The Personalized Medicine Coalition (PMC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing personalized medicine, recently announced that physician-scientist Norman E. “Ned” Sharpless, MD, has been selected as the recipient of the 20th Annual Award for Leadership in Personalized Medicine, recognizing his important contributions to advancing cancer research, precision oncology, and personalized medicine.
Norman E. “Ned” Sharpless, MD
The Award for Leadership in Personalized Medicine honors visionary leaders whose work has advanced the science, policy, and practice of personalized medicine, helping to transform healthcare and improve outcomes for patients worldwide.
Dr. Sharpless has dedicated his career to accelerating the translation of scientific discovery into better patient care. As Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Acting Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and a leader at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, he has advanced precision oncology through groundbreaking research, strengthened collaboration across government, academia, and industry, and championed policies that support the development and adoption of personalized approaches to cancer care.
Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Sharpless played a pivotal role in advancing the national cancer research agenda, expanding the use of precision oncology, and promoting innovative approaches to early detection, biomarker-driven care, and translational science. His leadership has helped accelerate the development of new therapies, strengthen public-private collaboration, and improve the integration of scientific discoveries into clinical practice, benefiting patients around the world.
“Dr. Sharpless has had an extraordinary impact on the advancement of personalized medicine,” said Gina Ross Murdoch, MBA, President and CEO of the Personalized Medicine Coalition. “His leadership has advanced precision oncology and helped translate scientific discovery into better care for patients. We are honored to recognize his remarkable contributions with the 20th Annual Award for Leadership in Personalized Medicine.”
“My professional career has been spent trying to help physicians see cancer not as a single disease, but as a collection of heterogeneous diseases, each with its own causes and its own treatments,” said Dr. Sharpless. “I believe that getting the right medicine to the right patient is one of the key conclusions of the last 30 years of cancer genetics. That’s why it’s especially meaningful to be recognized by the Personalized Medicine Coalition. I’m deeply honored and grateful for this recognition.”
Dr. Sharpless will receive the award during the 20th Annual Personalized Medicine Conference, to be held November 18–19, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Boston/Cambridge.
About the Personalized Medicine Coalition
The Personalized Medicine Coalition (PMC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing personalized medicine by fostering scientific innovation, promoting sound public policy, educating stakeholders, and convening leaders from across the healthcare ecosystem. PMC brings together biopharmaceutical and diagnostic companies, health-care providers, patient advocacy organizations, government, academia, and technology leaders to accelerate the adoption of personalized medicine and improve patient outcomes.
