ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation, will present more than $11.5 million in funding through more than 450 grants and awards spanning multiple areas of cancer care. These awards will be given in conjunction with the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting held in Chicago, Illinois, May 30–June 3.

“We are so very proud of this year’s class of recipients and of the global impact we know they will make through their work,” said Howard A. Burris III, MD, FACP, FASCO, who serves as Chair of the Conquer Cancer Board of Directors. “The expertise and innovation demonstrated in their work reflects Conquer Cancer’s deep-seated commitment to making an impact on every cancer, for every patient, everywhere.”

Conquer Cancer’s grants and awards support oncology professionals at every career stage, to help accelerate breakthroughs in research. This year’s recipients represent 41 countries around the world.

“By funding such a broad range of projects and professionals, we're committed to supporting work that benefits patients around the world,” Dr. Burris said. “Conquer Cancer cannot wait to see what each of these amazing individuals accomplishes, and we extend our deepest gratitude to the donors who make these grants and awards possible.” 

Women Who Conquer Cancer Mentorship Awards

Launched in 2016, this award program honors extraordinary women leaders in oncology and role models who have excelled as mentors and have demonstrated outstanding commitment to the development of the next generation of cancer researchers and leaders.

Hologic, Inc Endowed Women Who Conquer Cancer Mentorship Award 

W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, MMHC, FASCO

W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, MMHC, FASCO, was sworn in as the 17th NCI director on December 18, 2023 and stepped down from that role on January 20, 2025. She previously led the Vanderbilt University Medical Center as physician-in-chief and chair of the Department of Medicine. Dr. Rathmell is a highly decorated physician-scientist, a recipient of the American Cancer Society Medal of Honor, the 2025 American Society for Clinical Investigation Korsmeyer Award, the 2019 Louisa Nelson Award for Women of Achievement, Vision, and Inspiration, the 2019 Eugene P. Schonfeld Award from the Kidney Cancer Association, and the Paragon Award for Research Excellence from the Doris Duke Foundation. She was a leader of The Cancer Genome Atlas’s (TCGA) kidney cancer projects and served as a TCGA analysis working group member across the spectrum of cancers, winning the 2020 American Association for Cancer Research Team Science Award. She has served on the NCI Board of Scientific Advisors, and the Forbeck Foundation Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Rathmell has been elected to the Association of American Physicians, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Rathmell’s specialty is the research and treatment of complex and hereditary kidney cancers. She also focuses on underlying drivers of kidney cancers using genetic, molecular, and cell biology to develop interventions to improve patients’ lives. Dr. Rathmell’s research has resulted in more than 300 articles in leading peer-reviewed journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

International Women Who Conquer Cancer Mentorship Award 

Nazik Hammad, MD, MSc, MEHP, FACP 

Nazik Hammad, MD, MSc, MEHP, FACP, is a professor of medical oncology at Saint Michael Hospital, Department of Medicine, and University of Toronto. Her academic and research interests include Breast and GI cancers, medical education and workforce development in low and middle-income countries (LMIC) particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, and competency-based medical education in Canada. Together with colleagues in Africa, she led the first Choosing Wisely Africa initiative. She is a coauthor in the Lancet Oncology commission for Cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa and is a commissioner in the Lancet Commission on Women, Power and Cancer. She is co-chair of the Black Physicians’ Association of Ontario (BPAO) Network for Advancing Medical Black Medical Learners (N-ABL) and is University of Toronto Department of Medicine Faculty Lead for Toronto Addis Ababa University Collaboration (TAAAC). Dr. Hammad is the current chair of the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) Significant Interest Group in Cancer in Conflict Zones and other Humanitarian settings. She has published widely on medical education including on faculty development, workforce optimization, women and cancer, cancer in conflict zones and among nomadic populations in Africa in addition to other wide range of topics in policy and health system issues in cancer control.  

Career Development Awards  

The Career Development Award (CDA) is a three-year grant that funds clinical investigators in the first to fourth year of faculty appointment to establish an independent clinical cancer research program. At the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting, 19 promising clinicians will be presented with CDAs.

Young Investigator Awards  

The Young Investigator Award (YIA) provides research funding to promising young physicians during the final years of training to support their transition to faculty appointments and to encourage quality research in clinical oncology. At the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting, 97 investigators will be presented with YIAs.

Global Oncology Young Investigator Awards  

The Global Oncology Young Investigator Award (GO YIA) provides research funding to early career investigators to encourage and promote quality research in global oncology and to develop the next generation of researchers to address global health needs. At the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting, five investigators will be presented with GO YIAs.

Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Research Fellowship

The Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Research Fellowship provides funding to a physician investigator, who is committed to conducting breast cancer research, as selected by the recipient of the 2025 Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Award. The 2025 Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Research Fellowship Award recipient is Nicole Casasanta, MD at Yale University.  

Long-term International Fellowship

The Long-term International Fellowship (LIFe) provides early career oncologists in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) the support and resources needed to advance their training by deepening their relationship with a mentor at a host institution in the United States, Canada, or Europe. At the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting, Zhen Wang, MD, from The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine (China) will be presented with the LIFe. He will be conducting his fellowship at the University of Louisville.

International Development and Education Awards  

The International Development and Education Award (IDEA) provides support for early career oncologists in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and facilitates the sharing of knowledge between these oncologists and ASCO members who serve as scientific mentors to each recipient. This year, 28 early-career oncologists will be presented with IDEAs.

International Innovation Grants

The International Innovation Grant (IIG) provides research funding to support novel and innovative projects that can have a significant impact on cancer control in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It supports promising research projects with the potential to reduce the cancer burden in local communities, while also being potentially transferable to other low- or middle-income settings. This year, five researchers will be presented with IIGs.  

Annual Meeting Research Awards  

The Annual Meeting Research Award (AMRA) is a professional development opportunity for presenters at the Medical Student & Resident Abstract Forum to develop and refine their research skills, connect with peers, and network with oncology professionals. This year, 12 recipients will be presented with AMRAs.

Medical Student Rotation  

The Medical Student Rotation (MSR) provides support for clinical or clinical research oncology rotations to U.S. medical students who are interested in pursuing oncology as a career. This year, 33 students will be awarded with MSRs and will attend next year’s ASCO Annual Meeting following completion of their rotations.

Oncology Summer Internships

Launched in 2021, the Oncology Summer Internship (OSI) is an immersive, paid internship designed to introduce rising second-year medical students to the field of oncology. This year, 70 students from 14 medical schools were selected to participate in the program.  

CLICK HERE for the full list of recipients.  

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Supporters: 

Research Professorship: This award is supported by Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation.

CDA: These awards are generously supported by AstraZeneca; Breast Cancer Research Foundation®; Bristol Myers Squibb; Johnson & Johnson; Lilly; and Walther Cancer Foundation.

LIFe: The fellowship is funded by Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation.

YIA: These awards are generously provided by Anonymous; AbbVie, Inc.; AbbVie Oncology; American Association for Cancer Research; American Society of Clinical Oncology; Amgen; Association for Value-Based Cancer Care; Association of Northern California Oncologists; AstraZeneca; Dr. Kathryn and Mr. Bruce Beal; Dr. Sumeet and Sumeeta Bhatia; Franci Blassberg and Joe Rice; Dr. and Mrs. Douglas W. Blayney; Boehringer Ingelheim International Gmb; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Nina Lesavoy Brady; Breast Cancer Research Foundation®; Bristol Myers Squibb; Howard A. Burris III, MD and Karen Y. Burris; Casdin Family Foundation; Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.; Mr. and Mrs. Charles and Trisha Elcan; David and Melissa Epstein; Florida Society of Clinical Oncology; Friends and Colleagues of Dr. Feng; Dr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Frist, Jr.; Genentech BioOncology™; GlaxoSmithKline Oncology; HELSINN; Friends and Family of Dr. Arti Hurria; Illumina; Integra Connect; IO Biotech; Johnson & Johnson; Journal of Clinical Oncology; Kamboj-Christie Family & Friends and MSCO Board; Dr. Judith and Alan Kau; Miodrag Kukrika, MD; The John and Elizabeth Leonard Family Foundation; Lilly; Maryland/District of Columbia Society of Clinical Oncology; Massachusetts Society of Clinical Oncologists; Melanoma Research Alliance; Merck & Co., Inc.; Georgia and Michael Michelson; Estate of Mike Miller; Victoria H. Montgomery; Dr. Anne Moore and Dr. Arnold Lisio; Nebraska Oncology Society; New Rhein Foundation; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; Pfizer Oncology; QuadW Foundation; The Norman & Ruth Rales Foundation; Thomas G. Roberts, Jr., MD, FASCO, and Susan M. DaSilva, DNP; Colleagues, Friends, and Family of Dr. Gladys Rodriguez and Dr. Narjust Florez; Sarah Cannon Research Institute; Aaron and Barbro Sasson; Anne Blaes, MD; Alicia Morgans, MD, MPH; Tara Sanft, MD; and Lidia Schapira, MD, FASCO; Alexandra Shapiro and Adam Aron; The Sontag Foundation; Swim Across America; Texas Society of Clinical Oncology; The SASS-ARENA Foundation; Tomasello Family Foundation; Twisted Pink; Vaniam Group LLC; Jamie H. Von Roenn, MD, FASCO; Generous Supporters of the Women Who Conquer Cancer; and Women Leaders in Oncology LLC and Deanna van Gestel.

GO YIA: These awards are funded by the SASS-ARENA Foundation and Amy Peterson, MD and Friends.

Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Research Fellowship: This fellowship is generously funded by GlaxoSmithKline Oncology.

IDEA: These awards are generously supported by The Yen Family.

IIG: These awards are generously funded by ASCO Employees.

Medical Student Rotation: These awards are generously supported by AstraZeneca; Bristol Myers Squibb; Eisai Inc.; Genentech BioOncology™; Gilead Sciences, Inc.; McKesson Foundation; Nebraska Oncology Society; and Pfizer Oncology. 

Annual Meeting Research Awards: These awards are generously provided by Eisai Inc.; Gilead Sciences, Inc.; and Stemline, Inc., a Menarini Group Company.

Oncology Summer Internship: These awards are generously supported by McKesson Foundation and R & D Impact Foundation. 

All listings are as of May 22, 2025, and reflect institutions at the time of award. See ASCO.org/grants-awards for an up-to-date list of grant and award recipients.