SEATTLE — March 14, 2018 — Nancy Davidson, MD, FASCO will receive the ASCO 2018 Allen S. Lichter Visionary Leader Award and Lecture. Julie Gralow, MD, FASCO will receive the ASCO 2018 Humanitarian Award.
“Dr. Davidson and Dr. Gralow deliver extraordinary results to their patients, and are respected leaders in their field,” said Richard McCune, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Board Chair. “It is gratifying to have their combined vision and commitment to patient care recognized on an international basis by the world’s leading professional organization for physicians and oncology professionals caring for people with cancer.”
Nancy Davidson, MD, FASCO is the recipient of the ASCO 2018 Allen S. Lichter Visionary Leader Award and Lecture. Created in 2016, this award and lecture recognizes a recipient who has drastically changed the oncology field or who has made significant contributions to advance the mission of ASCO, CancerLinQ LLC, or Conquer Cancer through the honoree’s ability to lead and inspire.
Dr. Davidson is a world-renowned breast cancer researcher who serves as the President and Executive Director of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Senior Vice President and Director of the Clinical Research Division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and Head of the Division of Oncology at the University of Washington. As a physician-scientist, Dr. Davidson has published key findings on the role of the hormone response and epigenetics in breast cancer and helped to guide several important national clinical trials of new therapies for breast cancer. A member of the National Academy of Medicine, Dr. Davidson has served in several leadership positions, including 2007-2008 President of ASCO, 2015-2016 President of the American Association for Cancer Research, and Director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute form 2009 to 2016.
Julie Gralow, MD, FASCO is the recipient of the ASCO 2018 Humanitarian Award. First presented in 2011, this award recognizes an oncologist who personifies ASCO’s mission and values by going above and beyond the call of the duty in providing outstanding patient care through innovative means or exceptional service or leadership in the U.S.A. or abroad. It is presented to an individual who distinguishes himself/herself through voluntary and non-compensated humanitarian endeavors.
Dr. Gralow is the director of Breast Medical Oncology at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, the Jill Bennett Endowed Professor of Breast Medical Oncology and Professor of Global Health at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and a member of the Clinical Research Division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Dr. Gralow is committed to improving quality of life for breast cancer patients through education, exercise and diet, and to promoting breast cancer awareness in the community. She is Medical Director and Team Physician for Team Survivor Northwest, a non-profit focused on helping female cancer survivors improve their heath through exercise; the founder of the Women’s Empowerment Cancer Advocacy Network, a program dedicated to educating, connecting and advancing patient advocates in low-resource settings around the world, and Co-Chair of the Breast Cancer Initiative 2.5 Secretariat, a global campaign to reduce disparities in breast cancer outcomes.
“These oncology leaders’ remarkable contributions are improving care for people with cancer on a global scale,” said Daniel F. Hayes, MD, FACP, FASCO, Immediate Past President of ASCO and chair of the Special Awards Selection Committee. “We are delighted to honor these inspiring honorees with ASCO’s most prestigious awards for their leadership and exceptional service, and for making a difference in cancer care.”
Nominations were submitted by ASCO members representing health care leaders, institutions, facilities and organizations from all across the world. The award recipients are individuals who demonstrate a long record of achievement and seminal contributions outside of their clinical, research and educational responsibilities.
Both awards will be presented at the ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL in June. To learn more about all ASCO 2018 Special Awards, click here.
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