The Global Fight Against Cancer

Third Annual International Achievement Awards Honors Outstanding Global Advocates

On Friday, August 24, the International Affairs department honored outstanding achievers in global cancer and tobacco control during its third annual International Achievement Awards ceremony. The ceremony was held in conjunction with the National Board of Directors meeting at the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The American Cancer Society’s International Affairs Advisory Committee (IAAC) – co-chaired by Elizabeth Fontham, American Cancer Society first vice president, and Maria Worsham, PhD, a Society National Assembly member – selected the recipients and hosted the awards program.  The program also included opening remarks by Society leaders including Chief Executive Officer John R. Seffrin, PhD; Chief Medical Officer Harmon Eyre, MD; and Nathan Grey, national vice president of International Affairs.

International cancer control leaders were recognized in four key areas, including the Society’s American Cancer Society University (ACSU) program, international tobacco control, the International Partners Fellowship Program, and philanthropy. The award recipient for the ACSU program was Ana Lucía Garcés, MD, who serves as director of Guatemala’s multidisciplinary public health organization, IMSALUD, and is a member of One Voice Against Cancer. In international tobacco control, the award winner was Shoba John, an in-country program director for HealthBridge in India. The awardees for the International Partners Fellowship Program were Luzmindo B. Fajardo, executive director of the Philippine Cancer Society, and David Veneziano, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society California Division. The philanthropy award was given to John Kapoor, PhD, who has pledged $275,000 to help advance the fight against cancer in India.

International Relay For Life Leaders Attend National Relay Summit in Dallas

On August 2, 2007, International Relay For Life® staff gathered cancer organization staff and volunteers from Queensland, Victoria, and New South Wales in Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada at the Relay For Life National Summit in Dallas, Texas. For the first time, delegates from the three largest international Relay programs convened for a workshop on Relay best practices. The delegates had the opportunity to attend the American Cancer Society National Relay Summit and to witness the rollout of the new US Relay initiative entitled "Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back." They also participated in interactive training exercises aimed at assisting cancer organizations that are expanding their Relay programs. At the summit, international staff met with US Relay volunteers who have led international Relay trainings over the past few years. These volunteers included  Bob Mackay and Laura McCormick of the Eastern Division, Susan Myers of the New England Division, Cherilyn Pollard of the High Plains Division, Mimi Hable and Shirley James of the Ohio Division, Gina Myracle of the Mid-South Division, Phylicia Wilson of the South Atlantic Division, and Misha Huffman of the Great Lakes Division.