Healio | HemOncToday announce 2023 Disruptive Innovators at ASCO

CHICAGO — During ASCO Annual Meeting, Healio honored our Healio Disruptive Innovators in hematology/oncology in our second annual award ceremony.

Edward S. Kim, MD, FACP, FASCO, and Shikha Jain, MD FACP, co-hosted the event in which Healio recognized nine awardees who changed the face of hematology/oncology and pushed the status quo toward the betterment of the field.

In a testament of the peer-to-peer support and the quality of nominees, the hematology/oncology community turned up in record numbers to vote for these physicians, researchers, influencers and institutions.

Woman Disruptor of the Year

The Woman Disruptor of the Year award is given in partnership with Women in Medicine.

This award goes to a woman in the field who continuously leads and sets the tone for younger women of how a successful career can unfold.

The awardee may have a career of positive disruption or more recent advances through which she has made a positive impact within the specialty.

Rachna T. Shroff, MD, MS

Shroff moved from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to University of Arizona in 2018 as an associate professor and in 5 short years is now serving as interim chief of the division of hematology/oncology, associate dean of clinical and translational research, chief of the section of gastrointestinal medical oncology, leader of the GI clinical research team and director of the cancer center clinical trials.

In 2021, Shroff joined the Healio Women in Oncology board to empower and bring a voice to women in our field. Acknowledging her receipt of mentorship and leadership from other women, she hopes to amplify others going forward.

The Healio NextGen Disruptor

This award goes to an up-and-coming physician who is disrupting the status quo in the field, whether through new techniques, new thoughts, questioning of methods or breakthrough research.

The awardee consistently comes to mind when we discuss “the next big thing.”

Shakira Grant, MBBS

Grant is an assistant professor at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is making an impact in improving care across underserved populations.

Her recent studies on racial disparities in clinical trial enrollment and availability of clinical trials across poverty lines highlight the need for clinician scientists to acknowledge their own biases at the start of their research.

She told Healio this awareness starts with each patient and listening to the challenges they face with regard to care access. The next generation is in good hands with physicians like Grant leading the way.

Health Equity Award

The Health Equity Award, given in partnership with University of Illinois Cancer Center, goes to a physician who has made meaningful change to overcome the social determinants of health in hematology/oncology. The awardee models the ideals of health equity and demonstrates how identifying and addressing social determinants of health can improve patient care.

Samer A. Al Hadidi, MD, MS

Al Hadidi told Healio, “We need to reach patients where they are ... and provide personalized patient care” to address health disparities.

He pushed the field to look at racial inequities in the most advanced of clinical trials, focusing on access to chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy and immunotherapy clinical trials, while publishing research on the representation of women in review lectures.

Understanding health equities begins with those treating the diseases makes Al Hadidi a leader in this field, and we look forward to seeing progress in the future.

The Healio Social Media Influencer.

This award goes to a health care professional who makes a positive impact on social media through platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and leads continued innovation in health care practitioner use of new platforms.

The awardee is a trusted resource for their peers and patients amid the din of social media.

Eleonora Teplinsky, MD, @DrTeplinsky on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.

Teplinsky joined Instagram in 2017 and in the past 5 years amassed more than 13,000 followers. In her regular posts, she addresses new data and misinformation, and interacts with both patients and fellow providers.

Her content is accessible and applicable to the breast cancer community, making the ever-changing information available to those who need it most.

The Healio Patient Voice

This award goes to a patient advocate or advocacy group who moved the needle in public discussions with patients and patient groups, improving communication between patients and providers and working with all parties to push legislative or regulatory action.

Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

LLS consistently addresses the three core aspects of this award: research, patients and policy.

Through grants awarded, LLS has been a part of most treatment options for blood cancers since 2017 and is the largest nonprofit funder of blood cancer research. Patients also benefit from online and in-person support options and a wealth of information provided by LLS.

Additionally, LLS has an office of public policy that works to accelerate new treatment development and break down barriers to care experienced by patients with blood cancers.

In the spirit of the Patient Voice award, many oncologists interact with a Visionary of the Year for LLS. Even those outside the realm of blood cancers have been impacted by these people and their mission. It is special to recognize an organization that amplifies the voices of their patients through local, community action, driving change from the ground up.

The Healio Lifetime Disruptor

This award goes to a hematologist-oncologist who consistently pushed their field forward through innovative treatments, practice management, patient care or research.

The awardee is seen as a leader in their subspecialty whose contributions to the field garner recognition of incoming physicians.

Julie R. Gralow, MD, FACP, FASCO

From a young age, Gralow saw the impact science and research could have on patient care, and she has dedicated her own medical career to working with patients with breast cancer to better their lives.

She founded the Women’s Empowerment Cancer Advocacy Network (WE CAN) and is seen as one of the pioneers in global oncology as well as an early adopter of social media for furthering the collaborative missions of oncology.

In the past few years, Gralow celebrated her 25th anniversary of competing in triathlons with cancer survivors and became involved in global efforts such as those in Ukraine to better serve the breast cancer community. In 2020, ASCO appointed her chief medical officer, a full-circle moment from receiving her Career Development Award from the organization in 1995.

Clinical Innovation Award

In partnership with City of Hope, the Clinical Innovation Award goes to a physician or institution that changed the face of hematology/oncology practice.

The awardee is seen as an example of how patient care can be improved through change.

theMednet.org, founded by Nadine Housri, MD

From personal experience, Housri knew how peer-to-peer conversations between physicians can impact one patient’s outcomes. She also knew that when those conversations don’t occur due to lack of access in certain areas, that patient’s outcomes are worse.

In 2014, Housri and her brother brought those conversations to the entirety of oncology, creating theMednet to “answer questions that go beyond textbooks and guidelines.”

theMednet grew quickly, partnering with ASCO for a journal club and collaborating with the NCI to share tumor board discussions. Today, the discussions are happening not only within oncology but also dermatology, rheumatology, cardiology and more specialties.

Just last year, they announced the ability to garner CME and MOC credits through use of the platform.

Advanced Practitioner of the Year

This award is presented to an advanced practice practitioner whose innovative approaches have improved patient outcomes or quality of care.

Betty Ferrell, PhD, MSN, RN, CHPN, FAAN, FPCN, from City of Hope

Ferrell is director of nursing research and education and a professor at City of Hope in Duarte, California. She has been in nursing for 45 years and focused her clinical expertise and research in pain management, quality of life and palliative care.

She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, and she has more than 480 publications in peer-reviewed journals and textbooks. She was principal investigator of the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium project and directs several other funded projects related to palliative care in cancer centers and quality-of-life issues.

Ferrell embodies the partnership of physician and advanced practitioner, making strides for our collaborative patient care.

Healio Industry Breakthrough Award

This award goes to a product that stands out as a major disruption to the practice of hematology/oncology. The awardee will have been acknowledged in practice guidelines and enthusiastically integrated into practice.

Fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (ENHERTU, Daiichi Sankyo, AstraZeneca)

In 2022, the HER2-directed antibody drug conjugate ENHERTU received three additional FDA approvals in the U.S. In May 2022, ENHERTU was approved for patients with HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer treated with a prior anti-HER2-based regimen.

Approximately 3 months later, ENHERTU became the first HER2-directed treatment for patients with HER2 low metastatic breast cancer. Finally, less than a week later, it received accelerated approval and became the first HER2-directed treatment for patients with previously treated HER2 mutant metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

Since its first accelerated approval in 2019, ENHERTU is now approved for four indications in the U.S. and is already making an impact in daily practice.