AstraZeneca Announces Winners of the Fifth Annual Cancer Community Awards

National awards program recognizes changemakers across the US who are redefining
cancer care and providing more equitable access to quality treatments and resources

AstraZeneca, in partnership with Scientific American Custom Media, has announced the winners of the fifth annual Cancer Community Awards (C2 Awards). This prestigious national awards program recognizes, honors, and celebrates the innovative individuals and organizations dedicated to making a difference for those living with and affected by cancer.

This year’s C2 Awards recognized six winners and twelve finalists during yesterday’s live ceremony hosted at AstraZeneca’s Gaithersburg, MD, campus. The award recipients were selected for their contributions in advancing cancer care, including supporting access to screening, treatment, and personalized care for people with cancer, caregivers and loved ones.

“As we remain committed to eliminating cancer as a cause of death, we’re proud to recognize and further the work of individuals and organizations implementing innovative solutions to the challenges people living with and affected by cancer face,” said Mohit Manrao, Senior Vice President, Head of US Oncology, AstraZeneca. “Impactful work is taking place across the oncology community, and I’m inspired by this year’s Award recipients. When we work together as a community, we have stronger impact and greater outcomes.”

The winners, selected by a third-party judging panel comprised of experts from the cancer community, will each receive a $50,000 grant for a non-profit organization of their choosing that serves the oncology community.

Jeremy Abbate, Vice President & Publisher, Scientific American, shared, “It is an honor for Scientific American Custom Media to continue supporting changemakers in the oncology community for the fifth year. In addition to offering grants to winners, the Awards elevate the important work taking place in their communities and bring national awareness to unique solutions and systems.”

The 2023 Cancer Community Awards Recipients

The Catalyst for Care Award recognizes those who are working to transform the experience for people navigating cancer.

• This year’s winner is Liz Salguero, Co-founder, Circle of Care, Connecticut, who has taken what she learned during her son’s cancer treatment to help others on their childhood cancer journey. Circle of Care provides support through programs, services, financial support, and resources to help families work as a team in the face of childhood cancer.
• Finalists included Ulman Foundation, represented by President and CEO Brock Yetso, a nonprofit organization that provides free housing to young adults living with cancer and their families; Lisa McNaney, Founder and Executive Director of Culinary Angels, a nonprofit that prepares nutritious meals delivered at no cost to cancer patients and their families. 

The Catalyst for Change Award recognizes those working to revolutionize access to quality cancer care for underserved populations.

• This year’s winner is Michael Gieske, MD, Board of Directors at the White Ribbon Project and Director of Lung Cancer Screening at St. Elizabeth Healthcare. For more than seven years, Dr. Gieske and the White Ribbon Project have worked to increase screening rates for lung cancer in Kentucky. His work focuses around breaking the stigma of lung cancer and raising awareness of low-dose CT screening to improve the health of his community.
• Finalists included The Sisters Inspiring Sisters, Inc., represented by Terry W. Spicer, Founder and Director, a nonprofit organization that helps people with cancer access treatment across 16 states through support such as gas cards for traveling to appointments; Lannis Hall, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Clinical Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, who leads a screening initiative to increase prostate-specific antigen screening rates in average and high-risk men through a maintenance reminder alerting primary care providers.

The Catalyst for Equity Award recognizes those who are working to create equitable care and access across the cancer community.

• This year’s winner is The Chick Mission, represented by Amanda Rice, Founder and CEO, a three-time cancer survivor. The Chick Mission provides advocacy, education and financial resources for fertility preservation treatments to women across six states. The organization has helped freeze over 3,000 eggs for people facing cancer and their families.
• Finalists included Jeanette Avila, Senior Community Health Worker Supervisor, Sinai Urban Health Institute, Chicago, who educates predominantly Black and Latinx communities about breast, cervical and colorectal health, and the importance of obtaining screenings; Cancer Support Community Arizona, represented by Annet Ruiter, Chief Mission Officer, a resource navigation program offering bilingual navigators who address social determinants of health, prevent disruptions to continuous medical care and extend mental healthcare to underserved communities.

The Catalyst for Next-Generation Oncology Award recognizes those who are working to accelerate the understanding and treatment of cancer.

• This year’s winner is Brian Shirts, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Washington, and Founder of ConnectMyVariant, an organization connecting people via genetic DNA with their close relatives to share information about hereditary cancer in their family. ConnectMyVariant helps people understand hereditary risk as an important factor in a person’s chance of developing cancer.
• Finalists included Channing J. Paller, MD, Oncologist, Johns Hopkins Medicine and Heather H. Cheng, MD, PhD, Medical Oncologist, University of Washington, who work as a team to develop PROMISE Registry to study mutations in prostate cancer and develop precision methods of treatment; Shreya Raghavan, PhD, Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University, who combines engineering and oncology to explore the role of mechanical forces in cancer progression, and how to stop it.

The Unconventional Heroes Award recognizes the unexpected people or organizations changing oncology through unique avenues.

• This year’s winner is Karen O’Brien, Founder, Teal Attack, former volleyball coach and ovarian cancer survivor, who uses high school and college volleyball games to raise awareness about ovarian cancer in Michigan. Teal Attack events have reached over 3,000 athletes in pursuit of bringing recognition to ovarian cancer signs and symptoms.
• Finalists included Margaret Mauran Zuccotti, Founder, Reading for Reassurance, a former elementary school teacher who developed the Reading for Reassurance program to distribute books that help explain cancer to children to more than 1,500 families across the country; Vicki Friedman, Founder and Executive Director, Arts as Healing, a two-time cancer survivor and medical artist who founded St. Louis-based Arts as Healing to help patients reduce stress through art.

The Innovation Award recognizes those who are working to find unique approaches to redefining cancer care. This new Award honors people or organizations driving innovation at every step in the cancer journey, whether it comes from someone’s living room or from inside a lab.

• This year’s winner is Susan Bratton, Founder and CEO, Savor Health, who helps cancer patients across the country maintain their nutrition with an artificial intelligence-based Dietitian-on-Demand (Ina®, the “Intelligent Nutrition Assistant”). Bridging gaps in access to personalized evidence-based nutrition guidance, Ina® is an app provided to cancer patients at no cost.
• Finalists included the Angel Foundation, represented by Dave Becker, President and CEO, which distributes Angel Packs to parents to help them communicate a cancer diagnosis in an age-appropriate way with their child; Melissa Hennessey Smith, NP-BC, Senior Director of Oncology, Medically Home, who supports proactive management for patient conditions through Supportive Oncology Care at Medically Home in partnership with Massachusetts General Cancer Center.

More details can be found at https://www.yourcancer.org/home/the-c2-awards/main-2023.html.

About our Judges
Nominations were evaluated by an esteemed panel of multidisciplinary community leaders, including Melissa B. Davis, PhD, Director, Institute of Translational Genomic Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine; Patricia J. Goldsmith, CEO, CancerCare; Sybil R. Green, JD, RPh, Vice President and Chief Officer of Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion, American Society of Clinical Oncology; Krista Jones, 2022 C2 Catalyst for Care Award Winner, Founder and Executive Director, Sparrow’s Nest of the Hudson Valley; Marc R. Matrana, MD, 2022 C2 Catalyst for Precision Medicine Award Winner, Director of Precision Medicine, Ochsner Health; Laura Ortiz-Ravick, Director of Outreach and Health Promotion, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS); Pamela Tarapchak, Managing Editor, Oncology Times; Marty Taylor, MD, PhD, Instructor in Pathology, Mass General Hospital; and David Wetter, 2022 C2 Catalyst for Equity Award Winner, Director, Center for Health Outcomes and Population Equity (HOPE).

AstraZeneca in oncology
AstraZeneca is leading a revolution in oncology with the ambition to provide cures for cancer in every form, following the science to understand cancer and all its complexities to discover, develop and deliver life-changing medicines to patients.

The Company focuses on some of the most challenging cancers. It is through persistent innovation that AstraZeneca has built one of the most diverse portfolios and pipelines in the industry, with the potential to catalyse changes in the practice of medicine and transform the patient experience.

AstraZeneca has the vision to redefine cancer care and, one day, eliminate cancer as a cause of death.

AstraZeneca 
AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of prescription medicines in Oncology, Rare Diseases, and BioPharmaceuticals, including Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology. Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. Please visit astrazeneca-us.com and follow the Company on social media @AstraZeneca.

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