Women Leaders in Oncology® Presents Dr Susan Scott the 2022 WLO "Women Who Conquer Cancer" Young Investigator Award

—At 9th annual WLO reception, Vaniam Group makes progress on $1.35 million endowment pledge, expands WLO to be a year-round community supporting female contributions in the field of oncology—

CHICAGO, June 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Last night at its 9th annual reception, the Women Leaders in Oncology^® (WLO) presented the 2022 WLO "Women Who Conquer Cancer" Young Investigator Award (YIA) to Susan Scott, MD, a thoracic medical oncologist and assistant professor of oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In addition, the hundreds of women who attended the virtual gathering made significant financial contributions to help fund future YIAs for women conducting promising research within the field of oncology.

Created in 2014 by Vaniam Group Founder and CEO Deanna B. van Gestel, WLO is focused on fostering research, business, and philanthropic connections for women in oncology drug development, clinical research, and clinical practice. The charitable contributions from last night's reception and through the rest of this year will fully fund the 2023 Women Who Conquer Cancer YIA, while continuing to contribute toward the $1.35 million endowment that Ms. van Gestel has pledged to raise by 2026 to fund future Women Who Conquer Cancer YIAs.

"I am grateful and inspired by the generosity from this community of women who are leading to make an impact in the oncology community," said Ms. van Gestel, who is also a board member of Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation. "As we make additional progress toward our endowment goal to fund promising cancer research, I am thrilled that WLO is evolving from an annual networking event to become a year-round effort that establishes, nurtures, and supports connections among women in oncology."

The keynote speaker of the 2022 WLO annual reception was Sonali M. Smith, MD, section chief of hematology/oncology at the University of Chicago Medicine. While sharing lessons from her personal journey to become a leader within this industry, Dr Smith explained, "There are many gendered beliefs about women and men, and this contributes to our perception about what makes a good leader… We are blessed to be in a phenomenal group of strong women, and I have had so many people along the way who have taught me… There is no way any of us can do this on our own, and having this village is one of the most incredible blessings of life."

This year's recipient of the WLO Women Who Conquer Cancer YIA is Susan Scott, MD, a thoracic medical oncologist and assistant professor of oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The award will fund her research into the use of adagrasib as a new preoperative treatment strategy for the 13% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer who possess the KRAS^G12C mutation.

"Lung cancer recurs in more than half of the patients treated with surgery and chemotherapy, and more research is needed to determine if earlier intervention with targeted therapy may be able to block KRAS^G12C-driven cancer growth and ultimately improve outcomes for this population," said Dr Scott. "I am grateful to Vaniam Group, Conquer Cancer, and the entire Women Leaders in Oncology community for making this important research possible, and for their overall commitment to support female leaders who are striving to improve the practice of oncology."

Dr Scott received her undergraduate education at the University of Oxford and medical doctorate from Yale University. She completed residency at the Cleveland Clinic where she also served as chief resident in internal medicine, and later completed an oncology fellowship at Johns Hopkins before joining the faculty in 2022. Dr Scott practices at the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Sibley Memorial Hospital.

• We continue to raise funds toward our goal of a $1.35 million WLO YIA endowment, ensuring that women oncologists can receive annual research funding for years to come. To donate, visit www.Conquer.org/WLO
• WLO will be hosting its first annual 5K to Fund the Future, a virtual run/walk event throughout the month of September 2022. All money raised will directly support the WLO YIA endowment. To inquire about participating and/or forming a team, contact [email protected]
• On October 7-8, 2022, in Santa Monica, CA, Bio Ascend will host the 4th annual LEAD conference, which is focused on the empowerment and professional development of women in oncology and hematology. To register, visit www.BioAscend.com/LEAD-2022/
• WLO is launching a new series of intimate regional networking tables, where female healthcare leaders will gather to share best practices from their professional journeys and mentor one another. To inquire about sponsoring and/or participating in one of these regional gatherings, contact [email protected]

WLO is focused on creating research, business, and philanthropic connections for women in oncology drug development, clinical research, and clinical practice. WLO establishes and nurtures connections among women leaders through events, fundraising, and recognition. For more information, visit www.WomenLeadersinOncology.com

Vaniam Group is a people-first, purpose-driven, independent network of healthcare and scientific communications agencies committed to helping biopharmaceutical companies realize the full potential of their compounds in the oncology and hematology marketplace. Founded in 2007 as a virtual-by-design organization, Vaniam Group harnesses the talents and expertise of team members around the world. For more information, visit www.VaniamGroup.com

Conquer Cancer funds research for every cancer, every patient, everywhere. Since 1984, its Grants & Awards program has awarded more than $158 million through more than 2,600 grants and awards to improve cancer care and accelerate breakthroughs in clinical and translational oncology research. Conquer Cancer donors support vital programs needed to deliver the highest quality, equitable patient care and share a vision of a world where cancer is prevented or cured, and every survivor is healthy. For more information visit CONQUER.ORG.

SOURCE Vaniam Group LLC