The David Cornfield Melanoma Fund is delighted to announce Dr. Scott Strum as the recipient of the 2023/2024 David Cornfield Melanoma Fund Research Award. We are proud to support Dr. Strum’s research project: Interrogating circulating tumor DNA signatures of primary versus acquired resistance to immunotherapy resistance to immunotherapy in advanced cancer patients. Dr. Strum is a Canadian board-certified Medical Oncologist who is currently completing a Clinical Research Fellowship at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Dr. Strum’s focus is on melanoma, translational research, and phase 1 cli ..read more

We are delighted to announce Jamie Campbell as the winner of the 2023 David Cornfield Melanoma Fund Recognition Award. Established in 2019, this annual award recognizes excellence in melanoma prevention, awareness and support. Jamie Campbell is a celebrated Canadian sportscaster. Host of Blue Jays Central on Sportsnet since 2010, Jamie has also reported on Major League Baseball playoffs, the Canadian Football League, the Super Bowl and the Olympics. In October 2023, Jamie faced a health challenge – a diagnosis of actinic keratosis, a condition that raises the risk of skin cancer. Jamie was ad ..read more

The David Cornfield Melanoma Fund is thrilled to announce Dr. Sofia Genta as the recipient of the 2022 David Cornfield Melanoma Fund Research Award. Dr. Genta is a Medical Oncologist currently working as a Clinical Research Fellow at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network. We are proud to support Dr. Genta’s research project: “Prognostic and predictive value of circulating tumor DNA kinetics in high-risk melanoma patients – Serial ctDNA Monitoring as a Predictive Biomarker in Advanced Neoplasms (SAMBA) study”. High risk, surgically-resected melanoma is a complex disease ..read more

We are delighted to announce Dr. Jessica Hunter-Orange as the 2022 recipient of the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund Recognition Award. Established in 2019, this annual award recognizes excellence in melanoma prevention, awareness and support. Past recipients include Dr. Paul Cohen, Gareth Wheeler and joint recipients Aquila Akingbade, Ikunna Nwoso and Eric Zane. Dr. Jessica Hunter-Orange is a Family Physician with a GP focused practice designation in Dermatology working at the London Skin Disorders Clinic and previously with the Middlesex-London Health Unit in London, Ontario. As a Family Physic ..read more

We are thrilled to announce Aquila Akingbade, Ikunna Nwosu and Eric Zang as the recipients of the 2021 DCMF Recognition Award for excellence in melanoma prevention, awareness and support. As students of colour, Aquila, Ikunna and Eric noticed a profound lack of diversity in images showing skin conditions in their medical school curriculum at Queens University. They realized that they could not diagnose common conditions in themselves and people identifying as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour). Digging deeper, they realized this issue was not unique to Queen’s School of Medicine ..read more

The David Cornfield Melanoma Fund is proud to celebrate Ashley Flaman, MD, FRCPC, as the recipient of the 2021 David Cornfield Melanoma Fund Research Award. Dr. Flaman is a clinical fellow training in dermatopathology at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the University of Toronto. Dr. Flaman’s research focuses on characterizing the gene mutations that drive the growth and spread of melanoma that arise in the rectum and anus. These melanomas are rare and typically carry different gene mutations than melanomas found in other parts of the body. As a result, typical treatment options are not a ..read more

In the fall of 2019, we received a heartbreaking call from The Country Day School (CDS) in King City. Ms. Steph Collins, beloved long-time teacher, had tragically passed away from melanoma at the age of 41. Steph had requested that CDS partner with DCMF to bring sunscreen dispensers to the school. Steph had taught in the Junior School since 2003. Located on a 100-acre property, CDS gave Steph an opportunity to champion outdoor education. She was the driving force behind the launch of the Junior School Outdoor Education program in 2011, which expanded to the Middle School in 2016. Her leaders ..read more

The David Cornfield Melanoma Fund is proud to celebrate Dr. D. Paola Arteaga as the recipient of the 2020 David Cornfield Melanoma Fund Award for research. The DCMF Award was jointly established by the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund and the University of Toronto to support and advance melanoma research. The DCMF Award is available to residents and fellows in the Department of Medicine and students at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health who have demonstrated special interest and research achievements in the field of melanoma.  Dr. Arteaga’s research focuses on the variability  ..read more

We are thrilled to announce Gareth Wheeler as the recipient of the 2020 DCMF Recognition Award for excellence in melanoma prevention, awareness and support. Gareth is a long-time, well-respected soccer broadcaster and journalist, having covered Toronto FC since the club’s first season in 2007. He has covered every World Cup and EURO competition since 2008, and has hosted various English Premier League, Major League Soccer and international competition in-match coverage. Gareth is also the Play-by-Play voice of the Raptors 905, the NBA G-League affiliate of the 2019 NBA Champion Toronto Raptor ..read more

In 2019, Professor Satchi-Fainaro and her team at Tel Aviv University developed a nano-vaccine that successfully prevented and treated melanoma in mice. Published in the prestigious journal Nature Nanotechnology, this research is the first of its kind and holds immense promise. The nano-vaccine approach could not only revolutionize the prevention and treatment of melanoma, but also serve as a foundation for the development of nano-vaccines for other cancers. In early 2020, we launched the Melanoma Nano-Vaccine Campaign in partnership with Canadian Friends of Tel Aviv University. The purpose of ..read more