Dr. Patricia Ganz to receive national honor for improving the quality of cancer care

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) will honor Patricia A. Ganz, MD, FASCO, an accomplished medical oncologist and renowned advocate for improving the quality of cancer care from prevention through survivorship, with its first annual Joseph V. Simone Award and Lecture for Excellence in Quality and Safety in the Care of Patients with Cancer. Dr. Ganz will accept her award and present the keynote lecture, “Improving the Quality and Value of Cancer Care: A Work in Progress,” at the 2016 Quality Care Symposium on Friday, February 26 in Phoenix, Arizona.

“One of the most important aspects of oncology is ensuring patients have the best quality of life possible,” said Dr. Ganz, professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and David Geffen School of Medicine, and the Director of Cancer Prevention and Control Research at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. “To me, this award not only celebrates the incredible advances we’ve achieved in this area to date, but also underscores our responsibility to continuously explore new ways to deliver high quality, patient-centered care and to measure treatment outcomes so that we are prepared to effectively meet the needs of the steadily growing number of cancer survivors in years to come. I am truly grateful to be recognized as its first recipient.”

The new Joseph V. Simone Award was established to recognize an extraordinary individual each year, beginning in 2016, who has made multiple, significant and enduring contributions to the quality and safety of cancer care. The award pays tribute to its namesake, Joseph V. Simone, MD, a visionary leader who contributed to the development of curative treatments for childhood leukemia and lymphoma, and was instrumental in the creation of ASCO’s Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI®), among other career accomplishments.

“Dr. Ganz has long been called a pioneer in assessing and improving quality of life for people with cancer,” said Joseph Jacobson, MD, MSc, Chief Quality Officer at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Chair of the 2016 Quality Care Symposium Planning Committee, “and her countless and sustained contributions to the field of oncology only continue to solidify her in that role. She epitomizes the characteristics that we had in mind when establishing this award to honor Dr. Simone’s distinguished career, and it will be a privilege to join Dr. Simone in presenting this award to Dr. Ganz at the upcoming Quality Care Symposium.”  

An ASCO member since 1980, Dr. Ganz has volunteered in a variety of capacities for the Society. She was a member of the Board of Directors from 2003 to 2006, serving on the Executive Committee from 2005 to 2006. She has served on numerous ASCO committees (Survivorship, Prevention, Awards, Program, Education), and as Chair of the Personnel Committee, Quality of Care Committee, and Publications Committee. She is a current member of the Cancer Communications Committee and the Value Task Force. She was the 2008 recipient of the ASCO-American Cancer Society Award for her contributions to the prevention and management of cancer. She is a Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The current Vice Chair of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) National Cancer Policy Forum, Dr. Ganz was elected to the IOM in 2007 and Chaired its 2013 consensus report entitled “Delivering High-Quality Cancer Care: Charting a New Course for a System in Crisis.” She served on the National Cancer Institute Board of Scientific Advisors from 2002 to 2007 and received the American Cancer Society Medal of Honor in 2010. Much of her clinical and research efforts throughout her career have focused on breast cancer and its prevention. At the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, she currently leads the research program focused on patients and survivors.