ASCO has elected Eric P. Winer, MD, FASCO, a longtime member and volunteer, to serve as its President for the term beginning in June 2022. He will take office as President-Elect during the ASCO Annual Meeting in June 2021. Five new members were also elected to the ASCO Board of Directors and the Nominating Committee.
“I am deeply honored to be named President-Elect of ASCO and serve our members who are committed to improving patient care around the world. ASCO is as equally devoted to improving outcomes for patients as it is to supporting oncology professionals and enhancing their ability to deliver the best possible care, and I look forward to supporting the ASCO mission in this role.”— Eric P. Winer, MD, FASCO
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“I am deeply honored to be named President-Elect of ASCO and serve our members who are committed to improving patient care around the world,” Dr. Winer said. “ASCO is as equally devoted to improving outcomes for patients as it is to supporting oncology professionals and enhancing their ability to deliver the best possible care, and I look forward to supporting the ASCO mission in this role.”
Dr. Winer is the Chief Clinical Development Officer, Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs, Chief of the Division of Breast Oncology, and the Thompson Chair in Breast Cancer Research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He is also a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Winer served on the ASCO Board of Directors from 2011 to 2015, and he has served as Chair of the ASCO Government Relations Committee, Cancer Communications Committee, and Health Services Research Committee, among numerous other volunteer roles. He is the 2017 recipient of ASCO’s Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Award and Lecture.
Newly Elected ASCO Board Members
ASCO's Board of Directors is made up of oncology leaders who are elected to positions reflecting various specialties within the oncology field. The following physicians will begin 4-year terms as members of ASCO's Board of Directors starting in June 2021:
- Gladys I. Rodriguez, MD, has been elected to a Designated Community Oncologist seat. Dr. Rodriguez is a medical oncologist and hematologist, Vice President of Clinical Research at South Texas Oncology and Hematology, PA at the START Center for Cancer Care, and Co-Manager of South Texas Accelerated Research Therapeutics (START). She has served as a member of the ASCO Government Relations Committee, State Affiliate Council, and COVID-19 Road to Recovery Task Force, among other volunteer roles. She was honored as an ASCO Advocacy Champion in 2019. Dr. Rodriguez is Past President and Board member of the Texas Society of Clinical Oncology (TxSCO), an ASCO State Affiliate.
- Taofeek K. Owonikoko, MD, PhD, has been elected to a Designated Medical Oncologist seat. Dr. Owonikoko is Director of Thoracic Oncology, Co-Leader of the Discovery and Developmental Therapeutics Research Program, and Chair of the Aerodigestive Malignancies Working Group at Winship Cancer Institute, and a Professor and Vice Chair for Faculty Development in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University. He is an attending physician at Emory University Hospital and Grady Memorial Hospital. Dr. Owonikoko is Chair of the ASCO Annual Meeting Education Committee; has served as track leader and member of the Annual Meeting Scientific Program and Education Committees; and as a mentor in ASCO’s Diversity Mentoring Program. He is a 2015–2016 participant in ASCO’s Leadership Development Program.
- Mariana Chavez Mac Gregor, MD, MSc, has been elected to an Undesignated Specialty seat. Dr. Chavez Mac Gregor is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Services Research and an Associate Professor in the Department of Breast Medical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She is Co-Chair of the ASCO Breast Cancer Guideline Advisory Group and a member of the Resource-Stratified Guideline Advisory Group. She has served as Chair of the Clinical Practice Committee and the Methodology Subcommittee, along with many other volunteer roles, including serving as a grant reviewer and as a member of the Women’s Networking Center Task Force. She is a 2018–2019 participant in ASCO’s Leadership Development Program, and is the recipient of several Merit Awards and the Breast Cancer Advanced Clinical Research Award from Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation.
Newly Elected Members of the ASCO Nominating Committee
The following physicians will each serve a 3-year term on the ASCO Nominating Committee:
- Merry Jennifer Markham, MD, FACP, FASCO, has been elected to an Undesignated Specialty seat. Dr. Markham is Interim Chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology and a Professor at the University of Florida (UF), and Associate Director for Medical Affairs at UF Health Cancer Center. She is Chair-Elect of the ASCO Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) Steering Committee, and has served as Chair of the Cancer Communications Committee and a member of the Social Media Working Group and several expert panels, among numerous other volunteer commitments. She is the Consultant Editor for Social Media for the Journal of Clinical Oncology and an Associate Editor for Cancer.Net, ASCO’s patient information website.
- Nathan A. Pennell, MD, PhD, FASCO, has been elected to an Undesignated Specialty seat. Dr. Pennell is Director of the Lung Cancer Medical Oncology Program at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and a Professor of Medicine at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. He is Chair of the ASCO COVID-19 Road to Recovery Task Force on Cancer Research, member of the Cancer Communications Committee, Associate Editor of the ASCO Educational Book, and Consultant Editor for Podcasts for JCO Oncology Practice, among other volunteer roles. He was a 2017–2018 participant in the ASCO Leadership Development Program and named as an ASCO Advocacy Champion in 2019.
Approved Amendments to Society Bylaws, Certificate of Incorporation
In this year’s ASCO election, members also approved amendments to the Society Bylaws and Certificate of Incorporation. The key points of the approved amendments are described below.
Opportunities for All Members With Doctoral-Level Degrees: Any member with a doctoral-level degree, regardless of membership category, will now be eligible to vote in ASCO elections, serve on the ASCO Board of Directors in undesignated seats, and serve on the ASCO Nominating Committee. This expanded group, which will be defined as Voting Members, represents approximately 83% of the total membership.
Uncontested Presidential Election: Beginning with the ASCO election in 2021, the ASCO Nominating Committee will review the pool of eligible candidates for the role of ASCO President-Elect, select two candidates from among the pool, and submit the candidates to the ASCO Board of Directors. The ASCO Board will then select the best candidate for the job from among the two choices, and present one candidate to run unopposed on the slate for the role of ASCO President-Elect. Voting-eligible members will be able to vote in favor of this individual, write in an alternate candidate, or abstain from voting.
Continuity in the Role of ASCO Treasurer: Beginning in 2021, the Board of Directors will elect a current Board member to serve as Treasurer-Elect, who will then have a period of overlap with the current Treasurer. The Treasurer-Elect will begin their term as Treasurer in June 2022, when the current Treasurer’s elected term concludes. Moving forward, the Board of Directors will continue to elect a Treasurer-Elect each year from among the current Board members. The Treasurer-Elect will serve 1 year as Treasurer-Elect and 1 year as Treasurer.
Additional Leadership Perspectives on the Nominating Committee: The current President-Elect and the current Past President will also sit on the Nominating Committee, ensuring a diversity of viewpoints.
Future Bylaws Amendments Are Decided by Majority Vote: Future proposed Bylaws amendments will be decided by regular majority vote (meaning over half of the votes cast by the voting-eligible members must be in favor of the amendments) of the voting-eligible members.
