Each year through its Special Awards Program, ASCO recognizes researchers, patient advocates, and leaders of the global oncology community who, through their work, have made significant contributions to enhancing cancer care. These recipients of ASCO’s highest, most prestigious awards collectively represent significant strides in cancer treatment and leadership in the oncology community.
David A. Karnofsky Memorial Award And Lecture
Martine J. Piccart, MD, PhD
Dr. Piccart is a Professor of Oncology at the Université Libre de Bruxelles and Director of Medicine at the Jules Bordet Institute, Brussels, Belgium. She is a leader in international breast cancer research collaboration and drug development, and serves as the principal or co-principal investigator for numerous clinical trials including HERA, MINDACT, and ALTTO. She is co-founder and Chair of the Breast International Group (BIG), uniting 49 academic research groups from around the world and running over 30 trials under its umbrella.
Science of Oncology Award and Lecture
Charles L. Sawyers, MD
Dr. Sawyers is Head of the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, where he works to bring molecularly targeted approaches and molecularly based patient stratification to clinical trials and patient treatment more broadly across tumor types. His laboratory research led to the discovery of BCR-ABL mutations and the development of the second-generation ABL inhibitor dasatinib (Sprycel), which overcomes imatinib (Gleevec) resistance.
ASCO–American Cancer Society Award and Lecture
Kenneth Offit, MD
Dr. Offitt is Chief of the Clinical Genetics Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, a member of the Program in Cancer Biology and Genetics at the Sloan-Kettering Institute, and a Professor of Medicine and Public Health at the Weill College of Medicine of Cornell University. His research group performed the first genome-wide association study of BRCA2 breast cancer, and he is currently using next-generation sequencing to define genomic markers of risk for leukemia, lymphoma, breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers.
B. J. Kennedy Award and Lecture for Scientific Excellence in Geriatric Oncology
Arti Hurria, MD
Dr. Hurria is Director of the Cancer and Aging Research Program at City of Hope. She serves as principal investigator on two major grants: one that seeks to identify and develop research methodology that will lead to evidence-based recommendations to improve clinical care for older adults with cancer, and one evaluating clinical and biological predictors of chemotherapy toxicity in older adults with breast cancer.
Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Award and Lecture
Larry Norton, MD
Dr. Norton is the Deputy Physician-in-Chief for breast cancer programs and Medical Director of the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center. He has dedicated his life to the eradication of cancer by activities in medical care, laboratory and clinical research, advocacy, and government; participated in the development of several effective agents including paclitaxel and trastuzumab (Herceptin); and co-invented the Norton-Simon Model of cancer growth, which has broadly influenced cancer therapy.
Pediatric Oncology Award and Lecture
Garrett M. Brodeur, MD
Dr. Brodeur is an Associate Chair for Research in the Department of Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, an Associate Director of the Abramson Cancer Center in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and holds the Audrey E. Evans Endowed Chair in Pediatric Oncology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He played an integral role in the identification of three important genes involved in genomic rearrangements in neuroblastomas: amplification of the MYCN oncogene; deletion of CHD5, a tumor suppressor gene from 1p36; and mutations of ALK, a gene responsible for most cases of hereditary neuroblastoma.
Distinguished Achievement Award
Eduardo L. Cazap, MD, PhD
Dr. Cazap is the founder and first President of the Latin American and Caribbean Society of Medical Oncology (SLACOM), the Immediate Past President of the International Union against Cancer (UICC), and the recently designated Deputy Chair of the Developing Countries Task Force of the European Society of Medical Oncology. Dr. Cazap’s leadership has helped push cancer and world health into the international political agenda. In 2011, he served as Co-Chair of the United Nations Civil Society Task Force to advise the President of the United Nations General Assembly during a high-level meeting on noncommunicable diseases.
Special Recognition Award
Otis W. Brawley, MD, FACP
Dr. Brawley is Chief Medical and Scientific Officer for the American Cancer Society. He serves as a Professor of Hematology, Oncology, Medicine, and Epidemiology at Emory University. Over a career that has encompassed clinical practice, research, and public policy, Dr. Brawley has championed the American Cancer Society’s initiatives in tobacco cessation, nutrition, early detection of cancer, and whole-patient care, as well as efforts to eliminate disparities in access to quality cancer care.
Humanitarian Award
Bella Kaufman, MD
Dr. Kaufman leads the breast cancer unit at The Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, Israel, affiliated with Tel Aviv University, and is a founder and leader of the Israeli Consortium for Hereditary Breast Cancer. A longtime volunteer, she is currently a board member for nongovernmental organizations that promote the right to health equality and provides medical assistance at Physicians for Human Rights-Israel’s clinics, with special attention to underserved cancer patient populations. She goes beyond her daily patient work to care for the underserved populations in her region, including the recent influx of African refugees to Israel and the Palestinian villages of the West Bank.
Partners in Progress Award
Howard R. Soule, PhD
Dr. Soule is Executive Vice President and Chief Science Officer at the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the leading philanthropic organization in funding and accelerating prostate cancer research globally. His role in the Prostate Cancer Foundation has greatly contributed to the Foundation’s success in accelerating international research and in increasing public awareness of the disease.
Public Service Award
Richard Pazdur, MD
Dr. Pazdur is the Director of the Office of Hematology and Oncology Products in the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. He facilitates coordination of oncology activities across all FDA centers and ensures an ongoing outreach and collaboration between FDA, the National Cancer Institute, and other cancer-related organizations within and outside of the government.
Fellows of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO)
The Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO) distinction recognizes ASCO members for their extraordinary volunteer service, dedication, and commitment to ASCO. The 2013 recipients of this distinction are:
Stephen A. Cannistra, MD
Michael A. Carducci, MD
Eduardo L. Cazap, MD, PhD
Martin J. Murphy, DMedSc, PhD
Joan H. Schiller, MD
George W. Sledge Jr., MD
Everett E. Vokes, MD ■
© 2013. American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved.
