A statement from Dr. Laszlo Radvanyi, President and Scientific Director of OICR, on the recent death of Mr. Joseph Lebovic.
Joe Lebovic was a great supporter of many important causes throughout his life, and the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) is grateful to have worked closely with him to develop the Joseph and Wolf Lebovic Fellowship Program, a joint initiative between the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada (IMRIC), Canadian Friends of Hebrew University and OICR. Through this program he supported research fellows working on collaborative, translational cancer research projects that brought together trainees in Ontario and Israel to solve significant challenges in cancer research. In its first round, this program supported the development of a new potential cancer-killing virus and a new drug candidate for leukemia; current fellows are working on projects focused on the interaction between tumours and the immune system, with a goal of developing effective therapeutic strategies for cancer. On behalf of all of OICR, I send my deepest condolences to Joe’s family, friends and loved ones. His death is an immense loss to the entire province, but his vision and generosity will continue to have impact for many years to come.
Joe Lebovic and OICR