2011 Jim King Leadership Award

FL CURED Honors Dr. William Dalton and Dr. Myra Hurt with the Senator Jim King Leadership Award

TAMPA, Fla. (October 25, 2011) – The Senator Jim King Leadership Award for excellence in biomedical research was presented by FL CURED chairman Karen Moore, founder and CEO of Moore Consulting Group, at the annual BioFlorida Conference in Tampa. The 2011 co-winners were Dr. William Dalton, President and CEO of Moffitt Cancer Center and Dr. Myra Hurt, Professor and Senior Associate Dean for Research at the Florida State University College of Medicine.

Senator Jim King, who passed away in 2009, was a true champion of biomedical research in Florida. FL CURED, a statewide center housed at the FSU College of Medicine, created the award in Senator King's honor to recognize individuals who have made outstanding efforts to expand and enhance Florida's biomedical research enterprise and expedite cures for Florida's most debilitating diseases.

According to Karen Moore, CEO and Founder of Moore Consulting Group and Chairman of Fl CURED, ". We are delighted to honor both these exceptional Floridians. Their contributions will be felt for many generations."

Dr. William Dalton has been CEO and Director of the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa since 2002. Under his leadership, Moffitt has experienced explosive growth, tripling research funding, and is now the third largest cancer treatment center in the U.S. One of Dr. Dalton's key contributions is his leadership in the innovative cancer therapy program called Total Cancer Care. The approach allows the selection of an effective, personalized therapy to target each individual's cancer. The Total Cancer Care project has affiliations with 16 hospitals nationwide.

"There is not another individual who has done more to conduct, promote and develop cancer research than Dr. Dalton," says W. Jackson Pledger, Deputy Director of Moffitt.

Dr. Myra Hurt has more than 25 years of biomedical research and medical education. She is often recognized as the most important force behind the creation of the FSU College of Medicine in 2001, the first newly accredited medical school in the U.S. in 25 years. Under her leadership, a PhD program in Biomedical Sciences was added, and she is also leading the effort to create a Clinical Research Network that will provide a way for primary care physicians to participate meaningfully in translational research. Dr. Hurt has served on the Florida Biomedical Research Program's Advisory Committee for most of its existence.

"I can think of no other person who has done more to advance the cause of medical education and research over the past twenty years in Florida than Dr. Hurt," says Dr. John Fogerty, Dean of the FSU College of Medicine.

FL CURED presents the Jim King Leadership Award annually at the BioFlorida Conference. Nominations for the Senator Jim King Leadership Award are solicited statewide by FL CURED and the selection made by FL CURED's distinguished 16-member Advisory Council.

The mission of FL CURED is to champion Florida's efforts to cure diseases by promoting, coordinating, and facilitating biomedical research.