The Association of the American Cancer Institutes (AACI) Vice President/President-Elect Robert A. Winn, MD, Director of Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center, recently received the AACI Cancer Health Equity Award. Dr. Winn is the inaugural recipient of the award, which was presented during the 2021 AACI/Cancer Center Administrators Forum Annual Meeting.
Robert A. Winn, MD
AACI has recognized Dr. Winn for his commitment to improving health equity and his positive impact on cancer care in Virginia. Driven by a belief that community engagement is a central component of population health management, Dr. Winn promotes services that reflect the unique needs and values of the populations Massey serves. He provides direction for the VCU Massey Office of Health Equity and Disparities Research, which offers a wide variety of health education programming, screenings, and resources for the public.
Ensuring Equal Access
In addition to his work in the Massey catchment area, Dr. Winn is at the forefront of addressing health disparities, promoting health equity, and advocating for diversity and inclusion in cancer care at the national level. He currently serves as a principal investigator on several community-based projects funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), including the All of Us Research Program. He has received national and international acclaim for his efforts to empower underserved patient populations and improve health-care delivery.
Dr. Winn will oversee the Diversity in Clinical Trials Career Development Program, a partnership with National Medical Fellowships and Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation that seeks to advance clinical trial diversity and improve access to quality health care in underserved patient populations in the United States while developing a more diverse medical workforce.
Additional Honorees
AACI also recognized Judy E. Garber, MD, MPH, with the Distinguished Scientist Award, and Sidney and Caroline Kimmel received the Champion for Cures Award. Dr. Garber, the Susan F. Smith Chair and Chief of the Division of Cancer Genetics and Prevention at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, has been honored for her breakthrough research on the treatment of triple-negative or basal-like breast cancer. The Kimmels were recognized for their transformative philanthropy and long-standing support of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health.
Robert T. Croyle, PhD, Director of the NCI’s Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, was honored for his service to the NCI and his commitment to reducing incidence, risk, and deaths from cancer while enhancing quality of life for cancer survivors.
