AstraZeneca Announces Winners of Fourth Annual Cancer Community Awards

National awards program highlights the importance of community partnerships in redefining cancer care and providing equitable access to quality treatments and resources

AstraZeneca, in partnership with Scientific American Custom Media, today announced the winners of the fourth annual Cancer Community Awards (C2 Awards). A part of the AstraZeneca YOUR Cancer program, the C2 Awards celebrate and recognize inspiring work that exemplifies the full promise of community partnerships in advancing equitable access to quality cancer care.

The five awardees were revealed last night during a virtual ceremony, honoring the contributions they have made for people with cancer and their loved ones.

“As we continue pushing the boundaries of science to develop novel cancer treatments, I am proud to support those that are working to improve greater access to quality cancer care for communities nationwide,” said Chatrick Paul, Head of US Oncology, AstraZeneca. “The work of the organizations here tonight is an inspiration to others and demonstrates what can be accomplished when we come together as one oncology community working collectively to eliminate cancer as a cause of death.”

“For the fourth year in a row, the inspiring work and proven approaches of those redefining cancer care strengthen and encourage the oncology community, far and wide,” noted Jeremy Abbate, Vice President & Publisher of Scientific American. “The C2 Awards provide a platform for elevating unsung heroes who have created important partnerships in their own communities, bringing together fellow innovators and changemakers to offer new hope for those affected by this devastating disease.”

The awardees, selected by a third-party judging panel consisting of leaders in the cancer community, will receive a $50,000 donation for a non-profit organization serving the oncology community.

The 2022 awardees and finalists across all five award categories are:

The 2022 Cancer Community Awards Recipients

The C2 Catalyst for Care Award recognizes those who work to improve the care experience of those with cancer.

• This year’s winner is Sparrow’s Nest of the Hudson Valley, represented by founder and executive director Krista Jones. Sparrow’s Nest provides weekly deliveries of homemade meals to families facing cancer in five counties of the Hudson Valley area of New York State. Sparrow’s Nest began in Krista’s home kitchen as a personal commitment to helping a friend navigate her stage 4 cancer diagnosis and evolved into a charity that now feeds nearly 300 people each week
• Finalists included Cancer Family Care, represented by Jill Settlemyre, MPA, a nonprofit organization that helps children, adults, and families cope with the effects of a cancer diagnosis for more than 50 years; and Huntsman at Home, represented by Kathi Mooney, RN, PhD, an at-home cancer program in the United States that includes acute, hospital-level care for treatment side effects and disease progression

The C2 Catalyst for Change Award honors those ensuring cancer care advancements reach the community level and underserved populations.

• This year’s winner is Charles R. Rogers, PhD, MPH, an Endowed Associate Professor at the Institute for Health & Equity at the Medical College of Wisconsin. For more than 10 years, his work has centered on eliminating men's health disparities, with a focus on removing barriers to achieving colorectal cancer equity among African American men and other underserved populations

• Finalists included Marianne T. Ritchie, MD, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, who has been a pioneer in gastroenterology for over 35 years and spearheaded the PINK PLUS® program, an innovative, bundled cancer-screening program; and The Thoracic Oncology Department at Baptist Cancer Center which works to eliminate lung cancer stigma and mortality for all patients affected by this disease

The C2 Catalyst for Equity Award recognizes those who have worked to break down barriers to care, ensuring historically underserved and underrepresented populations have access to life-saving cancer screenings and treatments.

• This year’s winner is Center for H.O.P.E., represented by David Wetter, PhD. The Center for Health Outcomes and Population Equity (H.O.P.E.) serves as an infrastructure and bridge between scientists and community organizations to create long-term solutions to prevent cancer and improve health among populations that have been historically marginalized

• Finalists included Nina Bickell, MD, MPH, of the Institute for Health Equity Research at Icahn School of Medicine, for her work in identifying and addressing inequities in cancer and cancer care delivery by partnering with communities to change systems and improve care processes and outcomes; and Kathy Levy of GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer for her widespread use of community health advisors to educate and navigate high-risk individuals to lung cancer screening and increased access to quality screening in rural counties in Alabama

The C2 Catalyst for Precision Medicine Award honors those who have expanded beyond the boundaries of personalized treatment for cancer patients.

• This year’s winner is Marc Matrana, MD, of Ochsner Health, whose legislative advocacy work and leadership at the Cancer Advocacy Group of Louisiana (where he is Co-Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board) has led to the passage of many laws ensure Louisiana cancer patients have access to cutting-edge molecular diagnostics and therapies

• Finalists included Alana Welm, PhD, of the Huntsman Cancer Center, who is working to extend precision medicine to testing the activity of drugs on models made from individual tumors, in addition to the latest approaches in genomics-based precision oncology; and Mark Burkard, MD, PhD, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who works to make precision oncology accessible to every patient in the community across Wisconsin by identifying the best treatment or clinical trial option

The C2 President’s Award, selected by AstraZeneca, recognizes those who work to make a meaningful and inspirational impact on the lives of people with cancer and their loved ones.

• This year’s President’s Award winner is Douglas Fair, MD, of the University of Utah, who works to provide fertility-preservation consultations for reproductive-age cancer patients who want to have children, creating impacts at the local, regional, and national levels. He has consulted with hundreds of patients and educated hundreds of providers in the Intermountain West working to help people affected by cancer alleviate that distress

Nominations were evaluated by an esteemed panel of multidisciplinary community leaders, including Andrea Ferris, President & CEO of the LUNGevity Foundation; Colin Pritchard, MD, PhD, 2021 C2 Catalyst for Precision Medicine Winner and Director of Clinical Diagnostics at the Brotman Baty Institute for Precision Medicine of UW; Ellen Miller Sonet, MBA, JD, Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy and Policy Officer of CancerCare; Leigh M. Boehmer, PharmD, BCOP, Chief Medical Officer of the Association of Community Cancer Centers; Margaret Stauffer, 2021 C2 President’s Award Winner and Chief Mission Officer of the Cancer Support Community San Francisco Bay Area; Paris Thomas, MS, MCHES, 2021 C2 Catalyst for Equity Winner Representative and Director of Program Operations at Equal Hope; Pamela Tarapchak, Managing Editor at Oncology Times; Susan Weldon, 2021 C2 Catalyst for Care Winner Representative and CEO & Founder of Unite for HER; and Tomma Hargraves, 2021 C2 Catalyst for Change Winner and Lung Cancer Advocate & Volunteer at the Lung Cancer Initiative of North Carolina. More details on finalists and winners can be found at https://yourcancer.org/the-c2-awards/main-2022/.

About YOUR Cancer

The C2 Awards are part of the YOUR Cancer Program, a broader initiative launched by AstraZeneca to spotlight those at the forefront of cancer research and patient support who are contributing toward eliminating cancer as a cause of death. YOUR Cancer aims to convene, engage, and highlight the full breadth of the oncology community, utilizing four pillars: a digital partnership hub profiling community resources and perspectives, an awards program recognizing the unsung heroes of oncology, state-level roundtables with local policymakers and advocates, and media and speaking engagements profiling community oncology leaders.

AstraZeneca in oncology

AstraZeneca is leading a revolution in oncology with the ambition to provide cures for cancer in every form, following the science to understand cancer and all its complexities to discover, develop and deliver life-changing medicines to patients.

The Company's focus is on some of the most challenging cancers. It is through persistent innovation that AstraZeneca has built one of the most diverse portfolios and pipelines in the industry, with the potential to catalyze changes in the practice of medicine and transform the patient experience.

AstraZeneca has the vision to redefine cancer care and, one day, eliminate cancer as a cause of death.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of prescription medicines in Oncology, Rare Diseases, and BioPharmaceuticals, including Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology. Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. Please visit www.astrazeneca-us.com and follow the Company on Twitter @AstraZenecaUS.

US-68032 Last Updated 9/22

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