HomeNewsroomNHGRI-Related NewsNHGRI-Related News Archive 2006 Release: ASCO Recognizes Oncology Leaders for Outstanding Achievements

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From the American Society of Clinical Oncology

ASCO Recognizes Oncology Leaders for Outstanding Achievements

Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., to receive Science of Oncology Award Sunday, June 4th, 2006.

Alexandria, Va., May 1, 2006 - The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) today announced the recipients of its 2006 Special Awards, which recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to both ASCO and the practice of clinical oncology. The Special Awards program includes nine award categories honoring research scientists, physicians, and patient advocates.

These awards will be presented during ASCO's 42nd Annual Meeting in Atlanta from June 2-6, at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Lance Armstrong, Special Recognition Award

In recognition of his leadership in the patient advocacy arena, ASCO will honor Mr. Armstrong, a testicular cancer survivor and founder of the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF), on Monday, June 5, at 1:45 PM (EDT) in Building C, Level 1, Hall C2. Armstrong and his foundation have significantly increased public awareness of the role clinical trials play in the fight against cancer, and of the issues facing cancer survivors. LAF has awarded more than $14.4 million in support of survivorship and testicular cancer clinical research and more than $3.7 million to non-profit cancer organizations across the country. Armstrong's foundation has improved cancer survivor care through the creation of LIVESTRONG SurvivorCare and, in collaboration with Centers for Disease Control, the National Action Plan, which both serve to addresses survivors' specific challenges and specialized health care needs.

Clara D. Bloomfield, M.D., Distinguished Service Award for Scientific Achievement

This award honors the achievements of individuals who help revolutionize the practice of oncology through their leadership and scientific vision. This year, ASCO will honor Clara D. Bloomfield, M.D., who for more than three decades has worked to discover new treatments and cytogenetic and molecular markers that have helped patients live longer and in many cases be cured of certain types of blood-related cancers. Most notably, her pioneering clinical research in adult leukemia and lymphoma found that acute leukemia - previously believed to be fatal - could be cured with the use of chemotherapy. Dr. Bloomfield will receive her award on Saturday, June 3, at 10 a.m. in Building C, Level 1, Hall C2.

Alan S. Coates, M.D., Distinguished Service Award for Scientific Leadership

Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., Science of Oncology Award and Lecture

ASCO will recognize Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, for his pioneering work in the field of human genomics. This award, created in 2005, honors the contributions of basic scientists working in the field of cancer research. In his 13-year tenure as Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Collins led a team of scientists in successfully completing the Human Genome Project, mapping and sequencing the entire human DNA. Dr. Collins has developed and advanced the idea of "positional cloning," a means of finding the gene involved for a specific disease by determining its position in the genome, rather than isolating genes based on a biochemical or physiologic measure of disease. Dr. Collins will receive his award and deliver his lecture, Cancer: A Disease of the Genome, on Sunday, June 4, at 1:15 p.m. in Building C, Level 1, Hall C2.

Kathy Giusti, Partners in Progress Award

This award honors the accomplishments of patient advocates whose work has increased public awareness about cancer and its causes, cures, and treatment. ASCO will present this award to Kathy Giusti, founder and CEO of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and CEO of the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium, which helps speed development of new myeloma therapies. A 10-year multiple myeloma survivor, Ms. Giusti became a dedicated full-time spokesperson for people living with this rare form of cancer shortly after her own diagnosis at age 37. Through her foundation, Ms. Giusti has raised more than $56 million for myeloma research and clinical trials. She will receive her award on Sunday, June 4, at 1 p.m. in Building C, Level 1, Hall C2.

V. Craig Jordan, PhD, OBE, DSc, American Cancer Society Award and Lecture

This award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the prevention and control of cancer. ASCO presents the 14th American Cancer Society Award to V. Craig Jordan, Ph.D., O.B.E., D.Sc., of Fox Chase Cancer Center. Dr. Jordan will be honored for his translational research with tamoxifen and raloxifene in the prevention of breast cancer. Dr. Jordan was one of the first researchers to analyze tamoxifen's anticancer properties, which led to his extensive research, and one of the first to study raloxifene. He is scientific chair for the Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene (STAR) trial. He received the American Cancer Society Medal of Honor for his contributions to health care in 2002. Dr. Jordan will receive his award and deliver his lecture, The Chemoprevention of Breast Cancer: Serendipity and Pragmatism, on Monday, June 5, at 1 p.m. in Building C, Level 1, Hall C2.

Anna T. Meadows, MD, Pediatric Oncology Award and Lecture

This award honors individuals who have contributed outstanding scientific work — laboratory, clinical, or epidemiologic — to the future of pediatric oncology. Anna T. Meadows, M.D., of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), is receiving this award for her dedication to the development of successful programs for the care of long-term survivors of childhood cancer. As Professor of Pediatrics and the Director of the Childhood Cancer Survivor Program at CHOP, Dr. Meadows understands the problems faced by survivors of childhood cancer throughout their lifetimes. She has carried out research that has resulted in effective interventions with survivors themselves and, by helping to develop protocols that modify therapy, expects that many longterm complications will be lessened. Dr. Meadows will receive her award and present her lecture, Cancer Survivors: Childhood and Beyond, on Saturday, June 3, at 1:15 p.m. in Building B, Level 2, Room B211.

Joseph V. Simone, M.D., Public Service Award

This award was established to honor those who have increased public awareness about cancer and have made a positive impact on the development of policies to safeguard access to highquality cancer care. Joseph V. Simone, MD, will receive this award in recognition of his work, including the founding of ASCO's Quality Oncology Practice Initiative, which provides measurement, feedback, and improvement resources for medical oncology practices. He has also chaired the National Cancer Policy Board of the Institute of Medicine, which issued influential reports on the quality of cancer care. Through his earlier work at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Dr. Simone helped develop therapies for childhood leukemia, which resulted in substantial cure rates. Dr. Simone will be honored on Sunday, June 4, at 1 p.m. in Building C, Level 1, Hall C2.

Dennis J. Slamon, M.D., David A. Karnofsky Memorial Award and Lecture

Named for one of the true pioneers in oncology, this award is bestowed on individuals who, through their clinical research, have changed the way oncologists think about the general practice of oncology. Dennis J. Slamon, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of California, Los Angeles, Jonsson Cancer Center is a leader in the field of breast cancer genetics and in the emerging wave of targeted therapy. He and his colleagues conducted the basic and applied research that laid the groundwork for the development of trastuzumab, the first targeted therapy for patients with HER-2-positive breast cancer. Dr. Slamon will receive his award and present the Karnofsky Memorial Lecture, "Molecular Diversity of Human Breast Cancer: Therapeutic Implications," on Saturday, June 3, at 11:15 a.m. in Building C, Level 1, Hall C2.

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Last Reviewed: August 4, 2008