Announcement Date: January 23, 2025
Alexandria, VA – Conquer Cancer®, the ASCO Foundation, in collaboration with the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation (BMS Foundation), an independent charitable organization, announced today the second group of oncology physicians who have been selected for The Robert A. Winn Excellence in Clinical Trials Award Program’s Clinical Investigator Leadership Award, powered by Conquer Cancer’s EveryGrant® (Winn CILA-Onc).
This three-year career and leadership development program is designed to provide clinical cancer investigators with advanced clinical trials knowledge, leadership skills, mentorship and sponsorship to succeed as independent clinical researchers, team members, and leaders. The investigators must be oncology graduates of the Winn Career Development Award program.
The second cohort consists of five physicians (referred to as Winn Investigators) who come from a range of oncology backgrounds and expertise. The training program is led by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and includes collaboration with the National Cancer Institute’s National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN). The program will provide salary support for the participants during their award term, connection with and mentoring through NCTN cooperative groups, and training to gain advanced clinical trials knowledge and leadership skills.
NCTN cooperative groups will provide networking and collaboration opportunities by assigning participants to a Core Committee and pairing them with a mentor who is an experienced clinical trialist within the cooperative group. This format will ensure that participants effectively apply the training received during the program. The overall goal is for each participant to acquire the requisite skills to effectively develop, implement and oversee a clinical trial sponsored by the NCTN cooperative group.
Reflecting on the first cohort in 2024, Michal Tibbits, Vice President of ASCO’s Professional Development Department stated, “We are delighted to witness the growth in leadership skills as well as the strong relationships developed between the inaugural Winn CILA-Onc Investigators and their NCTN mentors. Already we have witnessed progress—expanded networks, patient recruitment and innovation in clinical trials design.”
The five award recipients of the second cohort of Winn CILA-Onc and their assigned NCTN cooperative group are:
Abiola Ibraheem, MD
University of Illinois at Chicago
Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology Foundation
Sonya Reid, MD, MPH
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group
Angelique Richardson, MD, PhD
University of California, San Diego
SWOG Cancer Research Network
Luca Valle, MD
University of California, Los Angeles
NRG Oncology
Lena Winestone, MD, MS
University of California, San Francisco
The Children’s Oncology Group Foundation, Inc.
“We are honored to support this second cohort of physicians selected for the Winn Clinical Investigator Leadership Award,” said Catharine Grimes, President of the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation. “Through this collaboration, we are supporting these talented clinical investigators with mentorship and hands-on experience, empowering them to address critical needs in oncology care, and drive meaningful impact in the communities they serve.”
Applications for the third cohort of the Winn CILA-Onc will launch in Spring 2025.
About the Winn Awards
Established in 2020 by the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, the Winn Awards’ vision is to improve participation in clinical trials to drive better health outcomes in all communities to save more lives. The Winn Award Program comprises four awards to help train and support the next generation of clinical trialists. These include: the Career Development Award (Winn CDA), two Clinical Investigator Leadership Awards focused on oncology and cardiovascular disease (Winn CILA), and the Clinical Investigator Pathway Program (Winn CIPP).
About the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation
The Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, an independent charitable organization, works to improve global health by empowering local communities and health systems to create lasting impact in regions of the world that are underserved and heavily burdened. The BMS Foundation embraces innovative approaches that have the potential to reshape healthcare systems by engaging in partnerships that build capacity in the geographies where they focus. Through these strategic partnerships, the BMS Foundation can transform how care is delivered and help to ensure improved health now and in the future. For more information, visit bms.com/foundation.
About EveryGrant®
Powered by Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, EveryGrant® is a comprehensive grants management service designed to help organizations maximize the impact of their funding and accelerate breakthroughs in cancer treatment and care. We’re committed to empowering the oncology community to develop successful, outcome-driven, funding programs by utilizing Conquer Cancer’s extensive grantmaking resources—including our extensive network of global experts, decades of grantmaking experience, and a proven approach and innovative tools for managing grants successfully.
