UC-Davis researcher honored

Sacramento, CA- Susanna Soon-Chun Park, MD, PhD, has received the University of California (UC), Davis, 2011 Joan Oettinger Memorial Award for her research into the use of proton beam irradiation to treat eye conditions.

“I am truly honored and humbled by this honor,” said Dr. Park, a professor of ophthalmology in the UC Davis Health System Eye Center. She said that her research on proton beam irradiation to treat eye disease is part of a collaborative effort among members of the Crocker Nuclear Laboratory at UC Davis, the Department of Radiation Oncology at UC San Francisco, and the UC Davis Health System Eye Center.

UC Davis is one of six institutions nationwide to offer the therapy for ocular melanomas and retinoblastoma. It also has shown potential as an adjunct treatment for exudative macular degeneration.

“Dr. Park’s innovative collaborative research in the application of proton beam technology is only one example of her fine work,” said Mark Mannis, chairman of the department of ophthalmology and director of the eye center. “She is working on what will likely be significant contributions to the application of stem cell technology to diseases of the macula.”

The Oettinger Memorial Award is given annually to recognize outstanding research in cancer and or lung disease. It is named for a UC Davis graduate student who died of lung cancer in 1970. The award recipient receives a stipend of $1,200.