Dr. Dee West, the Chief Scientific Officer for the Northern California Cancer Center, is among an elite group of grantees from the National Institutes of Health. West ranks in the top five percent for the monetary distribution of research-related NIH grants nationwide over the last 25 years.
West's ranking is based on tabulated data from Columbia University health economists Pierre Azoulay, Ph.D., and Joshua Graff Zivin, Ph.D., who are doing research on the careers of top NIH grantees. Their hypothesis is that prominent researchers, like West, positively influence the research productivity of the colleagues around them. The pair used NIH's Compound Grant Applicant File to compile their data.
"I have had an exciting career and did not realize that I was among this leading group of scientists who have been successful in earning NIH funds. I am thankful for the assistance to support my scientific ideas. I am very fortunate to have had dedicated colleagues and staff to contribute to my work and I am grateful to them for their support and dedication," notes Dr. West.
"To understand the significance of Dr. West's ranking, we need to remember that NIH grants are awarded to highly recognized scientists whose work is reviewed by fellow scientists, so receiving an NIH grant is an honor that speaks to the quality of one's science. The Northern California Cancer Center is very proud of Dr. West and his 19 years of service to the organization and those affected by cancer," adds Northern California Cancer Center CEO Don Nielsen, Ph.D.
Dr. West is also the Associate Director of the Population Sciences and Education Program at Stanford University Cancer Center as part of a collaboration between the Northern California Cancer Center and Stanford University.