New Members Elected to ASCO Board of Directors and Nominating Committee for 2023-2024 Term

 

Alexandria, VA -- ASCO has elected Lynn M. Schuchter, MD, FASCO, a long-time member and volunteer, to serve as its President beginning in June 2023. Dr. Schuchter will take office as President-Elect immediately after the ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago in June 2022. Seven new members were also elected to the ASCO Board of Directors and Nominating Committee. This is the first ASCO election to take place under the recently amended Bylaws that were approved by the members last year. These amendments were designed to increase diversity and representation among ASCO elected leaders and have resulted in one of the most diverse groups of incoming Board and Nominating Committee members in ASCO history.

“I am honored to be elected to serve as ASCO’s President. I grew up with ASCO. Volunteering and working with ASCO has been a highlight of my career,” Dr. Schuchter said. “I am excited to build on these experiences and lead ASCO, a vital and dynamic organization with so much to offer its members. ASCO is committed to improving the outcomes and the care of our patients, and I am excited to support ASCO across all its missions.”

Dr. Schuchter is chief of the Division of Hematology-Oncology at the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, director of the Tara Miller Melanoma Center and Professor of Hematology-Oncology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Schuchter served on the ASCO Board of Directors from 2009 to 2012, as well as several ASCO committees, including terms as chair of the Annual Meeting Scientific Program Committee, Cancer Research Committee, and Cancer Communications Committee. In 2019, she was recognized with the Hologic, Inc Endowed Women Who Conquer Cancer Mentorship Award from Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation.  

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 four-year terms as members of ASCO's Board of Directors starting in June 2022:  

Carolyn B. Hendricks, MD, FASCO, has been elected to the Designated Community Oncologist seat. Dr. Hendricks is a medical oncologist specializing in breast cancer genetics, screening, and treatment at Maryland Oncology Hematology PA. She has served on a number of ASCO committees, including as chair of the ABIM-ASCO Breast Cancer Exam Subcommittee, chair-elect of the Practice Quality Improvement Steering Group, past chair of the Government Relations Committee, and a member of Clinical Practice Committee and the Quality Training Program Steering Group, among other volunteer service. Dr. Hendricks was honored as Advocate of the Year by the Association for Clinical Oncology in 2019.             

Frederick Chite Asirwa, MD, MBChB, has been elected to the Designated International Oncologist seat. Dr. Asirwa is the chief oncologist and hematologist and the CEO/executive director of the International Cancer Institute in Kenya. He is a member of the ESMO/ASCO Task Force for Global Curriculum for Training in Medical Oncology, and has previously served on the ASCO International Affairs Committee, ASCO Education Council, ASCO’s Academic Global Oncology Task Force, and the ASCO-ESMO Global Oncology Curriculum Committee. Recently, Dr. Asirwa served as faculty in the ASCO Virtual Research Training for West African Researchers.

Karen M. Winkfield, MD, PhD, has been elected to the Designated Radiation Oncologist seat. Dr. Winkfield is the executive director of the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance and a radiation oncologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She is chair of the ASCO Diversity and Inclusivity Task Force, a member of the ASCO Government Relations Committee and the ASCO-ACCC Collaboration to Increase Participation of Racial & Ethnic Minority Populations in Cancer, and an associate editor for Cancer.Net. Dr. Winkfield is a past participant in the ASCO Leadership Development Program and was recently appointed by President Joe Biden to serve on the National Cancer Advisory Board.

Ann H. Partridge, MD, MPH, FASCO, has been elected to an Undesignated Member seat. Dr. Partridge is vice chair of the Department of Medical Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where she also serves as director of the Adult Survivorship Program and co-founder and director of the Program for Young Women with Breast Cancer. She is a professor at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Partridge has served on numerous ASCO committees and initiatives including as chair of both the Clinical Practice Guidelines Committee and Scientific Program Committee for the 2018 Annual Meeting. She chaired the Center for Disease Control’s Advisory Committee on Breast Cancer in Young Women from 2010-2017 and is leading national clinical research endeavors as co-chair of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology Breast Committee and a member of the NCI Breast Cancer Steering Committee. Dr. Partridge is a recipient of a Champions of Change award from the U.S. White House, the AACR Outstanding Investigator Award for Breast Cancer, and ASCO’s Ellen L. Stovall Award for Advancement of Cancer Survivorship Care from Conquer Cancer.

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 three-year term on the ASCO Nominating Committee, beginning in June 2022:

Dan S. Zuckerman, MD, FASCO, has been elected to the Designated Community Oncologist seat. Dr. Zuckerman is the director of gastrointestinal oncology and the former system medical director of St. Luke’s Cancer Institute. He focuses on GI medical oncology and is an adjunct professor of medicine at University of Washington Medical School. He is a member of the ASCO Gastrointestinal Measures Panel and Joint Certifications Committee, and serves as an Association External Liaisons representative, among additional past volunteer service, including as a past chair of the ASCO Clinical Practice Committee.

Cardinale B. Smith, MD, PhD, has been elected to an Undesignated Member seat. Dr. Smith is an associate professor, thoracic oncologist, and palliative medicine physician at the Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She is a member of the ASCO Joint Certifications Committee, Quality Publications Task Force, and Quality Care Symposium Planning Committee, and serves as a specialty editor for Clinical Cancer Advances, among additional past volunteer service. Dr. Smith is a past participant in the ASCO Leadership Development Program.

Rachna T. Shroff, MD, has been elected to an Undesignated Member seat. Dr. Shroff is an associate professor of medicine, chief of the Section of GI Medical Oncology, leader of the University of Arizona Cancer Center GI Clinical Research Team, director of the Clinical Trials Office, associate dean of clinical and translational research at UA College of Medicine-Tucson, an associate professor of cancer biology-GIDP, and medical director of the Arizona Clinical Trials Network (ACTN) at the University of Arizona Cancer Center. She serves as co-chair of the ASCO Gastrointestinal Guideline Advisory Group and a member of the Systemic Therapy for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma Expert Panel, track leader of the Gastrointestinal Cancer – Gastroesophageal, Pancreatic, and Hepatobiliary track of the Annual Meeting Education Committee, the Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium Leadership Committee, and the ASCO Daily News Expert Panel, among additional past volunteer service. She is currently participating in the ASCO Leadership Development Program. Dr. Shroff is a past recipient of a Young Investigator Award and Merit Award from Conquer Cancer.

About ASCO: 

Founded in 1964, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) is committed to making a world of difference in cancer care. As the world’s leading organization of its kind, ASCO represents nearly 45,000 oncology professionals who care for people living with cancer. Through research, education, and promotion of the highest-quality patient care, ASCO works to conquer cancer and create a world where cancer is prevented or cured, and every survivor is healthy. ASCO is supported by its affiliate organization, the Conquer Cancer Foundation. Learn more at www.ASCO.org, explore patient education resources at www.Cancer.Net, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

This was originally published by the ASCO.