June 3, 2018 - Narratives Special Issue (View All Issues)
Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FASCO, a Cattle Rancher’s Daughter, Becomes ASCO President
ASCO President-Elect Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FASCO, was born and reared in Wyoming, where her family ran a cattle ranch in the foothills of the snow-topped peaks of the Wind River Range (or “Winds” for short), a place of breathtakingly uncluttered vistas where the chief feature is the air...
Nancy L. Bartlett, MD, Moved From Engineering to Medicine After a Stint in the ER
Nationally recognized oncologist Nancy L. Bartlett, MD, had an early love for mathematics and a swooning aversion to the sight of blood. “I was born and reared in Kansas City, Missouri and am a Midwesterner at heart. No one in the family was involved in medicine. My mom was an elementary school ...
ASCO Honors Leaders in Cancer Care With 2018 Special Awards
ASCO AND ASCO’s Conquer Cancer Foundation recognized winners of ASCO’s 2018 Special Awards and Conquer Cancer’s Women Who Conquer Cancer Mentorship Awards during the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting, June 1 to June 4, in Chicago. The recipients of these awards included researchers, patient advocates, and...
2018 Fellows of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO) Recognized During Annual Meeting in Chicago
The Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO) distinction recognizes ASCO members for their extraordinary volunteer service, dedication, and commitment to ASCO. Their efforts benefit ASCO, the specialty of oncology, and, most importantly, the individuals at risk for, or with...
A Lifetime of Accomplishments in Oncology Brings Knighthood to Sir Murray F. Brennan, MD, FACS
Sir Murray F. Brennan, MD, FACS, was born on April 2, 1940, in Auckland, New Zealand, which lies on and around an isthmus surrounded by the sparkling azure waters of the Hauraki Gulf. “I was born at the beginning of World War II. Fortunately, my father was too old to be drafted into the army. I ...
The American Society of Clinical Oncology at a Glance
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) held its first scientific Annual Meeting on April 9, 1965, in the Bellevue Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia. More than 70 members and invited guests attended the inaugural event, which featured three presentations on leukemia and multiple myeloma. The ...
NCCN Names Wui-Jin Koh, MD, New Chief Medical Officer
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) has named Wui-Jin Koh, MD, as Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, a newly created position. Dr. Koh will add additional physician representation at NCCN headquarters, which includes Chief Executive Officer Robert W. Carlson, MD. Dr. Koh ...
ASCO Through the Years: Past Presidents
Over the years many great oncology leaders have served at the helm as ASCO President. We recognize these individuals here, and extend our gratitude for their service and efforts to champion high-quality cancer care.
2018-2019: Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD
2017-2018: Bruce E. Johnson, MD
2016-2017:...
Pioneering Researcher and Oncologist Volker S. Diehl, MD, Helped Unlock the ‘Black Box’ of Hodgkin Lymphoma
Volker S. Diehl, MD, the internationally renowned hematologist and researcher, was born in Berlin, Germany, on February 28, 1938—arguably one of the most tumultuous periods in world history. Germany had just invaded Austria, signaling the dark intentions of the Third Reich. In 1943, the air raids ...
ASCO, ABIM Collaborate on Pathway to Maintenance of Board Certification
ASCO and the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) have announced that they are working to co-create a pathway to provide doctors with a flexible way to maintain board certification. The work with ASCO reflects real progress in ABIM’s efforts to collaborate with medical societies.
Beginning...
International Oncologist Nagi S. El Saghir, MD, FACP, Returned Home to Make a Difference in Lebanon and Worldwide
Internationally renowned expert on the early detection, prevention, and treatment of younger women with breast cancer, Nagi S. El Saghir, MD, FACP, FASCO, was born on January 5, 1953, in Bint Jbeil, a village in southern Lebanon. His parents moved to Beirut in 1948, at the height of the...
Husband and Wife Leave a Giant Legacy in Oncology
The remarkable careers of Jimmie C. Holland, MD, and James F. Holland, MD, spanned collectively for more than a century, leaving an indelible footprint in oncology clinical care and research. Synonymous with cancer care itself, the Hollands were a living documentary of the rich and dramatic history ...
Pioneer in Genitourinary Oncology, José R. Germà-Lluch, MD, PhD, Sheds Light on Treating Rare Tumors
“At the age of 6, my mother threw me into the arms of Hippocrates’ discipline, giving me as a special gift a toy suitcase full of medical equipment and a little puppet to train my skills with a stethoscope, syringe, thermometer, small reflex hammer, and torch to explore the oropharyngeal airways....
A Love of Older Patients With Cancer Drives a Career Path for Arti Hurria, MD, FASCO
Arti Hurria, MD, FASCO, who is Director of City of Hope’s Center for Cancer and Aging, is a first generation of immigrant parents from India. “My parents left India and moved from England to Canarsie, Brooklyn, where I was born. When I was 8, my family moved to Southern California, partly due to...
FDA Oncology Drug Approvals Granted Between June 2017 and May 16, 2018
Over the past year (June 2017–May 2018), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted approval to a number of new oncology drug products, including several biosimilar products. Here we provide the labeling approved for these novel drugs and new indications.
EPOETIN ALFA-EPBX (RETACRIT)...
New Fellows Selected for ASCO’s 2018-2019 Health Policy Fellowship Program
ASCO recently announced that Trevor Royce, MS, MD, MPH, and Sheetal Kircher, MD, have been selected for the ASCO Health Policy Fellowship Program.
Now entering its third year, the fellowship program offers oncologists the opportunity to gain the knowledge-base, skills, and experience necessary to ...
A Love of Science Leads to an Esteemed Career in Cancer Research for Razelle Kurzrock, MD
Razelle Kurzrock, MD, regarded internationally for her work in translational science, was born and reared in Toronto, Canada. “My parents were immigrants from Eastern Europe. My father, who was Jewish, was a Holocaust survivor. My parents put a strong emphasis on education,” she said.
‘The...
Education Came First for Breast Cancer Expert Beverly Moy, MD, MPH, Daughter of Chinese Immigrants
Beverly Moy, MD, MPH, grew up in Brooklyn, New York, in a modest working-class home. Both her parents were immigrants from China. “Education is highly prized in Chinese culture, and my home life was no exception. I didn’t speak any English when I began kindergarten, so that was a bit challenging, ...
NIH Completes In-Depth Genomic Analysis of 33 Cancer Types
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have completed a detailed genomic analysis, known as the PanCancer Atlas, on a data set of molecular and clinical information from over 10,000 tumors representing 33 types of cancer, according to a release issued by the NIH late last...
Valued Mentors and a Link Between Science and Medicine Paved the Road to Oncology for Alice Tsang Shaw, MD, PhD
Lung cancer expert Alice Tsang Shaw, MD, PhD, was born and reared in Gaithersburg, a small suburb located to the northwest of Washington, DC. Both her parents were chemists, and during high school, Dr. Shaw had a keen interest in science, particularly biology, yet the thought of pursuing a career ...
Noted Oncologist Narayanankutty Warrier, MD, Battles Tobacco Use and Builds a Cancer Center in India
India, with the world’s second-largest population and more than 2,000 ethnic groups, is a vastly complex nation, noted for its rich history and boundless intellectual capital, but also for its poverty and inequities in areas such as access to health care. The State of Kerala, situated in the...
Former Chair of ASCO’s Health Disparities Committee, Karen M. Winkfield, MD, PhD, Faced Her Own Barriers
Nationally regarded radiation oncologist Karen M. Winkfield, MD, PhD, was born and reared in Wheatley Heights, a suburban hamlet on Long Island, New York, that shares borders with the prosperous community of Dix Hills and one of the Island’s lowest-income towns, Wyandanch. “I was fortunate to...
Conquer Cancer 2018 Awards Presented at ASCO Annual Meeting
The Conquer Cancer Foundation of the ASCO recently announced the recipients of its 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting Merit Awards, Medical Student Rotations for Underrepresented Populations (MSR), Resident Travel Awards for Underrepresented Populations (RTA), and Long-term International Fellowship (LIFe)....
The ASCO Post Remembrances and Tributes
THE ASCO POST remembers the following members of the oncology community who passed away in 2017–2018. Please write to editor@ASCOPost.com to recognize others and pay tribute in a future issue.
Angela Hartley Brodie, PhD
Angela Hartley Brodie, PhD, Professor Emeritus in the Department of...
