ASCO Chief Executive Officer Clifford A. Hudis, MD, FASCO, and CancerLinQ LLC Chief Executive Officer Kevin Fitzpatrick attended Vice President Joe Biden’s Cancer Moonshot Summit at Howard University on Wednesday, June 29, 2016. Along with leaders and stakeholders across the cancer research and care spectrum, they participated in breakout groups focusing on practical steps that the Moonshot effort could lead that would help accelerate progress. A broad range of discussions with detailed stakeholder input were used to generate specific steps for the Vice President to pursue. Dr. Hudis served as a discussion leader (called “ignitor”) in an afternoon breakout focused on streamlining all aspects of the regulatory process.
In conjunction with this landmark gathering of cancer community stakeholders, the Vice President made multiple notable announcements, including the selection of Richard Pazdur, MD, to lead the agency’s new Oncology Center of Excellence—an appointment that ASCO applauds—and the selection of nearly 200 physician group practices and 17 health insurance companies to participate in the Oncology Care Model, a cancer care payment and service delivery model developed by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation.
ASCO’s Continued Moonshot Role
ASCO has been an active participant in the Cancer Moonshot Initiative and joined Vice President Joe Biden at the formal launch of the moonshot earlier this year. Since then, ASCO and the Vice President’s office have discussed research and policy proposals to advance discovery in cancer treatment and the importance of big-data initiatives, such as CancerLinQ™—ASCO’s big-data, rapid-learning system deployed in oncology practices across the United States.
The Vice President spoke at ASCO’s 2016 Annual Meeting, challenging attendees to expand data sharing and increase the use of team-based approaches that harness different medical and scientific disciplines. In response to the National Cancer Institute’s request, ASCO has also submitted formal recommendations to the Blue Ribbon Panel on the Cancer Moonshot. ■
© 2016. American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved.
