Committee of Elite Oncologists Selects World's Best to Receive OncLive's 2015 Giants of Cancer Care Awards

PLAINSBORO, N.J. (May 14, 2015) — OncLive’s Giants of Cancer Care™ award stands out among medical honors because those judging the national and international nominees are experts themselves, renowned for groundbreaking achievements in cancer care and research, according to Michael J. Hennessy Sr., chairman and CEO of Michael J. Hennessy Associates, Inc. MJH is a healthcare communications company committed to advancing cancer care through a broad range of educational, research and communications services.

Individuals chosen by this elite committee to receive the 2015 Giants of Cancer Care award for outstanding contributions in the field of oncology will be announced Friday, May 29, during the 3rd Annual Giants of Cancer Care Award Ceremony held 8:30 to 11 p.m. CDT at the Chicago Illuminating Company, 2110 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago, Ill. Sponsors of the 2015 Giants of Cancer Care program are Novartis, Merck & Co., Inc. and Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.

“The Giants of Cancer Care program celebrates individuals chosen from a pool of elite national and international physicians who have made outstanding contributions to tumor-specific specialties, scientific advances, community outreach, immuno-oncology or supportive/palliative care,” said Hennessy. He leads MJH, corporate parent of the Giants of Cancer Care program and a full-service healthcare communications company whose businesses address a broad range of therapeutic areas through digital and print publications, research and educational programs.

This year’s 28-member selection committee is chaired by Dr. Hope S. Rugo, clinical professor in the Department of Medicine (Hematology/Oncology) and director of the Breast Oncology Clinical Trials Program at the University of California, San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. Rugo is principal investigator of multiple clinical trials focusing on combining novel targeted therapeutics with standard treatment to improve the care of patients with early- and late-stage breast cancer.

The selection committee, composed of eminent oncologists, chooses 12 honorees from 8 tumor-specific categories and 4 specialty categories. Rugo is joined on the committee this year by experts in tumor cancers, melanoma, hematologic malignancies, immuno-oncology, genetics and palliative care from across the U.S., including:

Dr. Roy Herbst, a nationally recognized leader in lung cancer treatment and research, best known for his work in developmental therapeutics and the process of linking genetic abnormalities of cancer cells to novel therapies at the Yale Comprehensive Cancer Center. Herbst serves as Ensign Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology) and professor of pharmacology at Yale School of Medicine, and as chief of medical oncology, Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven.

Dr. Susan M. O’Brien, principal investigator or co-principal investigator for several funded research projects and primary investigator for more than 20 funded protocols, also has served on the Translational Research Study Section for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. O’Brien, formerly at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, recently joined UC Irvine Health as associate director for clinical science for the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and medical director of the Sue and Ralph Stern Center for Cancer Clinical Trials and Research.

Dr. Jeffrey Weber’s research is focused on translational clinical trials, including the development of novel trials in melanoma based on lab work at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla. As director of the Donald A. Adam Comprehensive Melanoma Research Center and professor in the Department of Oncologic Sciences, Weber is principal investigator on several ongoing studies funded by the National Cancer Institute, including trials in clinical drug development, vaccines and studies on autoimmunity and melanoma.

Dr. Nicholas J. Vogelzang is an expert in genitourinary malignancies who serves as chair and medical director of the Developmental Therapeutics Committee at Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada. Vogelzang is a renowned medical oncologist and cancer researcher who has authored or coauthored numerous peer-reviewed articles, book chapters and abstracts, and serves as co-chair of the Genitourinary Committee for US Oncology Research.

The Giants of Cancer Care award applauds achievements of leading researchers and educators whose discoveries have helped propel the field forward and established the building blocks for future advances.

Please check back on http://giants.onclive.com/ after the ceremony for the results.

About OncLive

OncLive.com is the official website for Intellisphere’s Oncology Specialty Group, which publishes Oncology & Biotech News, OncologyLive, Oncology Nursing News and Contemporary Oncology. OncLive offers oncology professionals resources and information they need to provide the best care for their patients. Intellisphere, LLC, a leading provider of healthcare publishing, research and education, is part of the Michael J. Hennessy Associates, Inc., family of businesses, based in Plainsboro, N.J. MJH also includes the acclaimed CURE Media Group, which combines science and humanity to make cancer understandable. Its flagship product is CURE™ magazine, the largest consumer publication in the U.S. focused entirely on cancer, reaching cancer patients, cancer centers and advocacy groups. To learn more, please visit http://www.OncLive.com.

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Media inquiries: please contact Becky Taylor at becky@btaylorpa.com or at 609.240.6886