ASCO has announced the creation of the Ellen L. Stovall Award and Lecture for Advancement of Cancer Survivorship Care, intended to recognize and promote the work of pioneers and leaders in the growing field of survivorship. The first award will be presented at the 2017 Cancer Survivorship Symposium, taking place January 27–28, 2017, in San Diego, California.
The new annual award is named after patient advocate Ellen L. Stovall, FASCO. Ms. Stovall served as President and CEO of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) beginning in 1992 and more recently as the organization’s Senior Health Policy Advisor. Following her diagnosis with Hodgkin lymphoma at age 24, Ms. Stovall dedicated herself to patient advocacy and public service, spending more than 30 years advocating for improved cancer care in the United States. She survived two cancer recurrences during her lifetime and passed away from cardiac complications related to her previous cancer therapies in January 2016.
“Ellen Stovall was a passionate advocate for the unique needs of cancer survivors,” said ASCO Chief Medical Officer Richard L. Schilsky, MD, FASCO. “As a long-term cancer survivor herself, she understood the concerns and fears of cancer survivors, the chronic disabilities they experience, and the impact of surviving cancer on a person’s ability to return to a normal, productive, and satisfying life after cancer. Through her work with NCCS, Ellen worked tirelessly to draw attention to and address the medical, psychological, and societal challenges faced by cancer survivors and to ensure they have access to the support and services they need.”
Ms. Stovall joined ASCO in 1996 and was a dedicated volunteer to the Society, serving on several committees, often in leadership positions. The Society recognized Ms. Stovall’s impact as a patient advocate several times, presenting her with the Special Recognition Award in 1996 and the Partners in Progress Award in 2003 and inducting her as a Fellow of ASCO in 2008. Ms. Stovall was a founding member of the Institute of Medicine’s National Cancer Policy Board and its successor, the National Cancer Policy Forum. She held volunteer leadership positions with The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, National Committee for Quality Assurance, and The Leapfrog Group and served on several advisory panels, working groups, and committees of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the American Association for Cancer Research. In 1992, then-President Bill Clinton appointed Ms. Stovall to a 6-year term on the NCI’s National Cancer Advisory Board.
“Her decades of advocacy have had a lasting impact that will improve the lives of every cancer survivor now and for generations to come,” said Dr. Schilsky. The Ellen L. Stovall Award and Lecture for Advancement of Cancer Survivorship Care will honor her contributions to the cancer survivorship movement and continue the legacy of her pioneering work by recognizing extraordinary individuals who have made multiple, significant, and enduring contributions to cancer survivorship care. The annual award lecture will be delivered at the Cancer Survivorship Symposium, with the inaugural lecture taking place at the 2017 Symposium in San Diego. ■
© 2016. American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved.
