Online Exclusive: Susan G. Komen for the Cure to Provide $10 Million for ASCO’s Cancer Care Initiatives
The recent partnership between Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and The ASCO Cancer Foundation will create a powerful alliance to build up ASCO’s Breast Cancer Symposium and will address quality-of-care and oncology workforce issues by establishing programs that support the delivery of high-quality cancer care. Komen will invest approximately $10 million during the next 4 years to support ASCO’s various initiatives that further these goals. The partnership builds on Komen’s initial investment in ASCO’s 5-year National Initiative on Cancer Care Quality (NICCQ) study, which assessed the quality of cancer care for 2,000 patients with cancer in five metropolitan areas in the United States. The project was developed as a tool to encourage the development of a comprehensive, unified approach to measuring the quality of cancer care in this country.
The Susan G. Komen for the Cure®/The ASCO Cancer Foundation Collaborative Commitment will comprise three agreements as part of the collaboration. Komen will provide $1 million over the next 4 years in support of ASCO’s Breast Cancer Symposia, serving as the event’s primary supporter from 2008 to 2010. The second part of the agreement will include $4 million over the 4-year period that will help to build on ASCO’s Quality of Care Initiative, which supports oncology workforce issues, model practices, fellowship programs, access to care, translation of research results into practice, and development of minority student awards, travel grants, and a loan repayment program. Five million dollars will be allotted for research grants, which may include (but are not limited to) outcomes research, disparities, survivorship, and access to clinical trials.
In addition, an Advisory Group to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure/The ASCO Cancer Foundation Collaborative Research Commitment was formed to ensure the initiatives are in keeping with the mission of the overall grant. ASCO Past-President (2006-2007) Gabriel N. Hortobagyi, MD, FACP, serves as Chair of the Advisory Group, working with ASCO leaders including Joseph S. Bailes, MD, Chair of The ASCO Cancer Foundation Board of Directors; Patricia A. Ganz, MD; Derek Raghavan, MD, PhD; Sandra M. Swain, MD; and Eric P. Winer, MD, who also serves as Komen’s Chief Scientific Advisor.
As more information becomes available about the collaboration between Susan G. Komen for the Cure and The ASCO Cancer Foundation, it will be published on ASCO.org and ascocancerfoundation.org.
