Jennifer Hilliard ScottDr. Vinata Lokeshwar, chair of the MCG Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, is the recipient of the Society of Women in Urology/Society for Basic Urologic Research 2021 Award for Excellence in Urologic Research.
Lokeshwar’s research, which focuses on the metastasis of prostate, bladder and kidney cancer with the goal of better diagnosis and treatment, has had continuous external funding for 25 years.
She is principal investigator on a $2.3 million National Cancer Institute R01 grant looking for novel biomarkers of bladder cancer; and another grant from the Department of Defense aimed at the development of new and non-invasive tests that can help predict the prognosis for people diagnosed with bladder cancer.
She has mentored more than 50 researchers, including doctoral and master’s degree students, postdoctoral fellows, research trainees and urology residents.
In 2018, the Society for Basic Urologic Research honored Lokeshwar with its Distinguished Service Award. She served as the society’s president from 2012-13 and guided the group as it transferred management and was faced with a drop in investments during one of the worst recessions in U.S. history. She has also served as a representative on the group’s Patient Advocacy, Executive and Program committees, as well as organizing the 2009 8th World Basic Urological Research Congress, in conjunction with the European Association of Urology.
