Holowatyj receives NCI MERIT award

Andreana Holowatyj, PhD, MSCI, assistant professor of Medicine, has received the National Cancer Institute’s Method to Extend Research in Time (MERIT) Award to support her ongoing investigation into how early-onset colorectal cancer and its treatments impact reproductive health. 

This award is one that investigators cannot apply for directly. They are selected by National Cancer Institute (NCI) staff or advisory board members who review funding applications for other grants and then select MERIT awardees. MERIT Awards go to early-stage investigators and provide longer-term funding than is typical for most grants — initial funding for up to five years and an opportunity to extend funding for another two years. 

Holowatyj will receive $586,714 for the 2023 fiscal year with the opportunity to renew for a total of $4.1 million. The funding will support her project to delve into the “physiological and psychosocial aspects of reproductive health after early-onset colorectal cancer.” Her goal is to provide data and guidance so clinicians and care teams can better address the unmet needs of individuals ages 18 to 49 when diagnosed with a colon cancer or rectal cancer.