Society of Surgical Oncology Names Lisa C. Paulsen Recipient of The 2012 James Ewing Layman's Award

LOS ANGELES, March 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) and its James Ewing Foundation recognized the efforts of Stand Up to Cancer's co-founder Lisa C. Paulsen toward eradicating cancer by presenting her the SSO's 2012 James Ewing Layman's Award at the Society's Annual Cancer Symposium in Orlando, Florida on March 23rd.

The James Ewing Layman's Award is presented annually and is intended to thank and honor non-physicians for their work in support of public awareness, patient resources, or clinical or research efforts in the prevention or cure of cancer.

Lisa Paulsen is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a national philanthropic organization of the TV and film industry, founded in 1942. Under Paulsen's leadership, EIF's charitable budget has grown from $1.8 million to more than $160 million per year. She has recruited senior executives from all the major studios, networks, unions, guilds, and agencies as board members, and has enlisted celebrated actors as volunteers. EIF funds efforts in science and medicine, education, the environment, poverty, and other major issues facing society.

In 2008, EIF was a co-creator of the Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) initiative. Since then, more than $180 million has been pledged to SU2C for research. SU2C has awarded six three-year grants to multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary research "Dream Teams" and has given "Innovative Research Grants" to 26 individual young scientists for "high-risk, potentially high-reward" research rarely funded by other sources.

EIF has been a leading force in the fight against cancer for 20 years. Funds raised through EIF's Revlon Run/Walk For Women, for example, helped fast-track the revolutionary breast cancer treatment Herceptin®, which received FDA approval years ahead of schedule. In addition to raising funds to advance research, EIF's Women's Cancer Programs also raise awareness and support community programs that assist women at risk of and affected by cancer. EIF's National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance, co-founded with Katie Couric, also raises funds for cutting-edge research on all aspects of colon cancer, and promotes the life-saving value of screening and early detection.

"It was a great privilege to receive this award from such an esteemed group of surgeons, whose precision and passion save lives every day," Paulsen said.  "All of us at the Entertainment Industry Foundation and Stand Up To Cancer are grateful to and extremely supportive of the Society of Surgical Oncology's mission and its ability to improve and consistently advance patient care.  Surgical oncologists play a key role in a multidisciplinary approach to cancer research and treatment, and we're proud to have surgeons among the members of the SU2C Dream Teams."

ABOUT THE JAMES EWING FOUNDATION

Founded in 1970 by the Society of Surgical Oncology, the primary focus of the James Ewing Foundation is the support of education and research in surgical oncology. The Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to advancing Dr. Ewing's legacy as a researcher and clinician. Past recipients of the James Ewing Layman's Award have included Sanford L. Weill; Mary Lasker; Laurance Rockefeller; Armand Hammer; Evelyn Lauder; Anne and Donna Gioia; Lt. Governor John C. Carney, Jr.; Paula Kim; Nancy Brinker; Don and Deidre Imus; Sec. HHS Tommy G. Thompson; and Hamilton Jordan.

ABOUT THE SOCIETY OF SURGICAL ONCOLOGY

Founded in 1940, the mission of the Society of Surgical Oncology is to improve patient care by advancing the science and practice of surgical oncology worldwide. The Society is a 2,800 member organization for surgeons and health care providers dedicated to advancing and promoting the science and treatment of cancer.

ABOUT THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY FOUNDATION

The Entertainment Industry Foundation, as a leading charitable organization of the entertainment industry, has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars to support charitable initiatives addressing critical health, education and social issues.  For more information, visit www.eifoundation.org.

ABOUT STAND UP TO CANCER

Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) – a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c) (3) charitable organization – raises funds to accelerate the pace of groundbreaking translational research that can get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives. SU2C facilitates collaboration among the best and the brightest in the cancer research community. The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and a Scientific Advisory Committee conduct rigorous, competitive review processes through which SU2C's grantees are selected. By galvanizing the entertainment industry, SU2C generates awareness and builds grassroots support for this new approach to ending cancer.

Stand Up To Cancer was founded by a group of media, entertainment and philanthropic leaders whose lives have been affected by cancer in significant ways. Members of SU2C's Executive Leadership Council include Sherry Lansing, chairperson of the Entertainment Industry Foundation's (EIF) Board of Directors and founder of the Sherry Lansing Foundation; EIF President and CEO Lisa Paulsen; Katie Couric; EIF Senior Vice President Kathleen Lobb; Rusty Robertson and Sue Schwartz of the Robertson Schwartz Agency; Pam Williams, partner at Laura Ziskin Productions; and nonprofit executive Ellen Ziffren. The late Laura Ziskin, a legendary film producer who executive produced the 2008 and 2010 SU2C telecasts, was also a co-founder of Stand Up To Cancer.

SOURCE Stand Up To Cancer