On Friday, October 29, 2021, professor of Clinical Medicine Nagi El Saghir received the prestigious
2019 Susan Bulkeley Butler Leadership Excellence Award: Making Strides in Cancer Prevention. Because of pandemic-19 delays, the award was bestowed upon him at the 10th International Breast Cancer and Nutrition (IBCN) meeting hosted by Institut de Cancerologie de l'Ouest (ICO) in Nantes, France.
This award recognizes Dr. Saghir for his numerous contributions and dedication to cancer research and community outreach for women with breast cancer as well as breast cancer patient advocacy.
Dr. El Saghir is the head of the Division of Hematology and Oncology and director of the Breast Center of Excellence at the Naef K. Basile Cancer Institute (NKBCI) at the American University of Beirut Medical Center and the founding president of the Lebanese Breast Cancer Foundation (LBCF). His research, teaching, patient care, professional and community activities are recognized to have led to significant regional and international impact, as well as down-staging of breast cancer in Lebanon and the Arab countries.
Dr. El Saghir said, “I am greatly honored to receive the Susan Bulkeley Butler Leadership Excellence Award that was awarded to me in 2019 by Purdue University in Indiana, USA and the International Breast Cancer and Nutrition (IBCN) Initiative and bestowed upon me at IBCN-10 in 2021 at Nantes, France. This special recognition by world-renowned scientists and colleagues is a most worthy one and milestone for myself and for our teams at the American University of Beirut to continue our breast cancer research and advancement of patient care worldwide"
As part of the award ceremony, presented by Drs. Sophie Lelievre, Martine Bellanger and Rabih Talhouk, Dr. El Saghir gave a keynote address “advocating and advancing access, quality care, education and research in breast cancer" during which he re-iterated his initial observations and situation analysis, data collection and research on breast cancer in Lebanon and the Arab region. Dr. El Saghir presented data on his original research on breast cancer in young women, germline mutations, contributions to international clinical trials and management of breast cancer in low- and middle-income countries, as well as guidelines for the management of patients with advanced breast cancer. He also emphasized advocacy for better patient care, multidisciplinary management, patient support and patient empowerment.
The Susan Bulkeley Butler Leadership Excellence Award was established by IBCN and Purdue University Center for Cancer Research in 2011. The award recognizes the individuals who distinguished themselves by providing exceptional mentorship to women students/scientists in the field of breast cancer regardless of disciplines.
Susan Bulkeley Butler is the founder of the Susan Bulkeley Butler Institute for the Development of Women Leaders. The Institute was founded as a 'power center' for resources related to women and leadership, serving as a clearinghouse for research, training, coaching, and mentoring to develop leadership potential and helping women make bold changes to improve their lives.