Winners each receive a $50,000 award to
donate to a cancer non-profit
The oncology community gathered together last night to celebrate
the winners of the first Cancer Community (C2) Awards. These awards
recognize individuals and organizations who have created positive
change in cancer care. The awards – a partnership between
AstraZeneca and Scientific American Custom Media – includes
nominations submitted by organizations from across the cancer
ecosystem and participation from an esteemed panel of third-party
judges.
“There is so much progress happening in cancer care, but it
takes a village to make real change,” expressed Olivier Nataf, Head
of US Oncology, AstraZeneca. “We recognize our responsibility to go
beyond our medicines and amplify the inspiring work happening to
make a difference in the lives of people affected by cancer”.
The awards received more than 90 nominations in its inaugural
year in four categories:
C2 Catalyst for Change
Nominees in this category made a difference in bringing science
and innovation in cancer care to patients in underserved
communities. Dr. Keith Winfrey, Chief Medical Officer at New
Orleans East Louisiana Community Health Center won for his work
boosting screening rates for colon cancer from three percent to 80
percent over the course of six years.
Other finalists in this category included Dian “CJ” Cornelissen,
Founder and Director Emeritus, METAvivor whose focus is on
metastatic breast cancer patients, and Curémonos, a program
established to eliminate barriers and disparities encountered by
underserved women, particularly Latinas, affected by breast
cancer.
C2 Catalyst for Care
Individuals and organizations recognized in this category
focused on making the experience of cancer care easier for
patients. This year’s winner was the Centers of Excellence
Program from the GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer.
The program makes high-quality lung-cancer care accessible to
patients, regardless of geographic location, by bringing a standard
of care to community hospitals comparable to that provided by large
medical and academic centers.
The two additional finalists included John and Christine
Lederer, Co-Founders of Zaching Against Cancer Foundation – a
group dedicated to providing financial, logistical and
complementary therapies through partnerships with hospitals and
oncology centers – and Patricia Goldsmith, CEO of
CancerCare, an organization providing free emotional and
practical assistance for those affected by cancer.
C2 Catalyst for Precision Medicine
This category celebrates those expanding the boundaries for how
to personalize care and ensure the right patients are getting the
right medications at the right time. Winners celebrated this year
included Barbara J. Gitlitz, MD and Geoffrey R. Oxnard, MD,
Co-Principal Investigators of the Genomics of Young Lung Cancer
Study (GoYLC), the first study of lung cancer in
adolescents/young adults under the age of 40, which found about 80
percent of young lung-cancer patients with adenocarcinoma had a
driver mutation treatable with available targeted therapies or
precision medicine.
Additional finalists were Roman Yelensky, PhD, Executive Vice
President & Chief Technology Officer with Gritstone
Oncology working on next-generation sequencing to identify
mutations and target treatment and the ROS1ders – a group of
ROS1-positive cancer patients using social media and online
networking to identify patients from 20 countries with the ROS1
mutation thereby allowing additional research.
President’s Award
AstraZeneca selected the winner of this category. The sole
criteria was making a tangible and inspiring difference in the
lives of patients or their loved ones. The winner – Ovarian
Cancer Research Alliance’s Survivors Teaching Students®
– brings ovarian cancer survivors and caregivers into medical
education programs through a dedicated army of over 900
survivor-volunteers, who educate future healthcare professionals
about ovarian cancer by sharing stories of diagnosis, treatment and
survivorship, along with facts about the disease.
“There is incredible work happening across the oncology
community,” said Jeremy Abbate, the publisher of Scientific
American. “This is true not only of the winners and finalists
recognized during our awards ceremony, but also of individuals and
organizations working hard every day to make a profound difference
for those living with or affected by cancer. We are humbled to
think about the collective difference that can be made when this
community comes together, and that really is what the C2 Awards are
all about.”
A full list of finalists is available here.
About YOUR Cancer
The C2 Awards are part of the YOUR Cancer Program, a broader
initiative launched by AstraZeneca to spotlight those at the
forefront of cancer research and patient support who are
contributing toward eliminating cancer as a cause of death.
YOUR CANCER aims to convene, engage,
and highlight the full breadth of the oncology community, utilizing
four pillars: a digital partnership hub profiling community
resources and perspectives, an awards program recognizing the
unsung heroes of oncology, state-level roundtables with local
policymakers and advocates, and media and speaking engagements
profiling community oncology leaders.
About AstraZeneca in Oncology
AstraZeneca has a deep-rooted heritage in Oncology and offers a
quickly-growing portfolio of new medicines that has the potential
to transform patients’ lives and the Company’s future. With at
least six new medicines to be launched between 2014 and 2020, and a
broad pipeline of small molecules and biologics in development, we
are committed to advance Oncology as a growth driver for
AstraZeneca focused on lung, ovarian, breast and blood cancers. In
addition to our core capabilities, we actively pursue innovative
partnerships and investments that accelerate the delivery of our
strategy, as illustrated by our investment in Acerta Pharma in
hematology.
By harnessing the power of four scientific platforms –
Immuno-Oncology, Tumor Drivers and Resistance, DNA Damage Response
and Antibody Drug Conjugates – and by championing the development
of personalized combinations, AstraZeneca has the vision to
redefine cancer treatment and one day eliminate cancer as a cause
of death.
About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company
that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of
prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of diseases in
three therapy areas - Oncology, Cardiovascular, Renal &
Metabolism and Respiratory. AstraZeneca operates in over 100
countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of
patients worldwide. For more information, please visit
www.astrazeneca-us.com and follow us on Twitter @AstraZenecaUS.
About Scientific American Custom Media
Scientific American's award-winning Custom Media team (SACM)
develops targeted, strategic content programs in partnership with
corporations, governments, and academic institutions. SACM operates
as a division separate from the magazine’s Board of Editors to
create highly engaging, one-of-a-kind media programs for
thought-leading audiences. From mini-documentaries or custom events
to standalone magazines and native content series, SACM offers its
partners opportunities to build compelling and distinct narratives
that convey their brand values and unique stories.
US-29047 Last Updated 4/19
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190503005213/en/
Michele Meixell +1 302-885-2677Stephanie Wiswall +1
302-885-2677
AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024