Dr. Marco Bandini, a fourth-year resident in Urology at the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, is among the winners of the prestigious "Merit Award", awarded during the 55th Annual Congress of the ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology), the most important appointment in the field.
This year eight young Italian researchers were awarded the prize for the relevance of their studies. Dr. Bandini was awarded for an abstract entitled "Squamous-cell carcinoma variant histology (SCC-VH) in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC): A comprehensive clinical, genomic, and therapeutic assessment from multiple datasets". The original article is being prepared from this abstract.
The ASCO Merit Award rewards the high quality of scientific work presented by post-graduate or young fellows in the field of cancer research. Since its introduction in 1995, it has been one of the most prestigious awards for young researchers, and many of the winners have become leading researchers in various fields of medical oncology.
Dr Bandini declares:
"The Merit Award is a recognition not only for the individual researchers, but above all for the research group and the institution that supports them. The achievement of the award is in fact the reflection of a training program that places the young scientist/doctor at the center of the project. This happens through an investiture of responsibility and decision-making freedom of the young person, such as to provide him with the tools to reach important goals.
Today this aspect is not obvious, especially in Italy, where research funds are increasingly difficult to obtain and to direct towards the formation of new young minds. In this scenario, a great center of success such as the San Raffaele Institute stands out, where every day young researchers supported by tutors/teachers of high scientific value and experience work together to advance scientific knowledge and improve treatment and care of patients. The Merit Award is therefore a reflection of a structured and efficient organization of a scientific center that rewards the individual and the center itself where he works, facilitating a growth movement aimed at perpetuating the continuous formation of new minds and successful scientists".
