By David R. Spriggs, MD, FASCO
ASCO Nominating Committee Chair

The ASCO Nominating Committee is charged with selecting candidates for the future Society leadership. The Nominating Committee, which is itself elected by ASCO members, takes on this challenge with a great deal of commitment, knowing that elected candidates will not only lead ASCO, but also have the potential to impact the lives of innumerable patients around the world.

Each year, new positions open on ASCO’s Board of Directors (including President-Elect) and on the ASCO Nominating Committee. The major challenge the Nominating Committee faces is that we have a tremendous number of insightful and dedicated ASCO volunteers who have the desire and ability to lead our organization. However, the Nominating Committee has to narrow the field down to a reasonable number of candidates to make voting practical for our members.

This year, the ASCO Board provided us some specific goals for Board development: take a long-term view to developing the Board and the Presidency, and assemble the best slate of candidates to ensure that the ASCO leadership represents the same level of diversity you would find in the ASCO membership. So, we looked for diversity of practice setting, disease and/or research focus, geography, and several other factors. We also considered the current and future challenges our profession faces, including the incorporation of technology, the burgeoning cost of cancer care, and changing patient demographics. We debated the role of ASCO in global health. Thus, the candidates selected for the final ballot are not only from the United States, but from across the globe, and bring an immensely diverse set of skills and experiences.

The Nominating Committee considered close to 100 nominations, interviewed approximately 30, and ultimately selected 12 nominees for your consideration. You can review their biographies and visions for ASCO and our profession. I think you’ll agree that they represent an outstanding group of leaders who have made substantial contributions to our Society and our profession.

We also recognize the potential candidates who did not make the final ballot, but remain essential to the mission of our Society—and we sincerely thank everyone who nominated a colleague for consideration.

The ASCO Nominating Committee has finished its work... now it’s your turn. As voting-eligible members of ASCO, you enjoy substantial benefits and privileges, but with those benefits comes the responsibility to participate in the election to give the Board a clear mandate and a show of confidence. Please take the time to let your voice be heard and vote.

Voting in the 2017 ASCO Election is now open; the voting period closes on December 2, 2016, at 11:59 PM (Eastern). Read detailed information on all candidates. From that page, voting-eligible members can access the secure online proxy ballot using their ASCO.org username and password. Election results will be announced in mid-December 2016.