ASCO has elected Robin Zon, MD, FACP, FASCO, a long-time member and volunteer, to lead as its President beginning in June 2024. Dr. Zon will take office as President-Elect immediately following the ASCO Annual Business Meeting in Chicago on June 5, 2023. Five additional members were also elected to the ASCO Board of Directors and Nominating Committee.
“I’m honored to be elected to serve ASCO as its President,” Dr. Zon said. “I am eager to take on this role to lead the membership in its mission to improve patient-centered cancer care, address cancer equity and diversity, support clinical practice, and advocate for policies to support high-quality care both domestically and globally.”
Robin Zon, MD, FACP, FASCO
Dr. Zon currently practices as Physician Emeritus at Michiana Hematology Oncology in Mishawaka, Indiana, where she previously served as President. She formerly served as Medical Director of Oncology Research at Memorial Hospital, and National Cancer Institute (NCI) Community Clinical Oncology Program Associate and then Principal Investigator until 2013 for the Northern Indiana Cancer Research Consortium, the only NCI-designated Community Cancer Oncology Program in the state of Indiana.
Dr. Zon is an active volunteer for ASCO, most recently being awarded ASCO’s Advocate of the Year for her significant advocacy work on behalf of individuals living with cancer and their cancer care teams. She was also the recipient of ASCO’s Distinguished Achievement Award. She currently is a member of the Board of Governors for ASCO’s CancerLinQ. Dr. Zon is a past Chair of ASCO’s Government Relations Committee, where she provided distinguished leadership in the Society’s advocacy efforts. She also served on the ASCO Board of Directors from 2010 to 2013, along with participating in many other ASCO-related responsibilities.
Newly Elected ASCO Board Members
ASCO's Board of Directors is comprised of oncology leaders who are elected to positions reflecting various specialties within the oncology field. The following physicians will begin 4-year terms as members of ASCO's Board of Directors starting in June 2023:
Debra Patt, MD, MBA, PhD, FASCO, has been elected to the Designated Community Oncologist seat. Dr. Patt is the Executive Vice President of Texas Oncology PA and a Clinical Professor at Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin. She serves as the Past President of the Texas Society of Clinical Oncology (an ASCO State Affiliate) and as Editor-in-Chief of JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics. Dr. Patt is a member of the ASCO Expert Panels on Systemic Therapy for Advanced HER2+ Breast Cancer and Brain Metastases and Telemedicine Standards, and past member of the Nominating Committee, among other volunteer service. She was a 2013–2014 ASCO Leadership Development Program participant and a recipient of both a Young Investigator Award and a Merit Award from Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation.
Kathleen Moore, MD, MS, has been elected to the Designated Surgical Oncologist seat. Dr. Moore is Associate Director of Clinical Research, Professor of Gynecologic Oncology, and Director of the Oklahoma TSET Phase 1 Program at the Stephenson Cancer Center at the University of Oklahoma. She is a member of ASCO’s Cancer Communications Committee, serves as a journal author and peer reviewer, and is a past member of the Annual Meeting Education Committee and Clinical Practice Committee.
Jennifer Temel, MD, has been elected to an Undesignated Member seat. Dr. Temel is a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Clinical Director of Thoracic Oncology at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Co-Director of the Cancer Outcomes Research and Education Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, and co-leader of the Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Outcomes Research Program. She was the 2018 Walther Cancer Foundation Supportive Oncology Award recipient and the 2005 Conquer Cancer Career Development Award recipient. She is a past member of the Annual Meeting Education Committee and Supportive Care in Oncology Symposium Steering Committee.
Newly Elected Members of the ASCO Nominating Committee
Members of the Nominating Committee are tasked with developing a slate of candidates for elected ASCO positions. The following physicians will each serve a 3-year term on the ASCO Nominating Committee, beginning in June 2023:
Sumanta Pal, MD, FASCO, has been elected to an Undesignated Member seat. Dr. Pal is Co-Director of City of Hope's Kidney Cancer Program and is the head of the kidney and bladder cancer disease team at the institution. He is an associate editor for Cancer.Net, previously served as Chair of ASCO’s Cancer Communications Committee, and was a 2016–2017 Leadership Development Program participant. He is also a past member of the COVID-19 Response Task Force and Annual Meeting Scientific Program Committee.
Neha Vapiwala, MD, FACR, FASTRO, has been elected to an Undesignated Member seat. Dr. Vapiwala is Professor and Vice Chair of Education in the Department of Radiation Oncology and Dean of Admissions at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She specializes in the management of patients with genitourinary (GU) cancers, serving as the department's first Chief of GU Oncology. Dr. Vapiwala is a graduate of ASCO’s Leadership Development Program and is a former Track Leader on the ASCO Annual Meeting Scientific Program Committee. She currently serves on the editorial board for ASCO Digital Education, as well as the Journal of Clinical Oncology and JAMA Oncology.
