PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA — The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) has announced the 2023 recipients of awards honoring individuals who made a remarkable difference in improving the lives of people with cancer over the past year.
2023 NCCN Award Recipients:
- Theresa J. Franco, MSN, RN, Vice President, Cancer Clinical Operations, Nebraska Medicine
- NCCN Board of Producers Award recipient for exemplary service of NCCN’s mission
- F. Marc Stewart, MD, Professor, Vice Chair, Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope
- NCCN Board of Producers Award recipient for exemplary service of NCCN’s mission
- Douglas E. Wood, MD, FACS, FRCSEd, The Henry N. Harkins Professor and Chair, Department of Surgery, and Physician at University of Washington School of Medicine and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
- Rodger Winn Award recipient for work on NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®)
- Donna M. Powell, DHSc, CMD, RT(T), Senior Scientist, Radiation Therapy & Imaging Programs, NCCN
- Pat Daulerio Employee of the Year for exemplifying NCCN Core Values
NCCN Board of Directors Member Theresa Franco was presented with one of two Board of Producers awards for her longtime passion for improving cancer care delivery. Franco serves as Vice President of cancer clinical operations for Nebraska Medicine’s Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center. Her perspective and insights have played a key role in guiding NCCN. She is a founding member and Co-Chair of the NCCN Best Practices Committee where she works with other leaders to advise on ways to enhance cancer care operations and improve patient care. Franco was praised for being energetic, motivated, and insightful; never settling for the status quo when tackling challenging problems.
“I am both honored and humbled by this recognition,” said Franco. “It has been incredibly rewarding both personally and professionally to be in the company of so many inspiring colleagues over two decades who have dedicated their time and demonstrated their passion for advancing cancer care both nationally and internationally.”
Dr. Stewart earned the other Board of Producers award for his exemplary service helping NCCN achieve its mission. Over the years, Dr. Stewart has been involved with the NCCN Best Practices Committee, serving as Co-Chair, and providing guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was also very active on the NCCN Board of Directors, serving on its Executive and Governance Committees, and the NCCN Guidelines Steering Committee. Dr. Stewart is currently Vice Chair, Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for City of Hope, following 20 years as medical director for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. He was recently appointed to the executive editorial board for JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Dr. Stewart was praised for his sincere optimism and unwavering focus on patient well-being, along with his dedication, responsiveness, and thoughtfulness.
“I have been honored to be a part of NCCN for many years,” said Dr. Stewart. “NCCN has truly given more life and more quality of life to our patients through the wonderful care provided by NCCN Member Institutions and those who use the NCCN Guidelines regularly in their practices. The breadth of NCCN accomplishments nationally and internationally in guideline development, patient and physician education, research and resource management is truly remarkable. Many thanks to the NCCN staff for their leadership in making NCCN one of the most successful organizations in the care of cancer patients worldwide.”
Dr. Wood received the Rodger Winn Award—named in memory of the first leader of the NCCN Guidelines Program—for expert judgment and commitment to excellence in service to the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®). He was praised for his thoughtfulness, preparedness, hard work, and dedication. Dr. Wood serves as Chair of the Department of Surgery for the University of Washington School of Medicine and has been a member of the NCCN Guidelines® Panel for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer for more than 20 years, serving as Vice-Chair since 2013. He is also the founding Chair of the NCCN Guidelines for Lung Cancer Screening. Dr. Wood was honored for his integrity and foresight, leading the way for equitable, evidence-based recommendations for lung cancer screening.
“I am truly honored and humbled by this recognition,” said Dr. Wood. “I am so appreciative of the incredible NCCN staff that I am privileged to work with, and the other volunteers that I learn from year after year. The work we do together at NCCN is so important to minimize unjustified practice variation, support clinicians to keep up to date with rapidly changing practice, educate and empower patients about their treatment options, and improve cancer care nationally and worldwide.”
Dr. Powell was nominated and selected by staff at NCCN for the annual Pat Daulerio Employee of the Year Award, named in memory of one of NCCN’s first employees. Dr. Powell was praised for her important work maintaining and updating the NCCN Radiation Therapy Compendium™, which features every recommendation from the NCCN Guidelines pertaining to indications, modalities, clinical scenarios, and purpose, as well as dose/fractionation regimens for radiation therapy. This puts the latest evidence-based expert consensus recommendations for radiation therapy at the fingertips of RT specialists for nearly every cancer site. The NCCN Radiation Therapy Compendium currently includes more than 1,000 recommendations, derived from 55 different clinical practice guidelines. Dr. Powell has also contributed to the development and management of the NCCN Imaging Appropriate Use Criteria (NCCN Imaging AUC™), that can guide clinicians in the use of indicated diagnostic imaging for cancer-related care.
“As a cancer survivor myself, I am very aware of the impact these guidelines have on treatment decision-making during one of the hardest and most emotional times of one’s life,” said Dr. Powell. “Creating and maintaining the NCCN Radiation Therapy Compendium is deeply meaningful and rewarding work.”
“We are fortunate that NCCN’s mission is supported by so many dedicated people,” said Robert W. Carlson, MD, Chief Executive Officer, NCCN. “These honorees, and so many others that we work with, are always looking for new and better ways to improve lives for all people with cancer.”
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