Described as a “shining star” in her support of young researchers at the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN) and the broader scientific community during her distinguished career, Joan H. Schiller, MD, is the 2025 recipient of the group’s annual Remarkable Mentor in Oncology Award.

Group Co-Chairs Peter J. O'Dwyer, MD, and Mitchell D. Schnall, MD, PhD, announced the honor on May 14 during the General Session of the Spring 2025 Group Meeting in Tampa.

The Remarkable Mentor in Oncology Award is an initiative of the ECOG-ACRIN Task Force on Career Advancement. This professional honor recognizes one individual annually from the ECOG-ACRIN community who has shown sustained commitment to developing the careers of early- and mid-career investigators in cancer medicine and within the group.

Dr. Schiller previously served as co-chair of ECOG-ACRIN Thoracic Cancer Committee from 1991 to 2003, when she was named chair of the committee, a role she held for 8 years. Throughout her 20 years of committee leadership, Dr. Schiller prioritized encouraging younger investigators—especially women—making sure their voices were heard, and she was instrumental in helping them to obtain leadership positions on important trials. She also has been active in various capacities with the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), including as a mentor in ASCO’s Leadership Development Program.

An accomplished clinical trialist, Dr. Schiller’s early work was critical in the chemotherapy era for both non-small cell and small cell lung cancer in the days before targeted and immunotherapy treatments. Her work leading the E1594 trial defined the chemotherapy era and standard of care, and she was recognized by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) as the 2021 recipient of the Paul A. Bunn, Jr., Scientific Award for lifetime achievement.

Described by many as a tireless patient advocate, Dr. Schiller founded the Women Against Lung Cancer (WALC) group in 2002, which eventually became part of the Lung Cancer Research Foundation. She remains active in the organization, serving on its Board of Directors. She is credited with helping to break the taboo of talking about lung cancer, expanding the public’s understanding that it is a disease caused by many factors.

After graduating from the University of Illinois College of Medicine , Dr. Schiller completed her internship and residency training at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and a clinical fellowship in oncology at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center. She is a former division chief of Hematology/Oncology at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and served as the deputy director of the Simmons Cancer Center at that institution, where she also was the Andrea L. Simmons Distinguished Chair in Cancer Research. Most recently, she was deputy director of clinical investigation for the Inova Schar Cancer Institute in Fairfax, Virginia, and chief of Hematology/Oncology.

Dr. Schiller will address attendees of the Task Force on Career Advancement’s session at the ECOG-ACRIN Fall 2025 Group Meeting (October 22-24 in Philadelphia). Task Force Chair Barbara Burtness, MD, noted that Dr. Schiller, “has been an inspiration to so many people in the field; I am sure the interest in her talk will be very high.”

The Remarkable Mentor 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 Career Advancement. The award was launched in 2023. Past recipients are Arlene Forastiere, MD, and Heather Wakelee, MD.