The ESMO Women for Oncology Award recognises an ESMO member or a recognised institution that has significantly contributed to supporting the career of women working in oncology.
2024 – Myung-Ju Ahn, Republic of Korea
The 2024 ESMO Women for Oncology Award will be presented to Myung-Ju Ahn at the ESMO 2024 Opening Ceremony. Ahn is professor of Hemato-Oncology at the Department of Medicine at the Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Republic of Korea and currently serves as Chairman of the Korean Association for Lung Cancer (KALC).
Her research interests include developing predictive and prognostic markers for personalised lung cancer therapy. She has focused on early clinical trials for drug discovery, repurposing of targeted drugs, and developing a NSCLC genome atlas.
In addition to her dedication to cancer research and improving the lives of patients with thoracic malignancies, Ahn is recognized for her efforts to mentor and inspire the next generation of doctors and researchers, encouraging and supporting their career development.
Previous recipients of the ESMO Women for Oncology Award
- Georgina Long, Australia (2023)
- Fatima Cardoso, Portugal (2022)
- Rebecca Dent, Singapore (2021)
- Caroline Robert, France (2020)
- Cristiana Sessa, Switzerland (2019)
- Margaret Foti, USA (2018)
- Frances Shepherd, Canada (2017)
- Sumitra Thongprasert, Thailand (2016)
- Enriqueta Felip, Spain (2015)
Nomination and selection process
Nominations may be made by any ESMO member (except undergraduate medical or science student members). Candidates may not nominate themselves.
Candidate eligibility criteria
- Be an individual, recognised institution or organisation that has made a significant contribution to supporting the career development of women working in oncology by promoting a merit-based working environment, fostering an environment for equality, implementing mentoring programmes or by facilitating personal-professional life balance.
- Be an ESMO member (applies when nominating individuals)
- Be an oncology professional from across the academic, research or clinical oncology environment (applies when nominating individuals)
- Have not previously received the ESMO Women for Oncology Award
- Have not received any other Award from ESMO within the last five (5) years
- Not be a current or recent (last two years) member of either the ESMO Executive Board, ESMO Council or the ESMO Nomination Committee
Final selection is made by the Selection Committee: ESMO President, ESMO President-Elect, ESMO Past-President, Chair of the ESMO Nomination Committee.