On Wednesday, May 9, Drs. Sally Ellington and Kathleen O’Connor were honored as the the 2018 Markey Women Strong Distinguished Researchers, as chosen by members of the UK Markey Cancer Foundation’s Markey Women Strong membership society. The Distinguished Researcher awards come with a $50,000 research grant for each recipient.
Started in the summer of 2016, Markey Women Strong is a philanthropy group comprised of women who, together, will make a meaningful difference in cancer research by funding female researchers focused on groundbreaking cancer research at the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center.
Each member of Markey Women Strong will contribute a $1,000 donation. Together, the anticipated one hundred-plus investors decide which UK Markey Cancer Center researchers to support with their collective funds.
This year the Markey Women Strong members selected Dr. Sally Ellingson, whose research is focused on computational methods that predict drug interactions, and Dr. Kathleen O’Connor, whose area of focus is on Triple Negative Breast Cancer. O’Connor’s research on the topic was also selected by the membership group for last year’s inaugural award.
To learn more about Markey Women Strong or to become a member, go to the UK Markey Cancer Foundation’s website.