Save the Date
This year's Berger Lecture is scheduled for Thursday, February 20 at 6 p.m. featuring our special guest, Dr. Ashani Weeraratna. We will be on the 8th floor of the Close-Hipp building in the Lumpkin Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public.
Dr. Weeraratna is an expert in melanoma metastasis, Wnt signaling, and aging, and her research focuses heavily on the effects of the tumor microenvironment on metastasis and therapy resistance. She is the Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Cancer Biology, E.V. McCollum Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, as well as the Associate Director for Laboratory Research at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
We hope to see you there!
About the Berger Lecture on Cancer
The Berger Lecture on Cancer honors the career of Dr. Franklin G. Berger, a longtime faculty member in the Department of Biological Sciences. His more than 35 years of service to the university have included research and public outreach that supported the creation of the Center for Colon Cancer Research and the Colorectal Cancer Prevention Network. The lectureship was established by his brother, Harris Berger.
The Berger Lecture on Cancer brings scholars to speak to a general audience on advances pertaining to the nature, diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and social aspects of cancer. By encouraging collaboration and the exchange of scientific knowledge, the lecture expands the public awareness of cancer-related research and will further progress in the battle against the disease.
Lectures
In April 2023, the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of South Carolina welcomed Dr. Rick Kittles for his talk "Reimagining Health Equity in the Era of Precision Medicine."
Dr. Kittles studies complex issues connecting race, genetic ancestry and health. He is best known for his research on prostate cancer and health disparities among African Americans.
There are no plans for a 2024 lecture, but plans are being made to bring in another guest speaker for 2025. Dates and times are still TBD, but stay tuned for more information.