Karen Knudsen shared a post by ACS CAN on LinkedIn, adding:

“I am devastated by the loss of Representative Donald M. Payne Jr, a true champion for reducing the cancer burden through research, prevention, early detection and health equity.

The American Cancer Society and American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) are deeply grateful for their commitment and support throughout their distinguished career.”

Quoting ACS CAN’s post:

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Representative Donald M. Payne, Jr, a tremendous supporter of policies to increase access to cancer prevention and early detection.

Like so many people, Rep. Payne, Jr. was personally touched by this disease. He lost his father, Rep. Donald M. Payne, to colorectal cancer in 2012, and he honored his father’s legacy as a speaker during ACS CAN’s Lights of Hope ceremony in 2018.

During his time in Congress, Rep. Payne, Jr. was a lead sponsor of the Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act and supported the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Colorectal Cancer Control Program.

Rep. Payne was also a co-sponsor of the PSA Screening For HIM Act and spoke at the launch of the American Cancer Society Improving Mortality from Prostate Cancer Together (IMPACT) initiative in 2023.

For his efforts in the fight against cancer, ACS CAN was proud to honor Rep. Payne with the National Distinguished Advocacy Award, the organization’s highest honor, in 2021.

We express our deepest condolences to his family and the people of New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District.”

Source: Karen Knudsen/LinkedIn and ACS CAN/LinkedIn

Karen E. Knudsen is the CEO of the American Cancer Society (ACS) and its advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). Prior to joining ACS, Dr. Knudsen served as executive vice president of Oncology Services and enterprise director for Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health.

She also served as president for the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI), representing the 102 leading cancer centers in North America, and on the board of directors of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). 

She serves on the board of advisors for the National Cancer Institute and on 12 external advisory boards for NCI-designated cancer centers. She is an active member of several committees with the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), in addition to serving on other academic and for-profit advisory boards.