A study stemming from ASCO’s QOPI® initiative and published in the April 2012 issue of Health Affairs showed that a group of oncology practices from across Michigan largely adhere to standard treatment guidelines for common cancers but had gaps in managing end-of-life care. Past ASCO President Douglas W. Blayney, MD, served as the study’s lead author.  
     
Past ASCO President Lawrence Einhorn, MD, a physician/researcher at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, was honored by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) with the Joseph H. Burchenal Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Cancer Research.  
     
Lyndsay Harris, MD, was appointed Medical Director of the Breast Cancer Program at University Hospitals Case Medical Center Seidman Cancer Center and proposed for appointment as Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.  
     
ASCOconnection.org columnist Heather Hylton, MS, PA-C, joined Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) as Lead Physician Assistant in the Department of Medicine.  
     
Michelle M. Le Beau, PhD, of the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been elected to serve on the AACR Board of Directors for the 2012-2015 term.  
     
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center investigator Mia Levy, MD, PhD, was awarded a global innovation grant by the “GE Healthymagination Cancer Challenge” for the project My Cancer Genome. The My Cancer Genome online resource, developed by Dr. Levy and William Pao, MD, PhD, educates clinicians, researchers, patients and caregivers on tumor mutations and available targeted therapies.    
     
A study published in the April 18, 2012, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association found a dramatically better survival rate for patients with kidney cancer who have only part of their kidney removed, compared to those who have their entire kidney removed. David C. Miller, MD, MPH, of the University of Michigan, served as the study’s lead author.    
     
Manish Monga, MD, joined West Virginia University and the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center as Medical Director of the Clinical Trials Research Unit.  
     
Lajos Pusztai, MD, DPhil, was named Director of the Breast Cancer Research Group and Co-Director of the Cancer Genetics Research Program at Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven. He will also lead breast cancer medical oncology. Dr. Pusztai will begin his new appointment at Yale in August.  
     
Past ASCO President and current ASCOconnection.org columnist George W. Sledge, Jr., MD, and Patrick J. Loehrer, Sr., MD, both of the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, are providing clinical expertise to help shape new health care solutions for health insurer WellPoint. WellPoint is developing commercial applications utilizing IBM Watson to help improve patient care and support physicians in their efforts to make the most informed, personalized treatment decisions possible.  
    
ASCOconnection.org columnist Michael A. Thompson, MD, PhD, of ProHealth Care Regional Cancer Center, was nominated as Man of the Year (Southeast Wisconsin region) in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Man & Woman of the Year campaign, a fundraising competition in communities across the United States.  

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In Memoriam

Fred J. Ansfield, MD
Scott Cameron Blair, MD
Kurt W. Brunner
Wilbur F. Burger, MD
David Flinker, MD
Roger F. Lange, MD
Harry J. Miller
Nancy J. Stubbe, MD

New ASCO Committee Members Take Office

The Society’s newest slate of committee members took office following the 2012 Annual Business Meeting. To view the full list of 2012 ASCO committee members, visit ASCO.org, select “About ASCO,” then “Committees.”

2012 ASCO Annual Meeting Education Program at your Fingertips

Educational Book articles highlight standards of care and look toward future therapeutic possibilities. The 2012 Educational Book contains 141 articles from 80 sessions. An expert panel reviewed each article’s fair/balanced nature, as well as its clinical relevance, educational value, accuracy, and completeness. Visit asco.org/edbook for more information.