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ASCO Congratulates 2015 Special Award Recipients

Mar 11, 2015

Don’t miss opportunities to hear oncology’s leading experts deliver 2015 Special Award lectures

ASCO confers awards to recognize innovative and dedicated researchers, patient advocates, and leaders of the global oncology community who have made significant contributions to enhancing cancer care.

“This year’s Special Awards recipients have made outstanding contributions to the field of oncology, leading a global effort to transform cancer care and improve the lives of people living with cancer,” said Clifford A. Hudis, MD, FACP, Immediate Past President of ASCO and Chair of the Special Awards Selection Committee. “It is our honor to recognize their innovation and dedication with the highest honors that ASCO awards every year.”

Many of the awards and the Fellows of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO) distinction will be presented at the 2015 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL, May 29 through June 2. Lectures presented in conjunction with Special Awards offer attendees the opportunity to hear directly from leading researchers and clinicians as they discuss topics within their field of expertise.

The 2015 Special Awards honorees are:

Suzanne L. Topalian, MD
David A. Karnofsky Memorial Award and Lecture

Presented during the Opening Session, Saturday, May 30, 9:30 AM

Dr. Topalian is a Professor of Surgery and Oncology and Director of the Melanoma Program in the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her studies of human antitumor immunity have provided a foundation for the translational development of cancer vaccines, adoptive T-cell transfer, and immunomodulatory monoclonal antibodies.
 
 

James P. Allison, PhD
Science of Oncology Award and Lecture

Presented during the Plenary Session, Sunday, May 31, 1:00 PM

Dr. Allison is a professor and Chair of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Department of Immunology in the Division of Basic Science Research. He directs the Immunotherapy Platform, is Deputy Director of the David H. Koch Center for Applied Research in Genitourinary Cancers, and is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. His research on T-cell response mechanisms and cancer’s evasion of attack by the immune system led to the clinical development of ipilimumab to block CTLA-4 and its approval as a melanoma treatment.

Ernest Hawk, MD, MPH
ASCO-American Cancer Society Award and Lecture

Presented on Monday, June 1, 11:30 AM

Dr. Hawk is Vice President and Head of the Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, co-leader of the institution’s Cancer Control Platform, Executive Director of the Duncan Family Institute for Cancer Prevention and Risk Assessment, and the Boone Pickens Distinguished Chair for Early Prevention of Cancer. His work has resulted in over 175 publications on cancer prevention and control.
 

Silvio Monfardini, MD
B. J. Kennedy Award and Lecture for Scientific Excellence in Geriatric Oncology

Presented on Sunday, May 31, 9:45 AM

Dr. Monfardini is Director of the Geriatric Oncology Program at Istituto Palazzolo, Fondazione Don Gnocchi, in Milan. An international leader in geriatric oncology, he has served as Past President of the European Society for Medical Oncology, the Associazione Italiana di Oncologia Medica, and the International Society of Geriatric Oncology. He is the author of more than 340 indexed publications in oncology, more than 95 of which are dedicated to geriatric oncology.
 

Stephen E. Sallan, MD
Pediatric Oncology Award and Lecture

Presented on Saturday, May 30, 1:15 PM

Dr. Sallan is a Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and a pediatric oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children’s Hospital. Combining both research and patient care has been the hallmark of his work, which has led to a better understanding of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common malignancy in children. His work in ALL has helped him to champion the improvement of care for young adults with cancer, who historically experienced lower cure rates (40%) than children (80%).

Matthew Ellis, MD
Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Award and Lecture

Presented during the 2015 Breast Cancer Symposium, September 25-27, San Francisco, California

Dr. Ellis is Director of the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center and a Professor of Medicine and Cellular and Molecular Biology at Baylor College of Medicine. He has been instrumental in developing a Genome Atlas and Therapeutic Road Map for estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, and conducted pioneering research into the clinical relevance of activating mutations in HER2 and in the deployment of patient-derived xenografts for the pharmacological annotation of breast cancer genomes.
 

George Bosl, MD
Distinguished Achievement Award

Presented during the President’s Dinner, Friday, May 29

Dr. Bosl is the Patrick M. Byrne Chair in Clinical Oncology and Chair of the Department of Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and a Professor of Medicine at the Weill Cornell Medical College. Best known for his work in the management of testicular cancer, he has cared for patients with a variety of genitourinary cancers and head and neck malignancies and was an early investigator in the application of larynx preservation techniques. 
 

Archie Bleyer, MD
Special Recognition Award

Presented during the President’s Dinner, Friday, May 29

Dr. Bleyer is a clinical research professor at the Knight Cancer Institute of the Oregon Health & Science University. His current national clinical research project is to improve outcomes for young adults and adolescents with cancer. In service of this goal, he was a founding member of Critical Mass, an advocacy organization on a mission to transform the treatment of young adults with cancer. 

 

Dean F. Bajorin, MD, FACP
Excellence in Teaching Award

Presented during the Special Session for Program Directors and Key Clinical Faculty, Friday, May 29

Dr. Bajorin is an attending physician and member at Memorial Hospital, Director of the Medical Oncology/Hematology Fellowship Program and the Advanced Oncology Fellowship Program at  Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and a Professor of Medicine at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. His research focus is on the development of novel treatments for patients with genitourinary cancers, and he has published extensively in this area.


Jose Angel Sanchez, MD
Humanitarian Award
Presented during the President’s Dinner, Friday, May 29

Dr. Sanchez is a hematologic oncologist at Hospital Escuela, University of Honduras. He is a volunteer with the International Cancer Corps/ Health Volunteer Overseas, which partners with oncologists and oncology nurses to address the needs of patients and health care providers in low-resource areas. His volunteer work has improved the care of underserved patients with cancer and the education of health care providers in Honduras.


Mary Lou Smith, JD, MBA
Partners in Progress Award

Presented during the Highlights of the Day II Session, Monday, June 1, 7:30 AM

Ms. Smith is Co-Founder of the Research Advocacy Network (RAN), which brings patients and researchers together to ensure that patients’ voices are part of clinical research. For more than a decade, RAN has influenced research through collaboration, education, and mutual support. She is Co-Chair of the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group's Cancer Research Advocates Committee and a member of the National Cancer Institute Board of Scientific Advisors. 


2015 Fellows of the American Society Of Clinical Oncology

Presented during the President’s Dinner, Friday, May 29

The Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO) distinction recognizes ASCO members for their extraordinary volunteer service, dedication, and commitment to ASCO. Their efforts benefit ASCO, the specialty of oncology, and, most importantly, the patients they serve. This year’s honorees are:

Kathy S. Albain, MD, FASCO

Dr. Albain is Professor of Medicine at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and Director of the Breast Clinical Research and the Thoracic Oncology Program at Loyola’s Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center. She is involved in national research and advisory activities pertaining to breast and lung cancers as well as cancer survivorship and special populations research. Since joining ASCO in 1984, Dr. Albain has served on numerous committees including the Scientific Program Committee, Cancer Education Committee, Breast Cancer Symposium Steering Committee, and guideline panels. She was also a founding and a continuing Steering Committee Member of the Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology.

Craig C. Earle, MD, MSc, FASCO

Dr. Earle is Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto, Director of the Health Services Research Program for Cancer Care Ontario and the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research;  Senior Scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Toronto; and Scientist at the Odette Cancer Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. His personal research interests focus on evaluating and improving the quality of care received by patients with advanced cancer and cancer survivors. As ASCO member since 1999, Dr. Earle has served on numerous committees including the Scientific Program Committee, Quality of Care Committee, Quality Care Symposium Planning Committee, Health Services Committee, and QOPI® Measures Working Group. He previously served on the Journal of Clinical Oncology Editorial Board. He is currently a member of the CancerLinQ Patient Reported Outcomes Committee.

Roscoe F. Morton, MD, FACP, FASCO

Dr. Morton is a partner at Medical Oncology and Hematology Associates of Iowa, where he has worked as a community oncologist since 1981. He is also a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Iowa College of Medicine-Des Moines. An ASCO member since 1983, he currently serves on ASCO’s Nominating Committee. He was past Chair of the State Affiliate Working Group and has served on several committees, including the Clinical Practice Committee, Ethics Committee, Government Relations Committee, and the Special Awards Selection Committee. He is a member of the Iowa State Medical Society and served several terms as President of the Iowa Oncology Society.

Lori J. Pierce, MD, FASTRO, FASCO

Dr. Pierce is Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs and Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Michigan Medical School. She is a national leader in breast cancer research. Her research focuses on the use of radiotherapy (RT) in the treatment of breast cancer, with emphasis upon contemporary RT treatment planning techniques, the use of RT in the presence of a breast cancer susceptibility gene, and use of radiosensitizing agents. An ASCO member since 1992, Dr. Pierce has served on the Scientific Program Committee, Cancer Communications Committee, Grants Selection Committee, Breast Cancer Symposium Program Committee, Quality of Cancer Care Task Force, and the Journal of Clinical Oncology Editorial Board. She served on the ASCO Board of Directors (2010-2014) and is a current member of the Conquer Cancer Foundation Nominating Committee.

Lillian L. Siu, MD, FRCPC, FASCO

Dr. Siu is a senior medical oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. She directs the Phase I Program and the Cancer Genomics Program at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.  Dr. Siu is also the Principal Investigator of the Princess Margaret Phase I Consortium, part of the U.S. National Cancer Institute Experimental Therapeutics Clinical Trials Network. An ASCO member since 1997, Dr. Siu has served on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Scientific Program Committee, ASCO-AACR Clinical Methods Workshop Program Committee, and as Chair of the Conquer Cancer Foundation Grants Selection Committee, among other activities. She is a current member of the ASCO Board of Directors and the Conquer Cancer Foundation Evaluation Committee.

Eric J. Small, MD, FASCO

Dr. Small is a Professor of Medicine and Urology, Chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology, and Director of Clinical Sciences at Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at University of California, San Francisco. His patient care and research focus is prostate cancer, immunotherapy, and the mechanisms of resistance to standard therapies. Since joining ASCO in 1992, Dr. Small has volunteered on numerous committees. He served as a member and Chair of the Scientific Program Committee, and member of the Best of ASCO® Planning Committee, Molecular Markers Scientific Committee, and Conquer Cancer Foundation Grants Selection Committee, among other activities.

Sandra M. Swain, MD, FACP, FASCO

Dr. Swain is the Medical Director of the Washington Cancer Institute at the MedStar Washington Hospital Center, a Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University, and Adjunct Professor of Medicine at F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine. Dr. Swain is an internationally known medical oncologist and clinical researcher. Her research interests include clinical trials and translational research in metastatic and inflammatory breast cancer, adjuvant therapy for breast cancer, cardiotoxicity, and health care disparities. Since joining ASCO in 1986, she has served on the ASCO Board of Directors and on numerous committees including the Cancer Education Committee, Nominating Committee, Scientific Program Committee, and Breast Cancer Symposium Program Committee. She was ASCO President in 2012-2013. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Conquer Cancer Foundation since 2007.


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