Paul Sondel to Receive SITC's 2017 Richard V. Smalley, MD Memorial Lectureship Award

Paul M. Sondel, MD, PhD

Paul M. Sondel, MD, PhD

The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) has announced that Paul M. Sondel, MD, PhD, will receive the 2017 Richard V. Smalley, MD Memorial Lectureship Award.

Sondel is currently the Reed and Carolee Walker professor and research director at the University of Wisconsin (UW), Madison, where he is also the former head of the Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Bone Marrow Transplant.

Sondel has published more than 370 scientific articles and chapters. His research includes the biology of graft-versus-leukemia reactions, activations of antitumor immune destruction with interleukin-2, and the use of tumor reactive monoclonal antibodies and immunocytokines to facilitate tumor killing by leukocytes, according to a press release from SITC. Many of his studies have moved on to clinical testing.

Sondel will be presented with the Richard V. Smalley, MD Memorial Lectureship Award during the SITC 32nd Annual Meeting next November, to be held at the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. He will also present a keynote address during the meeting on his research.

Established in 1984, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) is a non-profit organization made up of medical professionals dedicated to improving cancer patient outcomes by advancing the development, science, and application of cancer immunotherapy and tumor immunology.

The Richard V. Smalley, MD Memorial Lectureship Award was established in 2005 in memory of former SITC president and charter member, Richard V. Smalley, MD, and is the society’s most prestigious award. It serves to honor those who have been pioneers in their work and made a notable impact worthy of high regard and recognition by their peers, according to the release. Previous recipients include Suzanne L. Topalian, MD, awarded in 2016 at the 31st Annual Meeting; Tasuku Honjo, MD, PhD; Giorgio Trinchieri, MD; Carl H. June, MD; Theresa L. Whiteside, PhD; Ralph M. Steinman, MD; James P. Allison, PhD; Isiah J. Fidler; DVM, PhD; Giorgio Parmiani, MD; Ernest Borden, MD; Ronald Levy, MD; and Steven A. Rosenberg, MD, PhD.

“Sondel has been a tireless champion of investigating immunotherapy approaches to combat pediatric cancers, particularly neuroblastoma,” said Lisa H. Butterfield, PhD, president of SITC. “He has followed the science and been a leader in clinical trials, testing many promising therapies. His collaborative work helped lead to the ultimate FDA approval of dinutuximab (Unituxin), which was a critical advance in this challenging childhood cancer.”

Sondel received his undergraduate and doctorate degrees in genetics, with guidance from bone marrow transplant pioneer, Fritz Bach, MD. He received his medical degree magna cum laude from Harvard Medical School. Following pediatric residencies at the Universities of Minnesota and Wisconsin, Sondel joined the faculty of UW in 1980 in the Departments of Pediatrics, Human Oncology, and Genetics.