Participate in ASCO Special Awards Nomination Process

Participate in ASCO Special Awards Nomination Process

Michael Paul Link, MD, FASCO

Sep 17, 2012
Each year, ASCO presents awards to leading scientists, clinicians, and advocates whose contributions to our understanding and treatment of cancer and to the delivery of cancer therapy have bettered the lives of the patients for whom we care. Most of these awards are presented at the ASCO Annual Meeting, and these presentations represent an opportunity to honor these important individuals in front of an audience of members who apply the findings in research and patient care, as well as a chance to recognize the institutions where these individuals practice and pursue their investigations. The ASCO Special Awards include prestigious honors such as the American Cancer Society Award and Lecture; the B.J. Kennedy Award and Lecture for Scientific Excellence in Geriatric Oncology; the David A. Karnofsky Memorial Award and Lecture; the Science of Oncology Award; the Distinguished Achievement Award; the Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Award and Lecture (to be awarded at the 2013 Breast Cancer Symposium); and the Humanitarian Award.

The list of previous awardees includes some of the towering figures of cancer investigation who have established novel therapies and refined the standards of treatment that have resulted in the steady improvement in outcome and quality of life for our patients that we celebrate each year. Many of the awards are named after the heroes of previous generations of oncologists. Thus, in honoring new awardees, we also pay tribute to some of our past mentors and key leaders of oncology.

This year, I have the privilege of serving as Chair of the ASCO Special Awards Selection Committee, charged with selecting this year’s award recipients from the list of nominees. Having served on the committee in the past, I realize that the task represents both an exciting opportunity and a difficult challenge. It is always a pleasure to review the credentials of the nominees and supporting letters from colleagues. The difficult part, of course, is selecting the recipient from the list of very deserving candidates.

Even more important is assuring that the list of nominees is inclusive enough to capture potential candidates from around the world. For this, we depend on our members to put forth names of deserving candidates who meet the criteria for each of the ASCO awards. I encourage all ASCO members to examine the criteria for each of the awards, peruse the names of previous winners, and then to nominate deserving candidates for consideration for each of the prestigious ASCO Special Awards.

To find out more about these awards, including the criteria and how to make a nomination, please visit the ASCO Special Awards on ASCO.org. You will be required to sign in using your ASCO.org username and password to access the Special Awards Nomination Site. Once you are on the Special Awards Nomination Site, please enter the names and qualifications of nominees for each award. The information gathered at this time is to be collected in a confidential manner. Please ensure that individuals are not made aware of the possibility of being an ASCO awardee. [Nomination Deadline: 5:00 PM EST on Friday, October 5, 2012.]

Individuals may be nominated for more than one award as long as they meet the criteria for each. Nominating an individual requires answering a few questions concerning the nominee’s qualifications for that particular ASCO Special Award. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact specialawards@asco.org.

The ASCO Special Awards are an opportunity to honor individuals who have made a difference to our field and thus to our patients. I urge you to participate in the nominating process so that we recognize our colleagues who have moved our field forward.

Thank you for your consideration and your dedicated service to ASCO.

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