Rider University's Yavelow Appointed to N.J. Commission on Cancer Research

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ (08/09/2012)(readMedia)-- Dr. Jonathan Yavelow of West Trenton, N.J., a professor of Biology at Rider University, was recently appointed by Gov. Chris Christie and approved by the New Jersey State Senate to serve a three-year term as a commissioner on the New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research (NJCCR).

The NJCCR funds projects in three areas: research grants to faculty conducting cancer research in the state; fellowships for undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral students; cancer education programs to educate the general public.

Yavelow and his Rider colleagues Dr. Jim Riggs, Dr. Jonathan Karp, Dr. Julie Drawbridge, have all received funding from the NJCCR to fund undergraduate summer research students. In particular, Yavelow received an $84,000 two-year grant from the commission for his research on diet and cancer in the 1980s. That research led to a greater understanding of how a vegetarian diet might lower the risk of colon cancer. Yavelow has also collaborated with the NJCCR in hosting breast cancer survivor conferences over the years.

"These grants have helped launch careers for our students and have also been helpful in leveraging National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation dollars," Yavelow said. "The appointment of me as a member of the NJCCR is quite an honor and I will work to continue the effort to understand and eradicate cancer from New Jersey."