Collaborating to Improve Cancer Care and Outcomes for All

Collaborating to Improve Cancer Care and Outcomes for All

Jonathan S. Berek, MD, MMedSc, FASCO

Jun 23, 2014
Dear Colleagues:

Our Society hasnever been shyabout tacklingdifficult or seeminglyintransigentproblems. For anumber of years, the Society has beenworking to address issues of disparityin cancer care and outcomes. In 2013,ASCO took matters a step further byelevating its Health Disparities AdvisoryGroup to the Health DisparitiesCommittee.

In this month’s cover story,we bring you up to speed with ASCO’srenewed efforts in this area, includingan interview with 2014-2015 HealthDisparities Committee Chair Dr. Gina M.Villani. While Dr. Villani is clear aboutthe challenges, she also presents apotential way forward through collaborativeefforts with other health carestakeholders, as well as the potentialfor ASCO’s rapid learning system,CancerLinQ™, to have a positive impacton such issues as chemotherapy dosingin at-risk populations.

This issue also marks the debut of thecolumn of ASCO’s new President Dr.Peter Yu. In his inaugural commentaryas President, Dr. Yu outlineshis theme for the year—Illuminationto Innovation: Transforming Datainto Learning. Dr. Yu stresses that asphysician-scientists, we are alreadyadept at using data to craft the verybest treatment plans for our patients;now it is time to reap the promise of “big data” by using larger data sets toimprove the efficiency and efficacy ofcare on a grander scale. In pursuit ofthis ambitious goal, Dr. Yu encouragesour membership to continue to be atthe “forefront of creativity and disruptivechange.”

A number of other articles in thismonth’s issue also capture the dynamicand pressing nature of our work—the global fight against cancer,the increasing role of patient advocatesin our Society, and, ofcourse, our ongoing debates related tothe fine points of treatment.

If you missed the Presidential Addressby Dr. Clifford Hudis at the AnnualMeeting, please read our excerptfrom his excellent lecture, “Scienceand Society.” The completetranscript and video are also availableonline at ASCOconnection.org.As always, thank you for reading.

Jonathan S. Berek, MD, MMS, FASCO, is theLaurie Kraus Lacob Professor and Directorof the Stanford Women’s Cancer Centerat the Stanford Cancer Institute, wherehe specializes in gynecologic oncology.He is also Chair of the Department ofObstetrics and Gynecology at Stanford. Dr.Berek serves on ASCO’s Scientific ProgramCommittee and the Integrated Media andTechnology Committee.

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