ASCO and Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, will recognize researchers, patient advocates, philanthropists, teachers, and global oncology leaders who have reshaped cancer care around the world with the Society’s highest honors at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting.
Eric P. Winer, MD, FASCO
“The recipients of this year’s Special Awards have made tremendous contributions to the oncology community, advancing progress and improving outcomes for people with cancer around the world,” said Eric P. Winer, MD, FASCO, past President of ASCO and Chair of the Joint Special Awards Selection Committee. “We are delighted to recognize their extraordinary achievements with ASCO’s highest honors.”
Allen Lichter Visionary Leader Award
Karen E. Knudsen, PhD, MBA, is an internationally recognized oncology leader and health-care executive. She recently completed her tenure as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. Prior to ACS, Dr.
Karen E. Knudsen, PhD, MBA
Knudsen was Executive Vice President of Oncology Services for Jefferson Health, Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, an endowed Professor, and Chair of the Department of Cancer Biology at Thomas Jefferson University. She is past President of the Association of American Cancer Institutes and served on the NCI Board of Advisors. Dr. Knudsen received numerous awards for her contributions to cancer research and health-care leadership and was recently honored by Forbes as one of “50 Over 50” Women of Impact and a CNBC “Changemaker.”
ASCO–American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Award
Susan M. Domchek, MD, FASCO, is the Basser Professor in Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania, Executive Director of the Basser Center for BRCA at the Abramson Cancer Center, and Director of the Mariann and Robert MacDonald Cancer Risk Evaluation Program. Her research focuses
Susan M. Domchek, MD, FASCO
on improving the genetic evaluation and medical care of individuals with inherited risk factors for cancer. In her seminal work, Dr. Domchek demonstrated that risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy is associated with improved survival in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers and has been critical to the development of PARP inhibitors in BRCA-associated cancers. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, the Association of American Physicians, and the American Society of Clinical Investigation and has authored or coauthored more than 450 articles.
BJ Kennedy Award for Geriatric Oncology Endowed by Tony and Carrie Cheung
Heidi Klepin, MD, MS, an internationally recognized leader in geriatric oncology, is Professor in the Department of Cancer Medicine at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Her research investigates the role of geriatric assessment and frailty measures to predict treatment outcomes and the design of interventions to minimize treatment-associated disability and improve quality of life. Dr.
Heidi Klepin, MD, MS
Klepin is a past participant in the ASCO Leadership Development Program and currently serves as a co-lead for the national Cancer and Aging Research Group. Her national leadership roles have included serving as past Chair of the ASCO Cancer Research Committee, a member of the American Society of Hematology Scientific Affairs Committee, and member of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Oncology Drug Advisory Committee. She also serves as Associate Director for the Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination Office for the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center.
David Karnofsky Science of Oncology Award
Dawn L. Hershman, MD, MS, FASCO, is American Cancer Society Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology with Tenure at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC). She is Deputy Director of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center and Interim Chief for the Division of Hematology/Oncology at NewYork–Presbyterian/Columbia. A medical oncologist specializing in breast
Dawn L. Hershman, MD, MS, FASCO
cancer, Dr. Hershman is Vice-Chair of the SWOG Cancer Research Network, a multiple principal investigator of the SWOG NCI Community Oncology Research Program Research Base, and Group Co-Chair–Elect of the SWOG Cancer Research Network. Dr. Hershman has received several awards including the Advanced Clinical Research Award in Breast Cancer from ASCO and Conquer Cancer, a Conquer Cancer Foundation Research Professorship in Breast Cancer Comparative Effectiveness Research, the Advanced Medical Achievement Award from the Avon Foundation, and a Komen scholarship. She also received the CUIMC Mentor of the Year Award as well as a Women Who Conquer Cancer Mentorship Award from Conquer Cancer.
Excellence in Equity Award, Endowed by the American Cancer Society
Don S. Dizon, MD, FACP, FASCO, is Professor of Medicine and Professor of Surgery at Brown University and serves as Vice Chair of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Professional Integrity at SWOG Cancer Research Network. He is Editor-in-Chief of CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. A medical
Don S. Dizon, MD, FACP, FASCO
oncologist specializing in new treatment approaches for ovarian, cervical, and uterine cancers; sexuality after cancer for men and women; equity in cancer care for the sexual and gender minoritized communities; and professional use of social media, Dr. Dizon is Director of the Pelvic Malignancies Program at Brown University Health and Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement at Legorreta Cancer Center at Brown University. Among his other roles, he sits on the board of the LGBTQ Cancer Network.
Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Award
Ian E. Krop, MD, PhD, is Associate Cancer Center Director for Clinical Research and Chief Clinical Research Officer at Yale Cancer Center. He also directs the cancer center’s Clinical Trial Office and is
Ian E. Krop, MD, PhD
Professor of Medicine at Yale School of Medicine. Additionally, Dr. Krop serves as Chief Scientific Officer for the Translational Breast Cancer Research Consortium. A translational investigator focused on developing novel molecularly targeted therapies and immunotherapies for breast cancer and elucidating the mechanisms of resistance to these treatments, he has been a leader in the development of antibody-drug conjugates in breast cancer including ado-trastuzumab emtansine and fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki.
Humanitarian Award
Barbara L. McAneny, MD, MACP, FASCO, is a board-certified medical oncologist/hematologist based in Albuquerque and co-founder and CEO of New Mexico Oncology Hematology Consultants. She was the 173rd President of the American Medical Association (AMA). Dr. McAneny is a past member
Barbara L. McAneny, MD, MACP, FASCO
of the ASCO Board of Directors and past President of the New Mexico Medical Society, the Greater Albuquerque Medical Association, and the New Mexico Society of Clinical Oncology. She is Co-Chair of the board and a founder of the ONCare Alliance, a network of independent oncology practices across the United States. Prior to this, Dr. McAneny was a founding member of Oncology Circle, a group of oncology practices using data to promote best practices and contribute data to ASCO’s PracticeNET. She also founded New Mexico Cancer Center Foundation, which helps patients overcome barriers to care by providing grants to pay for nonmedical expenses.
Jamie Von Roenn Excellence in Teaching and Mentorship Award
Christopher Flowers, MD, MSc, FASCO, is Chair of the Department of Lymphoma/Myeloma and Division Head for Cancer Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Prior to joining MD Anderson, he was a tenured Professor of Hematology and Oncology with a joint appointment in Biomedical Informatics at Emory University School of Medicine. He served as Director
Christopher Flowers, MD, MSc, FASCO
of the Lymphoma Program at Winship Cancer Institute, where he also was Scientific Director of Research Informatics. An internationally recognized expert in lymphoma clinical care, epidemiology, and outcomes research, Dr. Flowers is an active clinician who conducts clinical research involving cancer outcomes, cancer informatics, and phase I/II trials, focusing on the development of novel therapeutics for B-cell lymphomas. A committed mentor to women and underrepresented minorities, he leveraged his K24 for Mentored Patient-Oriented Research in Lymphoma, served as a Women in Lymphoma Change Champion, and generated 20 grants with women mentees and 14 with underrepresented minority mentees.
Patient Advocate Award
Karen E. Jackson has been recognized as a pioneer and a leader in the national Black breast cancer movement since 1994. As the founder and CEO of Sisters Network Inc. (SNI), she is a 31-year, four-time breast cancer survivor and an accomplished author. She founded SNI after experiencing and
Karen E. Jackson
recognizing the absence of a supportive “Sisterhood” in conventional organizations; she set out to confront the silence, shame, and stigma associated with breast cancer in the Black community. Her objective was to educate and empower Black women, encourage early detection, and ultimately increase survival rates of Black women. Ms. Jackson’s advocacy for breast health awareness has garnered her numerous awards, including the BET Her Fights: Breast Cancer TV Award, EbonyMagazine’s Power 100 List, and a Champion of Change by JC Penney. She is the author of the books Breast Cancer Black Women and My Mother’s Breast, Celebrating Life.
Pediatric Oncology Award
Melissa Hudson, MD, FASCO, is Director of the Cancer Survivorship Division in the Department of Oncology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. She joined the St. Jude faculty in 1989 and became Director of the After Completion of Therapy (ACT) Clinic in 1993. During her tenure as
Melissa Hudson, MD, FASCO
Director, the ACT Clinic has served as a paradigm of optimal risk-based survivor care within a research setting, which provides a screening and prevention plan that integrates the cancer experience with health-care needs. Dr. Hudson disseminated the St. Jude model of risk-based survivor care through her activities in the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) as Co-Chair of the COG Long-Term Follow-up Guidelines for Survivors of Childhood, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancer and Co-Chair of the International Late Effects of Childhood Cancer Guideline Harmonization Group. She is the principal investigator of the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort Study and a member of the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study Executive Committee.
Walther Cancer Foundation Supportive Oncology Award
Karen M. Mustian, PhD, is a Dean’s Distinguished Professor in the Department of Surgery, Associate Director of Population Science at Wilmot Cancer Institute, Co-Director and principal investigator of the University of Rochester Cancer Center NCORP Research Base, and founding Director of the University of Rochester Medical Center PEAK Human Performance Clinical Research
Karen M. Mustian, PhD
Laboratory. She is also a faculty associate for the Susan B. Anthony Institute for Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies at the University of Rochester. Dr. Mustian has conducted several landmark clinical trials; she was among the first to discover that tai chi chuan is effective for improving functional capacity among breast cancer survivors and to demonstrate that yoga is effective for treating insomnia and fatigue among cancer survivors in a phase III randomized nationwide clinical trial. She was also among the first to demonstrate that an individualized, home-based exercise prescription for walking and resistance band training is effective for treating cognitive impairment, chemotherapy-induced neuropathy, anxiety, and mood in a phase III nationwide randomized clinical trial.
ASCO and Conquer Cancer acknowledge the generous support of the American Cancer Society for the ASCO-American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Award and the Endowed ASCO Excellence in Equity Award; GlaxoSmithKline Oncology for the Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Award; Dr. Tony and Mrs. Carrie Cheung for the Endowed BJ Kennedy Geriatric Oncology Award; and the Walther Cancer Foundation for the Walther Cancer Foundation Supportive Oncology Award.
Originally published in ASCO Connection. © American Society of Clinical Oncology. ASCO Connection, January 27, 2025. All rights reserved.
