We have incredible news about a dear friend of our organization. Dr. Julie Gralow has been confirmed as the new Chief Medical Officer of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Dr. Gralow has lectured annually at Cancer Pathways since our beginnings in 2001 as Gilda’s Club Seattle.
Her annual lectures have been graciously provided to our community members on her own time and brought cutting-edge updates on cancer research directly from the ASCO conference in Chicago. We have also partnered with her to bring impactful programs to the community in the areas of breast cancer, education, and the importance of exercise and emotional health.
We had the opportunity to ask Dr. Gralow a few questions about her new role:
What are your goals and objectives at ASCO?
ASCO’s mission is to conquer cancer through research, education, and promotion of the highest quality clinical care. As CMO, I will oversee efforts to impact cancer in all of these areas. I will bring my experience in health care disparities and global oncology to the role, working towards improving access to cancer prevention and care throughout our country and throughout the world.
How can patients engage/participate?
Patients will clearly be at the table when I assume my new CMO role at ASCO. I’ve partnered with cancer patients and patient advocates since the beginning of my career, in educational efforts, enhancing quality of life, and setting the research agenda. Patients play a key role in helping us understand, and keep us focused on, all of the short- and long-term consequences of a cancer diagnosis and its treatment.
Patients can engage on many levels and in many roles, including providing supportive care, community and patient education, research, fundraising, and even a regulatory and governmental focus, depending on interests. Letting your health care team know you’d like to get involved and reaching out to other cancer patient advocates about how they got involved is a good start.
In your eyes, what is the most exciting thing in the future of cancer patient care?
With our increasing ability to look at the alterations in the specific genes that contribute to the development and progression of each individual cancer, and target some of those alterations with specific drugs, we are entering an era where we will be individualizing treatment to each patient and each cancer to get the best outcomes.
ASCO is leading an important trial across the US called TAPUR, which is evaluating targeted anticancer drugs matched to genomic alterations for treatment of patients with advanced cancer. I’ll be overseeing this trial in my ASCO CMO role, working to improve our knowledge about what works and what doesn’t, and helping to improve access to promising drugs.
Watch ‘Updates in Treatment, Screening and Prevention of Breast Cancer from ASCO’s Annual Conference‘, presented by Dr. Gralow in partnership with Cancer Pathways, Spring/Summer 2020.
Dr. Gralow has worked with Cancer Pathways to educate women and men for more than 20 years, and her well-attended events have been a highlight in our community. She is an accomplished, knowledgeable, and very wonderful partner. We are so proud of her and we look forward to working with her in her new role.
About ASCO:
Founded in 1964, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) is committed to making a world of difference in cancer care. As the world’s leading organization of its kind, ASCO represents nearly 45,000 oncology professionals who care for people living with cancer. Through research, education, and promotion of the highest-quality patient care, ASCO works to conquer cancer and create a world where cancer is prevented or cured, and every survivor is healthy. Learn more at ASCO.org.
About Dr. Julie Gralow:
Dr. Julie Gralow is the Jill Bennett Endowed Professor of Breast Medical Oncology and Professor of Global Health at the University of Washington School of Medicine, a Professor in the Clinical Research Division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and Director of Breast Medical Oncology at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. She is actively involved in breast cancer clinical care, education, and research, and has conducted local and national clinical trials related to breast cancer treatment, prevention, and survivorship. Her main area of research specialization is in understanding the relationship between breast cancer and the bone environment.
Dr. Gralow is Executive Officer for breast and lung cancer for the SWOG National Clinical Trials Network. She received the ASCO Humanitarian Award in 2018 for her work in empowering women cancer patients and survivors. She is co-founder and team physician of Team Survivor Northwest, an exercise and fitness program for woman cancer survivors. She is also the founder of the Women’s Empowerment Cancer Advocacy Network (WE CAN), a group dedicated to empowering women cancer patient advocates in low and middle-income countries.”