The Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology
of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP, see www.ipatimup.pt) creates
The Mina J. Bissell Award
The Mina J. Bissell Award
As the crowning conclusion of the Symposium on Frontiers in Cell Migration in Cancer, organized by the University of Porto Graduate Program in Areas of Basic and Applied Biology (GABBA, see gabba.up.pt), the Directors of the Program decided to honor Dr. Mina J. Bissell, the key note speaker at the Symposium (see attached flyer), by creating an award with her name, yesterday, January 21st 2008.
A small sculpture in the form of a medal designed by the Portuguese sculptor Zulmiro de Carvalho (see Wikipedia entry) consists of an outer circle with a number of mobile rectangular units that enable the outer circle to stand in various positions, a fitting symbol of the lifetime contributions made by Dr. Mina J. Bissell to strengthen the importance of context in the development of cancer. The outer circle can be said to represent Context.
Dr. Mina J. Bissell was the first scientist to receive the award which has a name inscribed in the outer circle area.
In addition, Dr. Mina Bissell was asked to give the first Mina J. Bissell Award to a remarkable non-scientist woman, president of the recently created Champalimaud Foundation (see www.fchampalimaud.org) solely dedicated to medical research, having cancer research as one of its two arms of scientific activity.
Mina J Bissell’s Award will be given every two years to a scientist who, like Dr. Mina Bissell has a devoted, successful, lifetime research career that has transformed our perception of a topic.
Submitted by Mina J. Bissel
