Collaborating to Conquer Cancer: Lessons From Our Children

Abstract

Welcome to the 48th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). I invite you to share in the exciting findings that will be presented at this year’s meeting and to enjoy the opportunity to connect with current and former colleagues. It has been my great privilege to serve as ASCO president—one of the most exciting years of my professional career. This has been a year of challenges and change—both for those of us who provide cancer care and for the patients we serve. The pace of discovery remains exciting, but our capacity to deliver high-quality care is being challenged as never before. But I believe that we have the opportunity to lead the way forward. Before I begin, I would like to thank my family, who have provided loving support and inspiration throughout my career and who remind me of the importance of family in all of our lives. ASCO is a complex organization that depends heavily on a cadre of enthusiastic volunteers. I have had the privilege to work with a fantastic group of individuals who represent the spectrum of subspecialists in our society as well as patient advocates and others. Their work is critically important to ASCO’s scientific, educational, and policy accomplishments. Special thanks go to Dr Hal Burstein, who chaired the Education Committee, and Dr Ron Levy, who chaired the Scientific Program Committee, and to all their track leaders and subchairs. They have devoted considerable energy to making this a wonderful meeting. My sincere thanks to the ASCO staff. Led by our CEO and former ASCO President Allen Lichter, this is a productive, accomplished, and accommodating group of professionals. It has always been my pleasure to work with them, but in particular over the past year. I dedicate this talk to patients and families I have cared for over the course of my career. As pediatric oncologists and parents know very well, there is nothing more motivating than a sick child, nothing to keep one honest and humble like the probing questions of an adolescent, and no greater pleasure than to have intervened in a child’s life—to have the gratification of seeing that child grow up, realize his or her dreams, and start a family. My patients have been my partners in a wonderful profession and collaborators in my own efforts to advance the field. I am grateful for how much they have enhanced my career and my life.