The Association of Northern California Oncologists (ANCO), an ASCO Affiliate, is among the newest nonprofit supporters of the Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (CCF). ANCO is generously funding a 2018 Young Investigator Award (YIA) for a qualified northern California applicant working on mentored clinical and/or translational cancer research. The recipient of the ANCO YIA will be announced at the CCF Grants and Awards Ceremony during the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago.
Since 1984, the YIA program has been encouraging and promoting high-quality clinical cancer research by providing funds to promising investigators during the transition from a fellowship program to a faculty appointment, an especially vulnerable time for young scientists who are on the cusp of starting their careers.
Jose Gonzalez
Nancy R. Daly, MS, MPH
“ANCO chose to support a YIA because we recognize the importance of investing in young physicians at the beginning of their careers, especially those doing research that will help tackle this disease,” said Jose Gonzalez, Executive Director of ANCO. “We are very excited and very hopeful that we will get many qualified applications and that CCF will have a hard time choosing one,” he said.
“The Conquer Cancer Foundation appreciates the generous support of ANCO and the opportunity to work together as partners advancing high-quality cancer research taking place in northern California through the Young Investigator Award program,” said Nancy R. Daly, MS, MPH, Executive Vice President and Chief Philanthropic Officer of CCF.
More Information About ANCO
THE HISTORY of ANCO dates back to 1990, when a group of physicians in northern California created the organization as a way to have more influence on the practice of oncology vis-à-vis the payers in the region. Since then, ANCO membership has grown to include more than 500 physicians from academic institutions and private practice. There are no geographical boundaries for ANCO, but most members work in private practice or at the major centers in the area, including Kaiser Permanente; Stanford University; the University of California, Davis; or the University of California, San Francisco. ANCO members must be board certified or board eligible in one of the oncologic subspecialties. Membership benefits extend to the entire organization including hematologists, oncologists, nurses, and advanced practice providers, as well as patients and the cancer community at large.
The three main services offered by ANCO are advocacy, education, and information dissemination. An active and engaged state/regional affiliate of ASCO, ANCO works with ASCO before Congress and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on cancer issues.
At the state level, ANCO works closely with the Medical Oncology Association of Southern California to influence and offer legislation affecting cancer care in California. ANCO helps societies like ASCO mobilize at a grassroots level when issues impacting the practice of oncology arise. The Society also meets with insurance companies on behalf of its members to discuss topics such as coverage policies and claims adjudication.
ANCO is currently involved in an ongoing effort to pass legislation in California that would regulate development and implementation of clinical care pathways in cancer care by private insurance companies.
ANCO offers a robust portfolio of clinical and professional educational programs for its members, including ASCO Highlights, San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium Highlights, and Hematologic Malignancies Updates, to name a few. ANCO also organizes an annual professional education meeting for its members to discuss topics of current relevance, such as MACRA and MIPS participation.
“People love coming to our ASCO Highlights meeting, particularly private practice physicians who are not typically able to take several days off to attend the ASCO Annual Meeting. These meetings distill all the major research advances presented at the ASCO Annual Meeting that may impact their practice in the next year and also provide valuable networking opportunities and the chance for interaction between private practice physicians and their academic colleagues,” said Mr. Gonzalez.
ANCO is a cosponsor of the 18th Multidisciplinary Management of Cancers: A Case-Based Approach, which takes place March 12–18, 2018, at the Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa. Over the course of 3 days, faculty from three northern California academic medical centers will present the most current information on multidisciplinary approaches in clinical oncology using “real-life” tumor board cases from a variety of diagnoses. The conference is designed for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other health-care professionals who work with cancer patients.
To learn more about ANCO programs and membership benefits, visit www.anco-online.org. To learn more about the Young Investigator Award, visit www.CONQUER.org/YIA. ■
© 2017. American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved.
