR established its Academy in 2013 to recognize and honor distinguished scientists whose major scientific contributions have propelled significant innovation and progress against cancer. All Fellows are nominated and elected through peer review conducted by existing Fellows of the AACR Academy and ratified by the AACR Executive Committee. The process includes an assessment of each candidate’s scientific achievements in cancer research and cancer-related biomedical science.

According to the AACR, only individuals “whose work has had a significant and long-lasting impact on the field” are eligible for election as AACR Fellows. Each year, the AACR elects 11 individuals to the AACR Academy, a number that pays homage to the 11 scientists and physicians who founded the AACR in 1907.

“The amazing scientific contributions made by this year’s 11 Fellows have not only revolutionized cancer science, but have also provided the scientific foundation for countless other cancer professionals,” says Margaret Foti, PhD, MD chief executive officer of the AACR. “The collective and exponential impact of their discoveries continues to be felt daily throughout the cancer field.”

Jaenisch, whose formal induction will occur later this month at the AACR annual meeting in New Orleans, becomes the second Whitehead Member to be elected as a Fellow of the AACR Academy. Whitehead Founding Member Robert Weinberg was elected to the Academy’s inaugural class in 2013.