OncLive and The Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancers Names the 2020 Honorees of the Luminary Awards in GI Cancers

OncLive^®, the nation’s leading multimedia resource focused on providing oncology professionals with current and insightful information on patient care, in conjunction with The Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancers, honored five individuals with a 2020 Luminary Award in GI Cancers for their commitment to the GI cancer community. The Luminary Awards in GI Cancers event recognizing this year’s honorees will take place this Fall in tandem with the 2020 Ruesch Center Symposium.

“Congratulations to the 2020 Luminary Awards in GI Cancers honorees,” said Mike Hennessy Jr., president and CEO of MJH Life Sciences™, the parent company of OncLive^®. “All five of these individuals have influenced the field of GI cancers tremendously through research, clinical care and advocating for patients. We are so proud that we were able to collaborate with The Ruesch Center to celebrate these dedicated individuals, who make a difference every day by improving the lives of patients with gastrointestinal cancers.”

The following are the honorees for the 2020 Luminary Awards in GI Cancers:

• Richard M. Goldberg, MD, retired in December 2019 as the director of the West Virginia University Cancer Institute (WVUCI) and the WVU Cancer Signature Program. As WVUCI’s director, he oversaw the clinical, research, and teaching missions of the cancer institute and its component organizations, which include satellite clinical and clinical research locations dispersed throughout West Virginia. Considered an international leader in gastrointestinal cancer treatment and research, as well as in leadership of cancer programs in academic medicine for the past 36 years, Goldberg has held several prestigious positions in academic and clinical medicine and has published over 360 papers in peer-reviewed journals. Goldberg serves on several national scientific advisory committees and on the scientific advisory committee at the corporate level for a few pharmaceutical companies.
• Gayle S. Jameson, MSN, RN, ACNP-BC, AOCN, is a nurse practitioner who has cared for adults living with cancer for more than 40 years. In her role as a clinical investigator in the oncology clinical trials department at HonorHealth Research Institute (HRI) in Scottsdale, Arizona, she has been principal investigator on multiple phase I and investigator-initiated studies, and sub-investigator on more than 80 phase I anti-tumor clinical trials. As a pioneer in the role of an NP as clinical investigator in early cancer drug development, she served as founder and co-director of the Oncology Nurse Practitioner Clinical Investigator Intensive Course, held in 2018 and 2020, a collaborative project of HRI and City of Hope in Duarte, California. Jameson also specializes in symptom management, specifically fatigue, cachexia and other adverse effects from cancer and cancer treatment.
• Stacie C. Lindsey is the chief executive officer and founder of the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation. Lindsey established the foundation in 2006 to help find a cure for cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) and improve the quality of life for those affected by the disease through advocacy, education, collaboration and research. Since the foundation’s inception, she has engaged with different stakeholders in medical and academic communities; policymakers and regulators; and patients and advocates to advance research to benefit patients living with cholangiocarcinoma.
• Tyvin Rich, MD, FACR, is a radiation oncologist at the Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute and professor emeritus at the University of Virginia. Rich has spent his career involved with the use and development of agents that are used as radiation sensitizers, particularly for GI cancers.
• Diane M. Simeone, MD, is an internationally recognized surgeon and scientist serving as the director of the Pancreatic Cancer Center at New York University (NYU) Langone Health, associate director of translational research at Perlmutter Cancer Center and the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Professor of Surgery at NYU Langone Health. With a long-standing career focusing on the treatment of pancreatic neoplasms, she has been the recipient of numerous NIH grants for investigating the molecular mechanisms driving pancreatic metastasis and the development of novel, more effective therapeutic strategies to treat patients with pancreatic cancer. Simeone has also served as chair of the scientific and medical advisory board for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. She previously served as the president of both the Society of University Surgeons and the American Pancreatic Association.

"The Luminaries Awards is our opportunity to honor those who have set a standard for us all. Each awardee's dedication, creativity, compassion, and laser like focus on improving outcomes for GI cancer patients has translated into new standards. We give these awards to recognize their efforts and to inspire others as we continue in the fight," said John L. Marshall, MD, director, The Ruesch Center for the Cure of GI Cancers.