The 2019 NIH Distinguished Clinical Teaching Award was presented June 12 to Dr. Marijo Bilusic for his commitment to training clinical investigators at the NIH and his overall contribution to medical education.
Bilusic is an oncologist and Associate Research Physician for the Genitourinary Malignancies Branch at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). He is also Program Director of the NIH Hematology Oncology Fellowship which provides fellows with a strong clinical grounding in hematology and oncology as well as a comprehensive introduction to clinical, laboratory and translational research. His current research interests focus on tumor immunology and development of treatment options for prostate cancer and other genitourinary tumors using novel targeted agents, therapeutic cancer vaccines, antibodies, or immune modulators.
Before the award presentation, Dr. Peter DeMaria, co-chair of the NIH Clinical Fellows Committee read a fellow’s nomination regarding Bilusic, "In the clinic, he is excellent with patients and demonstrates strong clinical skills. He has high expectations for clinical management which is reflected in the quality patient care provided by fellows. Whether a patient is receiving standard-of-care or an investigational agent, fellows view him as the go-to faculty member for help across the spectrum of tumor histologies. In addition to serving as the Principal Investigator for multiple studies, he has worked to develop a top tier educational curriculum for fellows."
- Mickey Hanlon