Merit Award
Based on funding availability, a limited number of Merit Awards will be awarded to fellows/oncology trainees whose research is addressed in high-quality abstracts submitted to an ASCO Meeting and recognized for its scientific merit.
Merit Award recipients are honored with the opportunity to present their abstract at the Meeting, receive $1,000 in monetary support, complimentary registration for the Meeting, and access to reserved Meeting hotel reservation blocks. Merit Award candidates must apply for this award at the time of abstract submission.
For the 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting Merit Awards, Conquer Cancer has dedicated funds earmarked for the following areas and groups: breast cancer, geriatric oncology, genitourinary cancer, lung cancer, research focusing on Veterans Affairs (VA) patients or on data from the VA, female lung cancer researchers and researchers from Florida and northern New England. Abstracts in other types of oncology-related research are also highly encouraged.
Eligibility Criteria:
Applicants must meet the following criteria to be considered for a Merit Award:
- Be the First Author on the abstract submission and agree to present the abstract if selected for presentation at the Meeting
- Hold a doctoral degree (including but not limited to MD, DO, PharmD, or PhD)
- Be enrolled in an oncology fellowship training program, a radiation oncology residency program, or an equivalent oncology training program at the time of abstract submission
- Work in an oncology laboratory or clinical research setting
- Provide a letter of support from their training program director, indicating eligibility for the award
- Provide a curriculum vitae
Special Merit Awards
Special Merit Awards are presented each year to trainees and junior faculty who have the top-ranking abstracts for the ASCO Annual Meeting. In addition to the stipend, recipients receive a plaque and are recognized at the ASCO Annual Meeting.
Bradley Stuart Beller Endowed Merit Award ($2,000)
This award is given to the fellow who has the highest ranking abstract overall in the Merit Award category as determined by the Scientific Program Committee.
Brigid Leventhal Special Merit Award
This award is given to the fellow who submitted the top abstract in Pediatric Oncology as determined by the Scientific Program Committee.
Pain and Symptom Management Special Merit Award
This award is given to the fellow who submitted the top abstract in Pain and Symptom Management Research as determined by the Scientific Program Committee.
Allen S. Lichter, MD Endowed Merit Award
This award is given to the fellow who has the second highest ranking abstract in the Merit Award category as determined by the Scientific Program Committee.
James B. Nachman Endowed ASCO Junior Faculty Award in Pediatric Oncology ($3,000)
This award was established in memory of James B. Nachman, MD, Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Chicago and an internationally renowned pediatric cancer expert. It is endowed through the James B. Nachman Pediatric Oncology Fund and will be given each year to a junior faculty member who submits the highest ranking abstract in pediatric oncology for the ASCO Annual Meeting as determined by the ASCO Scientific Program Committee. The recipient will receive $3,000 in monetary support to attend the Annual Meeting, complimentary registration for the Annual meeting and access to reserved Meeting housing. Candidates must apply for this award at the time of abstract submission.
The First Author must meet all of the following requirements to be considered for the James B. Nachman ASCO Junior Faculty Award in Pediatric Oncology:
- Hold a medical or doctoral degree (MD, PhD, DO, or DNP)
- Be within 7 years of their first faculty appointment at the time of abstract submission
- Conduct laboratory, population-based, or clinical research focused on childhood cancer
- Agree to present the abstract at the ASCO Annual Meeting
- In addition, the abstract must be selected for presentation in an Oral Abstract Session
Application Instructions
Consideration for a Merit Award is available on the abstract submitter for the ASCO Annual Meeting and other ASCO thematic meetings.
Abstract Submission Deadlines:
- 2018 Palliative and Supportive Care in Oncology Symposium: July 24, 2018, at 11:59 PM EDT
- 2019 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium: September 25, 2018, at 11:59 PM EDT
- 2019 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium: October 23, 2018, at 11:59 PM EDT
- 2019 ASCO-SITC Clinical Immuno-Oncology Symposium: November 6, 2018 at 11:59 PM EST
- 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting: February 12, 2019 at 11:59 PM EST
For Merit Award eligibility and application questions, please contact abstracts@asco.org.
2018 Annual Meeting Merit Award Recipients
Supporters
The 2018 Merit Award is supported by:
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Friends and Family of Dr. and Mrs. Ronald Beller
Dr. and Mrs. Douglas W. Blayney
Conquer Cancer Foundation
Estate of Darla C. Ellis
Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.
Michael Kelley, MD & Elise Hoffman, PharmD
Kidney Cancer Association
Dr. Kathleen Pritchard Medicine Professional Corporation
Friends and Family of Dr. James B. Nachman
Novartis Oncology
Frances A. Shepherd, MD, FASCO
Stephen A. Sherwin, MD
Drs. Rachna and Puneet Shroff
Mr. Jackson G. Simpson
Takeda Oncology
This list reflects commitments as of July 15, 2018.
This grant receives support that may result in a report to the CMS Open Payments website under the Physician Payments Sunshine Act. The supporting companies are required to report the amount of the grant, the names of physicians who are awarded this grant, and the names of their institutions. This information may appear on the Open Payments website. Find out more information about the Sunshine Act and CMS Open Payments program.