On January 11, representatives from ASCO participated in the final event in the Cancer MoonshotSM “Making Health Care Better” series, which focused on community oncology, at the White House.
ASCO community members attending the event, titled “Addressing the Cancer Challenge: Progress in Research, Prevention, Coverage, and Quality,” included:
- ASCO Vice President of the, Clinical Affairs Department Stephen S. Grubbs, MD
- Chair-Elect of ASCO’s Clinical Practice Committee and Immediate Past Chair of ASCO’s State Affiliate Council Paul Celano, MD (Greater Baltimore Medical Center)
- Journal of Oncology Practice Editor-in-Chief John V. Cox, DO, MBA, FACP, FASCO (UT Southwestern Medical Center)
- ASCO Member Kandie Dempsey, PhD, MS, RN, OCN (Helen F. Graham Center & Research Institute)
- ASCO Member Denis Hammond, MD (Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences)
- ASCO Member Eric Martin, MD (Medical Oncology Hematology Consultants, PA)
- JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics Editor-in-Chief Debra A. Patt, MD, MPH, MBA (Texas Oncology)
- Chair-Elect of ASCO’s Government Relations Committee Robin Zon, MD, FACP, FASCO (Michiana Hematology Oncology, PC)
The meeting focused on delivery of care in the community setting and addressed topics such as disparities in access to care; cancer support services and survivorship; advancing clinical trials; new technologies; and innovative models of care delivery.
Dr. Patt spoke on a panel titled, “Support Services & Cancer Survivorship.” She also provided closing remarks at a session titled, “Innovation and Access in Quality Cancer Care.”
The Cancer Moonshot was initiated on January 12, 2016, as part of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address. Vice President Joe Biden was tasked with leading the initiative, which has the ultimate goal of making a decade’s worth of advances in cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment in five years. The Cancer Moonshot focuses on maximizing federal investments, targeted incentives, private sector efforts from industry and philanthropy, patient-engagement initiatives, and other mechanisms to support cancer research and enable progress in treatment and care.1
ASCO has participated in several Cancer Moonshot events at the White House, where discussions have included streamlining and enhancing support for research and care delivery, as well as leveraging the Society’s CancerLinQTM advanced health information technology platform to achieve the initiative’s goals. ■
Reference
1. Memorandum—White House Cancer Moonshot Task Force. Available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/01/28/memorandum-white-house-cancer-moonshot-task-force. Accessed January 19, 2017.
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