Interviews With Candidates for 2015-2016 ASCO President-Elect

The ASCO Nominating Committee has selected Daniel F. Hayes, MD, FASCO, and Patrick J. Loehrer, Sr, MD, FASCO, as candidates for the position of 2015-2016 President-Elect (2016-2017 President). In the abridged interviews below, the candidates discuss their vision for the Society and their leadership experience. Visit www.asco.org/election to read the candidates’ full responses, watch video interviews, and learn more about their qualifications.

Daniel F. Hayes, MD, FASCO
Stuart B. Padnos Professor of Breast Cancer Research and Clinical Director of the Breast Oncology Program, University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Why do you want to serve as ASCO President?

I fundamentally believe in the mission of ASCO: “ASCO is a professional oncology society committed to conquering cancer through research, education, prevention, and delivery of high-quality patient care.” During my 3-year term on the Board of Directors, a placemat with this mission statement was in front of us at every meeting. Every decision we made during the last 3 years, whether it was to argue for payment reform, “sundown” a sponsored meeting that had run its course, or initiate a multimillion dollar “game-changer” like CancerLinQ^TM, was based on this mission statement.

What key issues are ASCO and the oncology field facing?

I believe the following are three key issues (among many) facing ASCO and oncology in general:

Federal health-care reform and the evolution of patient management in an era of increasing needs and limited resources. There are many subissues embedded in this concern, including:

• Novel reimbursement strategies for patient management
• Workforce needs as our population, and our membership, ages and becomes more diverse
• The increasing “push” at the medical school level to encourage students to consider primary care careers
• The new diagnostic technologies that offer unprecedented amounts of genomic-based information to oncologists and patients with varied understanding of their meaning or clinical utility
• The rising specter of cancer as a major cause of morbidity and mortality in low- and middle-income countries

What specific skills and talents do you bring to this position that make you different from the past Presidents?

I am not sure I have skills and talents that make me different from past Presidents, but this perception stems from my incredible respect for the historical leadership of this organization. Like many past Presidents, I come from an academic background, in which I have been a clinician; a laboratory, clinical, and translational researcher; and educator. I have also served as a clinical administrator of breast cancer programs in three different institutions (Harvard’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Georgetown’s Lombardi Cancer Center, and since 2001, the Breast Oncology Program at the University of Michigan’s Comprehensive Cancer Center), and I have established and served as Chair of translational research committees in the Cooperative Groups.

Also like many past Presidents, I have served in many roles in ASCO: the Scientific Program Committee (I served on the Breast Cancer track twice, most recently as Chair, and I chaired the entire Scientific Program Committee for the 2009 Annual Meeting); the Tumor Marker Guidelines Committee (I was a charter member, and I chaired the Committee from the mid-2000s up to the last year or so); and I have been on the Board of Directors the last 3 years.

However, perhaps my most unique accomplishment in ASCO has been my ability to generate new initiatives that have pushed the envelope for the organization, especially in regard to ASCO’s reaching out beyond its own membership.

I believe my strengths are to combine vision and realistic expectations, enthusiasm, hard work, and listening skills to lead important initiatives that will improve patient care on a global basis.

The ASCO Nominating Committee has selected Daniel F. Hayes, MD, FASCO, and Patrick J. Loehrer, Sr, MD, FASCO, as candidates for the position of 2015-2016 President-Elect (2016-2017 President). In the abridged interviews below, the candidates discuss their vision for the Society and their leadership experience. Visit www.asco.org/election to read the candidates’ full responses, watch video interviews, and learn more about their qualifications.

Patrick J. Loehrer, Sr, MD, FASCO
Director, Indiana University Simon Cancer Center, and H.H. Gregg Professor of Oncology and Associate Dean for Cancer Research, Indiana University School of Medicine

Why do you want to serve as ASCO President?

Having served in many capacities within this Society and enjoying the privilege of working alongside its outstanding staff, I consider ASCO among the greatest professional joys of my life. Being President would allow me to serve our profession and our Society at the highest level and pay back that which has given me so much. Serving as President would also provide the opportunity to lead several initiatives (including those outlined below) that I believe will maintain the preeminence of our profession and deepen our impact upon oncology worldwide.

What key issues are ASCO and the oncology field facing?

For ASCO to maintain its credibility to the public, it must offer candid discourse and self-examination on the rising costs of cancer care. I suspect, perhaps naively, that if we make strong efforts to impact federal health-care savings, we will be in a stronger position to argue for increased research dollars needed to advance progress in our field.

Disparities in cancer care delivery have many faces—nationally and internationally. They include improved access to care and broader participation in translational research trials. Proudly, ASCO has been at the forefront of public advocacy on behalf of our patients, but we should help lead the conversation of alternative health-care models for cancer care delivery.

What specific skills and talents do you bring to this position that make you different from the past presidents?

During my professional career, I have had a wide array of leadership roles locally, nationally, and internationally involving health-care professionals from the community and academic settings. I have had institutional leadership roles at Indiana University (IU), including being the Director of the Division of Hematology-Oncology and in my current role as the Director of the IU Simon Cancer Center and Associate Dean of Cancer Research for the School of Medicine. Nationally, I have also served as Chair of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Genitourinary Committee, Chair of the Medical Oncology Committee and Board of Directors of the American Board of Internal Medicine, and as a member of the Food and Drug Administration Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee.

I thoroughly enjoy working with smart and passionate people and firmly believe that the collective wisdom can yield productive and sustainable outcomes, far superior to individual efforts. In that capacity, I have led the development of several novel clinical research cooperatives, including the founding of the Hoosier Cancer Research Network (formerly known as “the HOG”); helping to establish the newly formed Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium; and building the multi-institutional, multinational AMPATH (Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare)-Oncology Program in western Kenya.

Having been Chair of numerous committees within ASCO (eg, Scientific Program, Professional Development, Bylaws, and the Leadership Development Program), I have a broad perspective on the organization and the staff. Witnessing the strengths and struggles of all of our members, academic, community, and international, I believe that I am uniquely positioned to serve our Society and all its members as ASCO President. ■