Earlier this year, Ragin and her collaborators were awarded a $1.65 million grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Foundation to decode black genomes and to investigate the genetic drivers of breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers. As co-principal investigator, she is leading an international team of researchers from the United States, Africa, and the Caribbean, called the African-Caribbean scNetwork. In his congratulatory message, Christopher Chaplin, Jamaica’s honorary consul in Philadelphia, offered that he was very proud of Dr Ragin’s accomplishments and that her body of work is critical to the wider community. Specifically, Ragin is studying differences in risk and disease course for black versus white head and neck cancer patients, to understand howAfrican genetic ancestry might contribute to disparities in patient outcomes. This work also addresses disparities related to representation in clinical trials and how this affects what we know about treating cancer in different patient populations. MORE EXCELLENCE “Hearty congratulations to Dr Ragin on her new post at Fox Chase Cancer Center. May she be encouraged as she strives for more excellence,” noted Barbara Wilson, president of the Caribbean Festival Committee/ Philadelphia. Dr Ragin earned her doctoral degree in infectious diseases andmicrobiology and a Master’s of Public Health in epidemiology, both from the University of Pittsburgh. She has earnedmany notable awards, including an International Community Service Award, several citations from the City Council of Philadelphia, and the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Control Award for her unique contributions to cancer education and training. “Congratulations, we know you will continue to make a difference with your new responsibility and may God continue to bless and keep you,” offered Donahue Bailey, Pennsylvania State representative/Global Jamaica Diaspora Council. Founded in 1904 in Philadelphia, the Hospital of Fox Chase Cancer Center and its affiliates (collectively ‘Fox Chase Cancer Center’), a member of the Temple University Health System, is one of the leading cancer research and treatment centres in the United States. 7 TORONTO: A JAMAICAN dance choreographer is among 15 finalists for the 2021 Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prizes/Les Prix Johanna-Metcalf des Arts de la scène (Johannas). Kevin A. Ormsby is the artistic director of KasheDance and programmanager at Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario (CPAMO). This performing arts prize is named in honour of Johanna Metcalf, who was at the heart of the Metcalf Foundation’s work for over 40 years. The prize was created to carry on Johanna’s legacy as a passionate supporter of the arts and artistes. The Johannas celebrate artistes in Ontario who have made a recognised impact on the field and the public, and show great promise in the ongoing pursuit of their ambitious and visionary practices. Fifteen finalists have been selected from across Ontario in the disciplines of dance, theatre, and music/opera, including artistes who are working in the spaces between and across these disciplines. The five winners and their protégés will be announced onMay 19, 2022 at a ceremony at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto. Each winner will receive a prize of $25,000 and will name a protégé as a way of celebrating early career artistes who are showing formidable promise. Protégés will be awarded $10,000 each, a $5,000 increase from the inaugural prize year, bringing the total value of the prizes to $175,000. Ormsby has performed with companies in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean. He has been featured in works by Marie-Josée Chartier, Allison Cummings, Patrick Parson, Ronald Taylor, Ron K. Brown, Menaka Thakkar, Mark Morris, Bill T. Jones, Garth Fagan, Liz Lerman, Bageshree Vaze, and Lemi Ponifasio, among others. A recipient of Canada Council for the Arts’Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award and named an inaugural TAC Cultural Leaders Fellow, Ormsby is on the faculty of Centennial College’s Dance Performance Program, and has been a guest artist-in-residence at the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts at The University of the West Indies (Mona), University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Northwestern University. His research and creative practice through KasheDance’s technical approach exists in a space of constant interrogation and navigation of Caribbean cultural nuances towards a methodology of understanding space in creation, research, and presentation. Ormsby is on the boards of Dance Collection Danse and Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts, and has served on the boards of Canadian Dance Assembly, Prologue to the Performing Arts, and Nia Centre for the Arts, where he was chair of Canada’s first professional multidisciplinary centre for African-Canadian art. Kevin A. Ormsby among finalists for the 2021 Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prizes ORMSBY RESEARCH CONTINUED FROM 6 THE WEEKLY GLEANER | APRIL 4 - 30, 2022 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS
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