Tom Brokaw ©s_buckley: Shutterstock.
Joseph R. Biden, Jr
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) presented the 2017 awards for outstanding service and public service on December 10 during the 59th Annual Meeting and Exposition in Atlanta.
Tom Brokaw is the 2017 recipient of the ASH Outstanding Service Award, presented annually to an individual who has worked tirelessly to raise public awareness and increase research funding for hematologic diseases. Mr. Brokow, a former NBC Nightly News anchor, is acknowledged for his dedication to increasing public awareness about cancer and the need for additional research funding. He has shared his personal experience with multiple myeloma in his book A Lucky Life Interrupted, and in essays in The New York Times and other publications, providing an example not only for patients, but also for their families, of how best to deal with their disease.
Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr, is the 2017 recipient of the ASH Public Service Award for his leadership on the Cancer Moonshot effort. Following the death of his son Beau Biden from brain cancer, Vice President Biden led the Obama Administration’s Cancer Moonshot to accelerate cancer research. Under his leadership, the White House Cancer Moonshot Task Force catalyzed collaborations among 20 government agencies, departments, and White House offices and more than 70 private sector collaborations designed to achieve a decade’s worth of progress in 5 years in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. Former Vice President Biden has pledged to continue his efforts to support cancer research and the Moonshot through the Biden Foundation, which he and his wife founded since leaving public service in January 2017. ■
