The National Cancer Institute Presents Katie Couric with Second Annual Eleanor Nealon Extraordinary Communicators Award at NIH on May 18, 2001

National Cancer Institute
Tuesday, 8 May 2001

In recognition of her personal and professional efforts to raise awareness of colorectal cancer and to teach Americans about the disease, Katie Couric has been named the 2001 recipient of the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Eleanor Nealon Extraordinary Communicators Award. The award is given in conjunction with the Eleanor Nealon Extraordinary Communicators Lecture Series, a tribute to outstanding communicators.

A well-known NBC correspondent, Couric will offer her seasoned insight on "The Power of Television" during her scheduled lecture. The "Today" co-anchor will share how cancer has touched her family and will describe her mission to promote colorectal cancer screening. NCI Director Richard Klausner, M.D., will present the Nealon Award to Couric.

Through her award-winning, five-part series on colorectal cancer on "Today," Couric has heightened national awareness about the disease. Her work and personal dedication as co-founder of the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance has taught millions of Americans that colon cancer is preventable, treatable and beatable.

The award honors Eleanor Nealon--a beloved employee who displayed passion and persuasion in her communication and advocacy work at NCI until breast cancer claimed her life in 1999. Recipients of the award have advanced the science of communication and/or the communication of science through their professional and/or personal experiences.

An annual event, the Eleanor Nealon Extraordinary Communicators Lecture Series was established in 2000. Robert Krulwich, an ABC News special correspondent, received the award last year. This year's lecture will take place on May 18 at 2:30 p.m. in the Masur Auditorium, Building 10, located on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) campus.

The lectures are free and open to the public; members of the press should notify Nicole Gottlieb in the NCI Press Office by May 16, at (301) 496-0479, if they plan to attend. As parking on the NIH campus is extremely limited, attendees are encouraged to use the Metro for transportation. The NIH campus can be easily accessed via the Medical Center stop of the Metro's Red Line. Campus shuttle buses are also available from the Metro stop to Building 10, running approximately every 10 minutes.

For more information about the Eleanor Nealon Extraordinary Communicators Lecture Series, please visit the Web site at http://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/excl. For more information about cancer, visit NCI's Web site at http://www.cancer.gov

For more information, or to contact National Cancer Institute, see their website at: www.cancer.gov