Lillian Siu Honored with the 2024 ASCO David Karnofsky Memorial Award
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has announced Dr. Lillian L. Siu, MD, FRCPC, FASCO, as the esteemed recipient of the 2024 David Karnofsky Memorial Award. This prestigious recognition is a testament to Dr. Siu’s unparalleled dedication and contributions to the field of oncology and cancer research.
Dr. Siu is a senior medical oncologist, director of the Phase I Clinical Trials Program, co-director of the Bras and Family Drug Development Program, clinical lead for the Tumor Immunotherapy Program, and holds the BMO Chair in Precision Genomics at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and is a professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, Canada. She is the 2024–2025 President-Elect of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).
Dr. Siu’s major research focus is new anticancer drug development, particularly with respect to phase I trials and head and neck malignancies. She is the co-contact principal investigator of a phase I UM1 grant sponsored by the NCI. In addition to her active research in early-phase clinical trials, she has been leading genomics initiatives and immuno-oncology trials at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Dr. Siu is a past Board member of ASCO and past chair of the Conquer Cancer Grants Selection Committee.
She is the 2020 recipient of the ASCO International Women Who Conquer Cancer Mentorship Award, the 2020 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Targeted Anticancer Therapies Honorary Award, The University of Toronto Michael Hutcheon Mentor Award (2017), Eaton Research Scholar Researcher of the Year in 2016, Elsie Winifred Crann Memorial Trust Award in Medical Research (2001) and The NCI Michaele C. Christian Oncology Development Lectureship and Award (2010). In 2023 she was recognized as one of the 100 Influential Women in Oncology by OncoDaily.
About David Karnofsky Memorial Award
First awarded in 1970, this award is presented annually in the name of David A. Karnofsky, MD, in honor of his outstanding contributions to the research, in the diagnosis and/or treatment of cancer. The award and lecture are presented during the ASCO Annual Meeting and the recipient delivers a 30-minute lecture.
The oncology community and the OncoDaily team extend their heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Lillian Siu for this well-deserved recognition, reflecting her profound influence on the field of cancer research and her unwavering dedication to the advancement of cancer care.