A trailblazer in oncology and tireless advocate for equal representation of women in research, Heather A. Wakelee, MD, has received the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group’s annual Remarkable Mentor to Women in Oncology Award for 2024.

Group Co-Chairs Peter J. O'Dwyer, MD, and Mitchell D. Schnall, MD, PhD, together with Barbara A. Burtness, MD, chair of the Task Force on Advancement for Women, announced the award on May 2 during the General Session of the Spring 2024 Group Meeting in Baltimore.

The purpose of the award is “to recognize the hard and often unacknowledged work that more senior members in the group have done to create a home for women investigators here and advance the careers of their younger colleagues,” noted Dr. Burtness prior to announcing this year’s honoree.

Dr. Wakelee is the division chief for medical oncology and the deputy director of the Stanford Cancer Institute at Stanford University. She is the Winston Chen and Phyllis Huang Professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Her expertise as a physician-scientist focuses on the treatment of patients living with lung cancer, thymoma, and mesothelioma. She was ECOG-ACRIN’s Young Investigator of the Year for 2015. She is a member of the ECOG-ACRIN Executive Committee and the Task Force on Advancement for Women.

The award recognizes Dr. Wakelee’s outstanding track record of mentorship for many individuals, particularly women, at the national and international levels, as well as within her own institution, Stanford University, and the ECOG-ACRIN Thoracic Cancer Committee, which she co-chaired for several years. Notably, she served as the president of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) from 2021-2023, where she worked to raise the voice of women members within the society and advocated for their increased involvement in its committees, on the board of directors, and as officers. In that role, she also helped to develop IASLC’s Women in Thoracic Oncology Program to give women researchers a voice and opportunities to come together to advocate and support each other.

Among the strengths noted in letters nominating Dr. Wakelee, is her inclusive approach, emphasis on collaboration and team building, and commitment to affording opportunities to early-career colleagues, particularly women, to attend oncology meetings and network with key clinical investigators in the field. Many of her mentees are now in distinguished careers at academic institutions across the country, and are the first authors of research manuscripts in prominent publications. “What has impressed me, is that despite her success and her many accomplishments, Dr. Wakelee continues to make mentorship a priority,” said one colleague.

That dedication has helped to propel many women into successful leadership roles in oncology practice and clinical research. As another of her colleagues noted: “While many have ‘paid back forward’ to their mentees, she can truly claim that she has passed on her experiences and wisdom to others without the benefit of having the torch handed to her.”

As part of the honor, Dr. Wakelee is invited to discuss her career and reflections on mentoring at the ECOG-ACRIN Fall 2024 Group Meeting (November 6-8 in Fort Lauderdale).

The Remarkable Mentor to Women in Oncology Award is one of ECOG-ACRIN’s highest distinctions. Nominations are open for submission from early February to early March each year by members of the Executive Committee, Principal Investigator Committee, and Task Force on Advancement for Women.