NCCN announces the recipients of 2022 awards for oncology champions advancing cancer care

The Nationwide Complete Cancer Community^® (NCCN^®) at this time introduced the recipients of 2022 awards for each inside and exterior champions advancing NCCN’s mission and serving to all individuals with cancer to reside higher lives. The annual awards embody the Rodger Winn Award for skilled judgment and dedication to excellence in service of the NCCN Medical Observe Tips in Oncology (NCCN Tips^®), the Companions in Cancer Care Award for individuals outdoors of NCCN Member Establishments who’re instrumental in serving to NCCN obtain its mission, and the Pat Daulerio Worker of the Yr Award honoring devoted workers members who significantly exemplify the core values of NCCN.

Excellence in tips

The 2022 Rodger Winn Award-;named for the medical oncologist who oversaw the growth of the first technology of NCCN Tips^®-;was bestowed on William J. Gradishar, MD, FASCO, FACP, Betsy Bramsen Professor of Breast Oncology & Professor of Drugs, Chief, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Director, Maggie Daley Heart for Girls’s Cancer Care, Deputy Director, Medical Community, Robert H. Lurie Complete Cancer Heart of Northwestern College, and Chair of the NCCN Tips Panel for Breast Cancer.

“Invoice at all times places sufferers at the forefront,” mentioned NCCN Chief Govt Officer Robert W. Carlson, MD. “Administration for breast cancer could be very advanced; these tips are the most widely-used NCCN Tips worldwide and are referenced by well being care suppliers tons of of hundreds of instances yearly. Underneath Invoice’s management, the tips have expanded and develop into extra nuanced. He’s respectful of everybody’s contributions and at all times gives nice suggestions.”

“It is an honor to be chosen for this award, named after somebody who was so foundational to the NCCN mission and who I had the privilege to know,” replied Dr. Gradishar. “The success that we have now had is a consequence of the staff effort from devoted NCCN workers and panel members representing all of the disciplines that care for breast cancer sufferers.”

Excellence in fairness

The 2022 Companions in Cancer Care Award honors the work of each Shonta Chambers, MSW, Govt Vice President, Well being Fairness Initiatives and Group Engagement, Affected person Advocate Basis; and Robert Winn, MD (no-relation to Dr. Rodger Winn), Director and Lipman Chair in Oncology, Virginia Commonwealth College (VCU) Massey Cancer Heart, Senior Affiliate Dean for Cancer Innovation, and Professor of Pulmonary Illness and Vital Care Drugs, VCU Faculty of Drugs. The 2 co-chaired the Elevating Cancer Fairness Working Group, which was convened by NCCN, the American Cancer Society Cancer Motion Community (ACS CAN), and the Nationwide Minority High quality Discussion board (NMQF) to establish actionable methods for overcoming inequity in oncology.

“Rob and Shonta have generously contributed not solely their experience, but additionally quite a few hours and sources to the Elevating Cancer Fairness initiative,” mentioned Dr. Carlson. “Their visionary management has contributed to a sea change in the nationwide dialog and spurred motion to deal with racial disparities in cancer care. The place you reside and who you’re should not decide whether or not or how lengthy you reside. Each Rob and Shonta have devoted their spectacular careers towards making fairness in cancer care a actuality.”

“NCCN has been a considerable driver of change since its inception and has been at the forefront of progress made for sufferers not simply in the United States however throughout the globe. I worth NCCN’s ideas, and it’s greater than an honor for me to be an ally in efforts to eradicate well being and cancer disparities,” mentioned Dr. Winn.

Chambers added: “I am honored to obtain this award from NCCN. As we work for fairness, we should require deliberate and intentional engagement from all spheres throughout the well being ecosystem, and I see NCCN as a frontrunner on this necessary work.”

Excellence in collaboration

The 2022 Pat Daulerio Worker of the Yr Award-; named for NCCN’s first full-time worker and based mostly on peer-nomination-; was given to Hema Sundar, PhD, NCCN’s Supervisor of World Medical Content material. Dr. Sundar was honored for her dedication to the NCCN mission, her illustration of NCCN’s core values, her willingness to offer assist wherever it’s wanted, and the excessive degree of integrity, high quality, and care exemplified in her work. Her function consists of facilitating the course of and making certain the accuracy of NCCN’s world sources, together with NCCN Tips Worldwide Diversifications, NCCN Framework™, and NCCN Harmonized Tips™ for resource-constrained settings. Moreover, Dr. Sundar serves as in-house scientist for continual myeloid leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma tips (which embody some of the most-complex algorithms).