Peter P. Yu, MD, a renowned medical oncologist and hematologist and a pioneer in advancing health information technology to improve quality of care, was elected to serve as ASCO President for a one-year term beginning in June 2014. He will take office as President-Elect during the 2013 ASCO Annual Meeting.

“I am both honored and privileged by the opportunity to lead ASCO,” said Dr. Yu. “I have been fortunate to serve the Society for many years in a volunteer capacity, and in doing so, have developed a depth and breadth of knowledge and experience on issues that are important for the advancement of cancer science and care. As President of the Society, I look forward to working collaboratively with the membership, staff and Board of Directors to further advance the ASCO mission and vision.”

Dr. Yu is currently the Director of Cancer Research at Palo Alto Medical Foundation. He received his medical degree from Brown University and performed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital and a fellowship in Neoplastic Diseases at Mount Sinai Hospital. He was also a Research Fellow and Associate at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Dr. Yu is well-known in the oncology community for his knowledge and understanding of how health information technology can advance the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer care.

Since joining ASCO in 1986, Dr. Yu has proven his dedication to the Society through his active service and leadership. He has served on the Quality of Care, Cancer Research, and Clinical Practice Committees, the Health Information Technology Workgroup (current Chair), Integrated Media and Technology Committee, and Board of Directors, among others. He was previously the President of the Association of Northern California Oncologists (an ASCO State/Regional Affiliate).

Dr. Yu is a member of two cooperative groups, the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) and the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG). He also serves as Co-Chair of the Commission for the Certification of Health Information Technology (CCHIT) Oncology Workgroup and is a member of the CCHIT Research Workgroup.

Planned areas of focus
He noted three areas on which he hopes to focus during his term as President:

• Increased engagement with international and domestic community-based members
• Adapting ASCO guidelines and other quality-related activities to lay the foundation for CancerLinQ™, ASCO’s rapid learning system
• Strengthened relationships with other professional societies and organizations involved in cancer care

“The dominant challenge that faces the Society is understanding how the rapid and diverse changes happening in health care will affect oncology, what opportunities are being created, and how to respond expeditiously and effectively,” Dr. Yu said. “Longstanding key assumptions that have underpinned ASCO strategy and programs need to be re-evaluated in view of new scientific models of cancer, new models for professional education, and emerging societal expectations for shared decision-making, patient-reported outcomes, and health care delivery reform.”

Dr. Yu contributes regular commentary to ASCOconnection.org and is active on Twitter; follow him @YupOnc.