W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, FASCO
W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, FASCO, has been selected for the prestigious 2025 Hologic, Inc Endowed Women Who Conquer Cancer Mentorship Award. Launched in 2016, the Women Who Conquer Cancer award program honors extraordinary women leaders in oncology and role models who have excelled as mentors and have demonstrated outstanding commitment to the development of the next generation of cancer researchers, educators, and leaders.
Dr. Rathmell most recently served as the 17th Director of the National Cancer Institute and became Chief Executive Officer of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center–Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC–James) on May 27.
“I was part of the Women Who Conquer Cancer group from the beginning, coming together as a group of women scientists supporting each other. It means a great deal to be recognized in this way,” said Dr. Rathmell. “I have the great opportunity to mentor many young people interested in careers in science. Mentorship is something I feel very strongly about, and that is what this award is all about.”
Dr. Rathmell, a renowned kidney cancer specialist and researcher, also has held leadership positions with ASCO and the American Society for Clinical Investigation, serving as Secretary-Treasurer and President. As a result of her efforts, she has been elected to the Association of American Physicians, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the National Academy of Medicine. She is a highly decorated physician-scientist whose awards include the American Cancer Society Medal of Honor; the 2025 American Society for Clinical Investigation Korsmeyer Award; the 2019 Louisa Nelson Award for Women of Achievement, Vision, and Inspiration; the 2019 Eugene P. Schonfeld Award from the Kidney Cancer Association; and the Paragon Award for Research Excellence from the Doris Duke Foundation.
“I have benefited tremendously from excellent mentorship in my professional development and my personal life,” said Dr. Rathmell. “The mentors I have gravitated to have been a consistent part of my own development, people I admired as role models but who cared a lot about me as a person. I have tried to emulate that in my own mentorship of other women and young career scientists.”
