Roswell Park Environmental Health Expert Earns Presidential Award for Scientists

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Binnian Wei, PhD, has received a presidential award recognizing his scientific achievements and future promise. President Donald J. Trump and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy this month recognized the cancer researcher with a prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).

The PECASE is the highest scientific honor bestowed by the United States federal government, and recognizes scientists and engineers who, while early in their careers, show leadership potential and are at the forefront of scientific knowledge in the 21st century. The award was established in 1996 by the National Science and Technology Council.

With Roswell Park since 2017 as an Assistant Professor of Oncology in the Department of Health behavior, Dr. Wei explores emerging health issues such as exposure to chemicals in consumables like e-cigarettes, secondhand marijuana smoke and tobacco smoke.

Dr. Wei was nominated for the PECASE by former coworkers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While there, he was a research scientist for the Division of Laboratory Sciences in the Tobacco and Volatiles Branch.

“Dr. Wei is an important part of our team here at Roswell Park, where he is doing incredible work to advance our understanding of how chemicals and other environmental factors may be affecting us,” said Andrew Hyland, PhD, Chair of the Department of Health Behavior. “We congratulate him on this well-deserved accomplishment, and look to him for strong future research efforts.”

Dr. Wei earned his PhD from Rutgers University, a master’s degree from Peking University and a bachelor’s degree from Nankai University.

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Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is a community united by the drive to eliminate cancer’s grip on humanity by unlocking its secrets through personalized approaches and unleashing the healing power of hope. Founded by Dr. Roswell Park in 1898, it is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. Learn more at www.roswellpark.org, or contact us at 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or ASKRoswell@RoswellPark.org.