NCCN presented awards during the NCCN 23rd Annual Conference to Crystal Denlinger, MD, Abdul-Rahman Jazieh, MD, MPH, Warren Smedley, MSHA, Ronald Walters, MD, MBA, MHA, MS, and Kristin Kline Hasson.
Press Release – FORT WASHINGTON, PA [March 29, 2018] — The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) announced the recipients of 2018 awards for service to patients and contributions to the alliance, during the NCCN 23rd Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida. The awards were presented by NCCN Chief Executive Officer Robert W. Carlson, MD, and honored those who served NCCN’s mission with distinction over the past years.
2018 honorees:
- Crystal Denlinger, MD, Fox Chase Cancer Center
- Abdul-Rahman Jazieh, MD, MPH, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences
- Warren Smedley, MSHA, University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Ronald Walters, MD, MBA, MHA, MS, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and
- Kristin Kline Hasson, NCCN
Warren Smedley and Dr. Ron Walters were both honored with Board of Producers awards, presented to individuals who have made major contributions to NCCN over the years. They are unsung heroes who have provided exemplary service in helping NCCN achieve its mission through their passion to improve the care of people with cancer.
“Warren brings important insights and thoughtful perspectives to the Board and to Committee discussions. His innovative ideas for structuring meetings and projects helps to maximize their value,” said Dr. Carlson. “Ron goes above and beyond when sharing his expertise on quality measurements. His insights on policy are invaluable, and he’s never hesitant to pose challenging questions.”
Dr. Jazieh received the Partners in Cancer Care award for his work unifying oncologists across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and helping to create the MENA adaptations of the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®). Dr. Jazieh recognized the economic diversity in the region and spearheaded efforts to provide appropriate guidelines for both high- and low-resource communities. He worked with the Ministries of Health in Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia to secure funding for ongoing work and opened an office in Riyadh to support those efforts.
Dr. Denlinger was this year’s recipient of the Rodger Winn Award, named in memory of the first leader of the NCCN Guidelines Program who was instrumental in its creation. Dr. Denlinger is the first and only NCCN Panel chair who began her relationship with NCCN as a participant in the NCCN Fellows Program. The one-time NCCN Foundation Young Investigator Award recipient now sits on two NCCN Panels, including serving as Chair of the NCCN Guidelines Panel for Survivorship.
“Crystal is an excellent consensus-builder,” said Dr. Carlson. “She shares Rodger’s curiosity, dedication to medicine, ability to juggle multiple tasks, and talent for melding a variety of personalities into a highly productive panel.”
Hasson was named this year’s Pat Daulerio Employee of the Year by her peers at NCCN. The award name comes from a longtime employee who helped build the NCCN Meetings department, before losing her own battle with cancer. Hasson had worked with Daulerio and was moved to receive an honor in her name. Addressing the NCCN Board of Directors, Hasson said, “Thank you all for the large role you play helping people who mean the world to others, in the way that Pat meant the world to me.”
