The American Society of Clinical Oncology has relaunched its
quarterly membership magazine-formerly ASCO News &
Forum-under a new name and banner: ASCO Connection.
The inaugural edition launches hand-in-hand with a new member
social networking site of the same name-ASCOconnection.org. Both
the new member magazine and accompanying website create
opportunities for interaction between ASCO and its members, and
between members and their colleagues.
The Membership Experience
The print and online editions of the quarterly ASCO
Connection highlight the membership experience-from the
contributions and accomplishments of individual members to the
collective work of ASCO and its membership as they tackle the
concerns of today's oncology community. In this pursuit, the July
cover story focuses on the extraordinary contributions of ASCO
members who traveled to the sites of recent natural disasters to
tend to the sick and injured.
Other articles include an interview with ASCO President-Elect
Michael P. Link, MD; a Q&A with International Affairs Committee
Chair-Elect Clement Adebamowo, MD, ScD, on the growing epidemic of
AIDS-associated malignancies in Africa; physician-authored debate
on the hot topic of aspirin intake and breast cancer survival;
interviews with participants in ASCO's Leadership Development
Program; and highlights from the Society's past quarter.
A regular column, Conversation with the President, features blog
entries posted by newly inducted ASCO President George W. Sledge,
Jr, MD; and a new column, Staying Connected, captures the most
interesting discussion points from the blogs, comments, and forum
threads on ASCOconnection.org.
New magazine departments include an expanded Member News
section, as well as a column that gives readers a behind-the-scenes
look at the "other lives" of ASCO members. First up in the July
issue is an interview with Thomas Buchholz, MD, FACR, who made the
news as a surprise caddie for three-time Masters winner Phil
Mickelson at the Shell Houston Open this spring.
The reader-friendly design of the publication makes ASCO
Connection easy for busy members to skim for "just the facts,"
while providing ample opportunity to connect online for expanded
reading and real-time discussion and debate.
Online Meeting Place
As the main social networking site for members,
ASCOconnection.org features blogs by ASCO leaders and an open forum
for member discussion. Although it is not a traditional social
network like Facebook, ASCOconnection.org gives members the
opportunity to network with colleagues, share opinions, start
conversations, and interact with ASCO leadership.
The magazine section of the site features selected articles with
opportunities for reader comment, as well as online exclusives and
a "flipbook" of the current issue with embedded video clips and
links to additional information.
In addition to ASCO President George W. Sledge, Jr, MD, initial
bloggers on the site include ASCO Connection Editor-in-Chief
Jonathan S. Berek, MD; and "Blogger-in-Chief" and Immediate Past
Chair of ASCO's Information Technology Committee L. Michael Glodé,
MD. The site also offers RSS feeds to the blogs of ASCO's Immediate
Past President Douglas W. Blayney, MD; Board of Directors Member
Robert S. Miller, MD; and Journal of Oncology Practice
Editor-in-Chief John V. Cox, DO. More bloggers and guest bloggers
will be added as the site grows.
ASCO members who log in to the site with their ASCO.org username
and password have immediate access to read and comment on all
posted articles and blogs, and to read, respond to, or initiate a
discussion forum on any topic. Nonmembers who register a guest
account with ASCO.org can read and post on selected topics.
For questions and comments about the new ASCO
Connection and ASCOconnection.org, please send an e-mail to
ascoconnection@asco.org. ■
Selected portions reprinted from ASCO Connection. ©
American Society of Clinical Oncology. July 2010. All rights
reserved.
