Susan G. Komen^® has selected Carlos Caldas, MD, FMedSci, and Judy E. Garber, MD, MPH, as the 2021 recipients of the Brinker Awards for Scientific Distinction. They will receive their awards and present lectures on Tuesday, Dec. 7, beginning at 4:00 pm CT in Hall 3 of the convention center. The lectures will also be available on-demand after their presentations.

Dr. Caldas will receive the Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction in Basic Science. He is the senior group leader at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge. Dr. Caldas is also the Chair of Cancer Medicine at the university, an Honorary Consultant Medical Oncologist at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, and Director of the Cambridge Breast Cancer Research Unit.

He is being recognized for his contributions in the field of breast cancer genomics. Dr. Caldas’ work is credited with advancing the understanding of the DNA and RNA compositions of human breast cancers, the genomic heterogeneity of breast cancers, and the relationships of a tumor’s makeup to individual outcomes and responses to breast cancer treatment, according to the Susan G. Komen organization. His work helped define molecular subtypes of breast cancer and identify the genomic changes that drive growth.

Dr. Garber will receive the Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction in Clinical Research. She is the director of the Center for Cancer Genetics and Prevention at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Komen is recognizing Garber for her “trailblazing work and significant contributions in clinical cancer genetics that have shaped the care of people with breast cancer, their families and those at risk of breast cancer. Her research is advancing our understanding of the role of BRCA1/2 gene mutations in breast cancer and the treatment and prevention of triple-negative breast cancer and other BRCA-associated cancers.”