William Dale Awarded the 2024 ASCO B.J. Kennedy Geriatric Oncology Award

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has announced William Dale, MD, PhD, FASCO as the recipient of the 2024 ASCO B.J. Kennedy Geriatric Oncology Award. This award acknowledges Dr. Dale’s dedication and contributions to the field of global oncology.

William Dale, M.D., Ph.D., FASCO, is the vice chair for Academic Affairs for the Department of Supportive Care Medicine and the director of the Center for Cancer and Aging in the National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center at City of Hope. In 2024, Dr. Dale became the first non-oncologist to be awarded the prestigious B.J. Kennedy Geriatric Oncology Award by the American Society of Clinical Oncology in recognition of his leadership in cancer and aging, supportive care medicine, cancer survivorship, and medical decision-making.

Dr. Dale completed his M.D. and Ph.D., training at the University of Chicago and did his residency in internal medicine and fellowship training in geriatrics at the University of Pittsburgh. He is a Board-certified geriatrician and palliative medicine physician with a doctorate in health policy. He has earned Fellowship status in The American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Dr. Dale has devoted his career to the care of older adults with cancer and older cancer survivors.  He founded and directs the award-winning Specialized Oncology Care and Research in Elders (SOCARE), designated as part of the American Hospital Association’s Age-Friendly Health System, along with two other OASIS programs at City of Hope. SOCARE offers interdisciplinary, personalized care that optimizes life quality for vulnerable older adults.

He has over 250 publications on optimizing care for vulnerable patients, especially older adults and their families. He has been continuously funded by the National Institute on Health, National Cancer Institute, American Cancer Society, the Rising Tide Foundation, among others. He is a principal investigator for a national infrastructure grant from National Institutes of Health to create a network of investigators in cancer and aging across the country.

About the B.J. Kennedy Geriatric Oncology Award

First awarded in 2007, this award and lectureship were created in the name of B.J. Kennedy, MD, a past president of ASCO, in honor of his outstanding contributions to the research, diagnosis and treatment of cancer in the elderly, and in recognition of his bringing an understanding of the field to the many fellows that he mentored.