Sandra M. Swain, MD, Voted President-Elect Of ASCO For 2012-2013 Term

An internationally recognized authority in the field of inflammatory breast cancer treatment has been elected to become President of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Sandra M. Swain, MD, will take office as President-Elect during ASCO's 47th Annual Meeting in June 2011 and will serve for a one-year term as President beginning in June 2012. ASCO has announced the election of four new members of the Board of Directors, as well as two new members of the Society's Nominating Committee.


"These highly qualified individuals bring a wealth of experience to ASCO leadership," said Allen S. Lichter, MD, Chief Executive Officer of ASCO. "It will be my privilege to work with the newly elected President-Elect, Dr. Sandra Swain, and the newly elected Board Members. ASCO is fortunate to have such a dedicated oncologist and ASCO member to help lead the Society's efforts to improve all aspects of cancer care."


Dr. Swain is the Medical Director of the Washington Cancer Institute at Washington Hospital Center (WHC) in Washington, DC. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the WHC and WHC Foundation. Dr. Swain is a professor of medicine at Georgetown University and adjunct professor of medicine at Uniformed Services Health Science Center (USHSC). She previously served as the Deputy Director of the Medicine Branch and Chief of the Cancer Therapeutics Branch at the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Swain has led more than 20 clinical trials and published more than 180 articles in prestigious medical journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Clinical Cancer Research, and the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Her research focuses on adjuvant therapy for breast cancer and molecular targeted therapy for advanced and inflammatory breast cancer.


"I am honored to be elected to serve as President of ASCO and for the opportunity to serve the organization in this new capacity," said Dr. Swain. "ASCO's dedicated members are the reason why ASCO is such an exceptional organization and I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Board of Directors to continue to pursue the Society's mission to improve all the lives of people affected by cancer."


In 1986 Dr. Swain became an ASCO member. She has demonstrated a strong commitment to the Society with her involvement in numerous ASCO committees including the Program Committee, Ethics Committee, International Affairs Committee, Finance Committee, and Strategic Planning Committee. She has held various leadership roles serving on the Board of Directors for ASCO and The ASCO Cancer Foundation, and serving as Chair of the Cancer Education and Nominating Committees.


Dr. Swain is the Breast Committee Vice-Chair and serves on the Board of Directors for the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP). She is also an active member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and a Board Member for the National Accreditation Program for Breast Cancer (NAPBC) with the American College of Surgeons. She is a member of the American Cancer Society, South Atlantic Division, Board of Directors.















Dr. Swain has been honored with a Mentor of Merit award as a Distinguished Clinical Teacher at the NIH, and has been named one of the Best Doctors in America by Good Housekeeping magazine and a "Top Doctor" by Washingtonian magazine. In addition, she has received many other awards for her mentoring of young physicians. Her work in health care disparities has also been recognized; Dr. Swain received grants from the NIH and Susan G. Komen for the Cure® for her work in this area.


After completing her undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina, Dr. Swain earned her medical degree from the University of Florida. She went on to complete her residency at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee and a medical oncology fellowship at the National Cancer Institute, NIH.


Newly Elected Board Members


Gary Cohen, MD, has been elected to a Community Oncology seat. Dr. Cohen is Medical Director of the Sandra & Malcolm Berman Cancer Institute at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center in Maryland.


Carolyn Runowicz, MD, has been elected to a Surgical Oncology seat. Dr. Runowicz is Director of the Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Connecticut Health Center. She also serves as the Northeast Utilities Chair in Experimental Oncology and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology. In March 2011, she will be the Associate Dean of Women's Affairs at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University in Miami.


Eric Winer, MD, has been elected to an Undesignated Specialty seat. Dr. Winer is Chief, Division of Women's Cancers and Thompson Senior Investigator in Breast Cancer Research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. He is also chief scientific advisor to Susan G. Komen for the Cure®.


Daniel F. Hayes, MD, has been elected to an Undesignated Specialty seat. Dr. Hayes is Clinical Director of the Breast Cancer Program, Co-Director Breast Care Center and the Stuart B. Padnos Professor of Breast Cancer Research at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.


Newly Elected Members of ASCO's Nominating Committee


Kathy Miller, MD, is an Associate Professor and the Sheila D. Ward Scholar at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. Miller will serve as Chair of the Nominating Committee in 2013-2014.


Harold J. Burstein, MD, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a Breast Oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.


Source:

American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)