GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer to Honor Heather Wakelee, M.D. with the 2021 Bonnie J. Addario Lectureship Award

SAN CARLOS, Calif. and WASHINGTON, July 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer (GO2 Foundation) will present Heather Wakelee, M.D.  with the 2021 Bonnie J. Addario Lectureship Award at the Physicians' Education Resource® 22^nd Annual International Lung Cancer Congress on Friday, July 30  in Huntington Beach, California. Dr. Wakelee is a Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Oncology at Stanford University and Deputy Director of the Stanford Cancer Institute.

GO2 Foundation is recognizing Dr. Wakelee for her decades of dedication to lung cancer research covering multiple facets of the disease. Dr. Wakelee's research has focused on many specific lung cancer subtypes defined by specific mutations in EGFR, ALK, ROS1, RET, BRAF and others. She has led numerous clinical trials focused on lung cancer therapy, most notably treatments to improve cure for patients with lung cancer who have undergone surgery (adjuvant therapy).  She has also collaborated with colleagues on work to better understand why lung cancer develops and better methods for detection of lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., taking more lives annually than colon, breast and  prostate cancer combined. Lung cancer is also the leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States, with the disease expected to claim the lives of more than 62,000 women in 2021 alone. Approximately, two-thirds of the patients who develop lung cancer who have never smoked are women. Despite this prevelance and higher number of annual deaths, lung cancer is the least funded of the major cancers affecting women.

"Given women are disproportionately impacted by lung cancer, the advancements in lung cancer research by women like Dr. Wakelee are incredibly meaningful to the lung cancer community. With GO2's focus on advancing world-class, patient-centered lung cancer research in our mission to save, extend, and improve the lives of those at risk and diagnosed with lung cancer, we are pleased to honor Dr. Wakelee for her commitment to and leadership on a broad range of cutting-edge lung cancer research projects and clinical trials," said Bonnie J. Addario, co-founder and chair of GO2 Foundation.

"Dr. Wakelee is nationally and internationally recognized for her accomplishments in lung cancer research and clinical trial leadership, but even more so as a visionary with unique insight into future directions for advancing our understanding and management of this cancer," said Dr. David Gandara, Director of Thoracic Oncology at U.C. Davis Health and past Lectureship Award recipient. "Her work, including her ASCO 2021 landmark presentation on post-operative immunotherapy will lead to more effective and hopefully curative therapy s to improve lung cancer survivorship, a goal we all share and work together to achieve."

Dr. Wakelee is a graduate of Princeton University and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed her post-graduate training at Stanford University. She serves as Stanford Principal Investigator and on the Executive for the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG-ACRIN), and Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO).  Her work in immunotherapy of thoracic malignancies includes participation in multiple phase III trials of PD-(L)1 checkpoint inhibitors in advanced stage NSCLC and more recently, involvement on steering committees for two phase III international trials exploring immune checkpoint inhibitors in the peri-operative period. She actively collaborates with many basic scientists at Stanford University seeking to better understand molecular and other biomarkers of immune response.

Dr. Wakelee is active in multiple national and international lung cancer research organizations and is a long-time member, current Board Member and President-Elect of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). She has served the IASLC in many other capacities including as chair of the communications committee, co-chair of the thoracic committee, executive committee member and as a member of the Board of Regents.

Dr. Wakelee's expertise and experience has led her to author or co-author over 200 medical articles on lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies.

Past Bonnie J. Addario Lectureship Award recipients include:

• 2020 - Charles Swanton, M.D., Ph.D., FRCP, FMedSci, FRS senior group leader at the Francis Crick Institute
• 2019 – Solange Peters, M.D., Head of Medical Oncology and Chair of Thoracic Oncology at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) in Lausanne, Switzerland
• 2018 – Vassiliki A. Papadimitrakopoulou, M.D., Chief of Thoracic Medical Oncology, Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
• 2017 – Frances A. Shepherd, M.D., FRCPC, Senior Staff Physician, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre; Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine
• 2016 – Giorgio Vittorio Scagliotti, M.D., Professor of Oncology, University of Torino; Head of the Department of Oncology and Chief of the Division of Medical Oncology, San Luigi Hospital, Torino, Italy
• 2015 – Fred R. Hirsch, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine
• 2014 – Roy S. Herbst, M.D., Ph.D., Ensign Professor of Medicine and Chief of Medical Oncology, Yale Cancer Center
• 2013 – Tony Mok, M.D., Professor in the Department of Clinical Oncology, Chinese University of Hong Kong,Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong
• 2012 – D. Ross Camidge, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Thoracic Oncology Clinical Program and Associate Director for Clinical Research, Colorado University Cancer Center
• 2011 – William Pao, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Ingram Associate Professor of Cancer Research; Director, Personalized Cancer Medicine, Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center
• 2010 – David R. Gandara, M.D., Associate Director, Clinical Research, UC Davis Cancer Center
• 2009 – Harvey Pass, M.D., B.A., Director of the Division of Thoracic Surgery and Chief of Thoracic Surgery, New York University Medical Center
• 2008 – Paul A. Bunn, Jr. M.D., Principal Investigator and Director, University of Colorado Cancer Center

About GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer
Founded by patients and survivors, GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer transforms survivorship as the world's leading organization dedicated to saving, extending, and improving the lives of those vulnerable, at risk, and diagnosed with lung cancer. We work to change the reality of living with lung cancer by ending stigma, increasing public and private research funding, and ensuring access to care.

About the International Lung Cancer Congress®
For 22 years, Physicians' Education Resource® (PER®) International Lung Cancer Congress® has brought together medical, surgical, and radiation oncologists to foster awareness of state-of-the-art treatments for patients with lung cancer. This year's two-day virtual webcast features cutting-edge lectures, panel discussions, multidisciplinary tumor boards, and interactive question-and-answer sessions from leading international and national experts. Faculty share their perspectives and personal experiences on the clinical challenges and ongoing controversies in lung cancer management.

About Physicians' Education Resource®, LLC (PER®)
Since 1995, PER® has been dedicated to advancing cancer care through professional education and now advances patient care and treatment strategies on a wide variety of chronic illnesses and diseases. In 2016, PER® initiated continuing medical education (CME) programming in the cardiovascular and endocrinology areas. While expanding into topics outside of oncology, PER® stands as the leading provider of live, online, and print CME activities related to oncology and hematology. The high-quality, evidence-based activities feature leading distinguished experts who focus on the application of practice-changing advances. PER® is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education and the California Board of Registered Nursing. PER® is a brand of MJH Life Sciences™, the largest privately held, independent, full-service medical media company in North America dedicated to delivering trusted health care news across multiple channels.
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About IASLC
The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) is the only global network dedicated to the study and eradication of lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies. Since its founding in 1974, the association's membership has grown to more than 8,000 lung and thoracic cancer specialists from all disciplines and more than 100 countries. By hosting global conferences, funding cutting-edge research, and educating the health care community and the public about thoracic cancers, the IASLC works to alleviate the burden lung cancer places on patients, families, and communities.

SOURCE GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer