Studentship grants
The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (BC/Yukon Region) (CBCF) Studentship Grants Program, funded by CBCF and the BC Cancer Foundation and facilitated through the BC Can­cer Agency, funds projects by young researchers to help them build their careers in cancer research. This year the CBCF has awarded $18 000 in studentship grants to three student research projects in BC. The winning projects include two in breast cancer research and one in ovarian cancer research: 

Ashley Yip, University of British Co­lumbia Okan­agan Campus (4th-year undergraduate)
Supervisor: Dr Rasika Rajapakshe, Medical Physics/Screening Mammogra­phy Program, BC Cancer Agency
Project title: Validation of mammogra­phic breast density as a risk factor for breast cancer

Rebecca Mlikotic, University of Bri­tish Columbia Okan­agan Campus (3rd-year undergraduate)
Supervisor: Dr Cynthia Araujo, Medical Physics, BC Cancer Agency 
Project title: Populating an epidemiological model for breast cancer using data from British Columbia

Mary Elrick, University of Victoria (3rd-year under­graduate)
Supervisor: Dr Julian Lum, Immunology, BC Cancer Agency 
Project title: Investigating the relationship between autophagy and T cells in ovarian cancer

Fellowship grants
The CBCF has awarded $300 000 in breast cancer research postgraduate fellowships to five of the most qualified breast cancer research projects across the province.

Funding is awarded to qualified health care professionals, MD graduates, or recent PhD graduates to provide assistance in launching a career as independent, social, clinical, or basic science investigators in breast cancer research. The 2013 CBCF fellowship recipients are:

Ms Sumaiya Islam, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia
Project title: Blocking the YB-1 oncogene to circumvent chemotherapy re­sistance and relapse in young wo­men with triple-negative breast cancer

Dr Nelson Leong, BC Cancer Agency
Project title: Symptomatic brachial plexopathy in patients treated with hypofractionated compared to conventional fractionated nodal radiation therapy in the modern era of CT-based RT planning

Dr Jay Shankar, University of Bri­tish Columbia
Project title: Role of pCav1 and PKM2 in breast cancer progression

Dr Shawn Chafe, BC Cancer Agency
Project title: Targeting breast cancer metastasis and premetastatic niche development through carbonic anhydrase IX inhibition

Dr Esta Bovill, University of British Columbia
Project title: Breast reconstruction in the young BRCA mutation + patient: Does wait time to mastectomy with breast reconstruction increase the incidence of breast cancer?

Congratulations to all of this year’s CBCF studentship and fellowship grant recipients.