FA Family Newsletter - Fanconi Anemia Research Fund

Fanconi Anemia Research Pioneer RetiresNews From the FundHans Joenje, PhD, apioneer in Fanconi anemiaresearch and former memberof the Fanconi AnemiaResearch Fund’s ScientificAdvisory Board, has retired.Dr. Joenje, the only personever to receive both theFund’s Award of Merit andthe Distinguished ServiceAward, made exceptionallysignificant contributions to the field of FA research,including participating in the discovery of 12 FA genes,which helped to provide the foundation for current FAscience. His research remains integral to the study of FA.Early in Dr. Joenje’s career, he made the groundbreakingdiscovery that the chromosomal breakage in FA dependson atmospheric oxygen. He has continued to work onFA and the genetic toxicology of oxygen ever since. WhenDr. Joenje began studying FA, little was known about therare disorder and none of the genes responsible for FA hadbeen identified. In 1992, Dr. Joenje was instrumental informing a European consortium to clarify the genetic basisof FA. Fifteen FA genes have now been discovered.In addition to his work in the laboratory, the Fundrecognizes Dr. Joenje for his dedicated service to familiesaffected by Fanconi anemia. He has attended the Fund’sannual FA Family Meeting to present information tofamilies about the scientific basis of FA and has workedtirelessly with families to help them determine theirparticular FA gene.Dr. Joenje spoke in March 2011 at a symposiumorganized at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, TheNetherlands, to honor him for his work in Fanconianemia research. Dave Frohnmayer participated byvideo, and thanked Dr. Joenje on behalf of FARFand FA families worldwide for his innovative work.Although retired and looking forward to spending moretime in his garden and with his beloved dachshund, Dr.Joenje has promised to remain actively involved in theFA community.We thank Dr. Joenje for his tremendous contributionto the field of FA research and wish him well in hisactive retirement.Welcome Dr. William to theFund’s Scientific Advisory BoardWilliam N. William, Jr.,MD, a medical oncologistfrom The University ofTexas MD AndersonCancer Center in Houston,accepted an appointmentin April to serve a threeyearterm on the FanconiAnemia Research Fund’sScientific Advisory Board.Dr. William is an assistantprofessor in the Department of Thoracic/Head andNeck Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicineat MD Anderson, a position he has held since 2006.Dr. William came to the US from Brazil for a postdoctoraland then a clinical fellowship. He received hismedical degree in 2001, graduating from the Faculdadede Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil. Dr.William has co-authored dozens of articles related tohead and neck cancer and has won several prestigiousawards, including the American Society of ClinicalOncology Cancer Foundations’ Young InvestigatorAward in 2009.Dr. William joins a group of distinguished researchersand clinicians on the Scientific Advisory Board.Members of this board (listed on the back cover of thisnewsletter) guide the Fund’s research priorities, advocateon behalf of FA at national and international meetings,and provide guidance and support to the staff and boardof the Fund. We welcome Dr. William and are honoredto have him join the FARF team!22 Family Newsletter #50