A special award was established in 1998 to honor the memory of Rell Kapolioka’ehukai Sunn, the “First Lady of Surfing.” Rell was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was just 32 and given only months to live. Rather than submitting to the disease and giving up on life, Rell did exactly the opposite, choosing to live life to its fullest. She lost her battle to cancer on January 2, 1998 at the age of 47. Rell came to the first few Cancer Center Luau and brought with her the aloha spirit.

Established in 1998 to honor the memory of Rell Sunn, the “Queen of Makaha,” this perpetual trophy is awarded each year to the people who have made a significant contribution in the fight against cancer. Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health, and the Luau & Legend of Surfing Invitational – recognize those who have made a difference in the battle against cancer and embodies the aloha spirit.

The Rell Sunn Award is presented at the Luau. View past award recipients below and contact us to submit a nomination for next year's award.

Bill Rastetter, PhD

Bill's influence in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry is far-reaching. As a distinguished scientist, entrepreneur, and venture capitalist, he has assumed leadership roles in several companies. He serves as the chair of Neurocrine Biosciences, Fate Therapeutics, and Daré Bioscience in San Diego. He has provided his expertise as a director, partner, or adviser to many other companies, including Receptos, Grail and the venture capital firms Illumina Venturesand Venrock. 

Rastetter was a co-inventor of Rituxan, the first monoclonal antibody approved by the U.S. FDA for cancer, thought of as one of the world's most valuable cancer therapies responsible for improving the lives of over 5 million patients worldwide. A recent addition for Bill is membership on the board of Iambic Therapeutics a company with a cutting-edge AI-driven platform which combines protein and protein/ligand structure elucidation with automated chemistry and biology for rapid discovery of selective medicinal agents. Additionally, Bill is passionate about his founding of San Diego Squared. SD2 works within communities in San Diego, helping students train for and obtain opportunities in STEM. SD2 makes an indelible impact on underrepresented students by providing them mentorship and financial support, giving them the resources they need to become future leaders in STEM. 

Bill holds a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master's and doctoral degree in organic chemistry from Harvard University. 

2023 - John C Reed, MD, PhD 2022 - Richard Heyman, PhD
2021 - Aviv Regev, PhD
2020 -John Hood, PhD and Catriona Jamieson, MD, PhD
2019 - Tony Hunter, PhD and Brian Druker, MD
2018 - Howard Birndorf and Ivor Royston, MD
2017 - John Mendelsohn, MD*
2016 - T. Denny Sanford
2015 - Carl June, MD
2014 - Napoleone Ferrara
2013 - Kary Mullis*
2012 - Roger Tsien*
2011 -  Dennis A. Carson
2010 - Connie Matsui
2009 - David Easter, MD
2008 - Doris Howell, MD*
2007 - Linda Olson, MD
2006 - Georgia Robins-Sadler, MD
2005 - David Tarin, MD, PhD
2004 - Jon Greif, MD
2003 - Alex Szekely
2002 - J. Craig Venter, PhD
2001 - Mark Renneker, MD
2000 - Charles “Chuck” Gorder, Sr.*
1999 - Dani Grady
1998 - Bill Otterson*

* In remembrance of the awardees we’ve lost.