ASCO appointed Lidia Schapira, MD, FASCO, a medical oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, the new Editor in Chief of its award-winning patient information website, Cancer.Net.
Dr. Schapira assumed this role at the 2015 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago on June 1, 2015, and will serve a 3-year term. She served as the website’s Associate Editor of Psychosocial Oncology for more than 10 years. In her new role, she will lead the Cancer.Net Editorial Board, composed of more than 150 medical, surgical, radiation, and pediatric oncologists, physician assistants, oncology nurses, social workers, and patient advocates. She succeeds Robert S. Miller, MD, FACP, FASCO, who was named Medical Director for ASCO’s Institute for Quality in December.
Committed to Educating Patients
“I have focused much of my career on improving the overall experience of patients living with cancer and truly believe in the value of Cancer.Net as a resource that not only helps patients better understand their diagnosis, but also encourages them to engage in meaningful, ongoing conversations with their physicians, as well as other members of the professional team,” said Dr. Schapira. “I feel privileged to be part of this committed and talented editorial board and look forward to continued work with my esteemed colleagues in this new capacity.”
Dr. Schapira’s passion for refining oncology communication, in a way that considers and cares for the whole person rather than just the disease, was the catalyst for enhancing the Coping and Emotions section on Cancer.Net. She has guided the expansion of oncologist-approved content that addresses topics like caregiving, managing emotions, and communicating with loved ones. She remains committed to exploring new ideas for the website that will meet the evolving needs of patients and their loved ones over time.
“Dr. Schapira is a known champion for strengthening the doctor-patient relationship, in particular, through patient education,” said ASCO President Peter Paul Yu, MD, FACP, FASCO. “Ensuring that people are well informed and have access to accurate information they can trust is fundamental, and her expertise in understanding the complete needs of a patient is sure to result in continued enhancements to the tremendous resource that is Cancer.Net.” ■
