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27 | DOING BUSINESS IN CONNECTICUT | 2018 2018 | DOING BUSINESS IN CONNECTICUT | 27 centers in the country designated by the National Cancer Institute. According to Dr. Fuchs, that means the center has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to clinical care, clinical trials, education and community outreach. Yale Cancer Center has held the designation since 1974, when it was among the first to receive it, he added. For all of its accomplishments, the World Affairs Council of Connecticut honored the center in May, awarding it the Luminary Award for global health impact. The prestigious award recognizes those who have had "a profound impact on the betterment of the world and celebrates Connecticut's global leadership in cancer research and bioscience." "Through pioneering research, health innovations and breakthrough treatments, the Yale Cancer Center is leading the world in cancer research for the betterment and advancement of our global community," the World Affairs Council said. In addition to Drs. Fuchs and Chen, other center leaders who were honored with the award are: Dr. Patricia LoRusso, professor of medicine and associate director of Experimental Therapeutics at Yale Cancer Center Dr. LoRusso pioneered methods for developing new cancer drugs and was among a group of 15 top cancer researchers and physician-scientists who met in Washington, D.C., with aides to then-Vice President Joe Biden to discuss his "moonshot" program to advance cancer treatment. Dr. Joann Steitz, Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, and investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Dr. Steitz is recognized as an international pioneer in understanding the role of ribonucleic acid (RNA) in biology and cancer development and progression. She discovered and defined the function of small ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs) in pre-messenger RNA, the earliest product of DNA. Dr. Vincent DeVita, the Amy and Joseph Perella Professor of Medicine at Yale Cancer Center, and a a professor of epidemiology and public health Dr. DeVita pioneered cancer chemotherapy. He also developed life-saving therapies that increased the cure rate for patients with advanced Hodgkin's disease from nearly zero to more than 70 percent, transformed the treatment for breast cancer, and remains in practice today. The World Affairs Council noted that innovations here in Connecticut impact health on a global scale. "Through collaboration among world-class institutions of education, healthcare, biopharma and research," it said, "the state has developed a health ecosystem that enables scientific risk-taking and fosters a well-developed network of some of the world's premier hospitals." Dr. Vincent DeVita the Amy and Joseph Perella Professor of Medicine at Yale Cancer Center, and a professor of epidemiology and public health Dr. Joann Steitz Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, and investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Dr. Patricia LoRusso Professor of Medicine and associate director of Experimental Therapeutics at Yale Cancer Center Dr. Lieping Chen, co-director of the cancer immunology program at the Yale Cancer Center EDUCATION & RESEARCH