MASCC 2025 Presidential Training Fellowship Spotlight: Dr. Alique Topalian

The MASCC 2025 Presidential Training Fellowship recognizes one of seven outstanding oncology leaders highlighted by OncoDaily for their commitment to advancing supportive cancer care worldwide.

The Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) Presidential Training Fellowship is one of the most prestigious honors for emerging leaders in oncology, celebrating early-career physicians, nurses, and researchers who are shaping the future of cancer care through innovation, education, and international collaboration.

As part of OncoDaily’s exclusive MASCC 2025 coverage, today we feature Dr. Alique Topalian, the final honoree in this year’s fellowship spotlight series. With this feature, we conclude our journey across all seven inspiring recipients, each making unique contributions to supportive cancer care. Dr. Topalian, who also shared her reflections in a recent OncoDaily YouTube interview, represents the closing note of this series with her vision for patient-centered care and international collaboration.

About Dr. Alique Topalian

Alique Topalian’s journey into oncology is defined not only by professional dedication but also by lived experience. As a two-time cancer survivor, she transformed her personal challenges into a career centered on patient advocacy, psychosocial programming, and community engagement. Her mission is to ensure that every patient has a voice, especially those who have not yet found their own or who have been silenced too soon.

She has become an engaged speaker in the cancer community, channeling her experiences into meaningful research and advocacy. Her work focuses on improving patient experiences, building supportive services, and fostering community-driven initiatives that address the psychosocial dimensions of cancer care.

Dr. Topalian’s academic and professional contributions include the development of needs assessments, program evaluations, research articles, databases, and community programs across oncology and mental health. She emphasizes cultural humility and collaboration, working with the communities she serves, not just for them, in order to create impactful and sustainable change.

She represents the new generation of MASCC fellows who combine frontline care with rigorous research and international collaboration. By engaging in MASCC initiatives, she continues to amplify the importance of holistic care approaches that address physical, emotional, and socioeconomic aspects of the cancer experience.

A Patient’s Voice, A Researcher’s Vision

In her OncoDaily interview, Dr. Topalian reflected on the significance of being named a MASCC 2025 Presidential Training Fellow, describing it as both a personal and professional milestone. As a two-time cancer survivor, she noted that the recognition affirmed the value of combining lived experience with research to improve supportive cancer care. She emphasized her commitment to amplifying patient voices, particularly for those who struggle to share their stories, explaining:

“I think that’s when I started to find my voice… I always share stories of other advocates – I bring out their voices too.”

Looking ahead, she expressed her hope that the fellowship will allow her to strengthen psychosocial programming and community engagement initiatives, ensuring that supportive care becomes an integral part of oncology worldwide.

Shaping the Future of Supportive Oncology

Alique Topalian’s selection as a MASCC Presidential Training Fellow underscores her growing influence as both a patient advocate and a researcher. Her ability to bring patient-centered insights into international conversations on cancer care demonstrates the direction MASCC envisions for the future: one where scientific innovation and patient experience are equally valued.

Through this fellowship, she will contribute to MASCC’s SC2030 movement, advancing its mission to establish supportive care as a global standard of oncology practice. Her work ensures that patients’ voices remain at the heart of this vision, reinforcing the idea that true progress in oncology must be both evidence-based and human-centered.

With Dr. Alique Topalian’s story, OncoDaily concludes its exclusive MASCC 2025 Presidential Training Fellowship spotlight series.

Over the past weeks, we have celebrated seven extraordinary leaders from around the globe, each contributing their vision, expertise, and compassion to advancing supportive cancer care. Together, they represent the future of MASCC and a collective commitment to improving the lives of people affected by cancer worldwide.

If you missed the features of the other residential MASCC Presidential Training Fellowship Awardees, take your time meet them all on Oncodaily website.

Dr. Chia Jie Tan

Dr. Jeff Hanna

Celia Díez de los Ríos de la Serna

Dr. Colleen Ann Cuthbert

Dr. Wang Yanfei

Dr. Julien Vos

Dr. Julien Vos

Written by Sergey Badalyan, MD