City of Hope researcher Frank McCormick this week will accept the inaugural Stephenson Global Prize at a ceremony in Boston. McCormick was selected for the prize in recognition of his groundbreaking efforts that have resulted in the development of therapies to potentially treat pancreatic cancer – long considered amongst the worst. “Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most challenging diseases we face, and I’m honored to be part of a community working to change that.”Pancreatic cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer-related death in the United State and bears just a 13% five-year survival rate. McCormick was selected among a pool of nominees from cancer research centers internationally. “Few scientists have altered the course of cancer research the way Dr. McCormick has,” said Dr. Daniel D. Von Hoff of the Translational Genomics Research Institute, who served as a judge for the award.