100 Influential Women in Oncology: Key Opinion Leaders to follow on Social Media in 2023

Today is Women’s Equality Day, celebrating the 1920 law that granted U.S. women the right to vote. Initiated in 1971 and made official in 1973, it’s acknowledged annually by the U.S. President.

Starting today, every week we’ll spotlight 10 extraordinary women leaders in oncology from all over the globe. You can follow them on Twitter (X) or LinkedIn. We’re eager to hear your recommendations for who should be featured next.

Dr. Julie Gralow is the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and Executive Vice President of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Previously, she was the Jill Bennett Endowed Professor of Breast Cancer at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Professor in the Clinical Research division of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, as well as Director of Breast Medical Oncology at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. She is the founder of the Women’s Empowerment Cancer Advocacy Network (WE CAN). Dr. Gralow received the ASCO Humanitarian Award in 2018 for her work in empowering women cancer patients and survivors globally.

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Her Royal Highness Princess Dina Mired of Jordan is a humanitarian, passionate global advocate for Cancer Control and Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and mother of a cancer survivor. She is the Patron of the International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP), Honorary President of the EORTC Research Fund, Honorary Ambassador of Harvard Global Health Win-Win Initiative. Her Royal Highness is the Past – President of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), former Director-General of the King Hussein Cancer Foundation. In September 2011, she was elected to deliver the keynote speech on behalf of all civil society at the opening of the United Nations General Assembly first ever high-level meeting on NCDs.

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Dr. Lillian Siu is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto (Canada), senior medical oncologist, Director of the Phase I Program, Co-Director of the Bras and Family Drug Development Program and the Clinical Lead for the Tumor Immunotherapy Program at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. She holds the BMO Chair in Precision Genomics (2016-2026).  Dr. Siu served on the Board of Directors for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), was a member of the Nomination Committee for the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (2014-2016) and currently serves on the AACR Board of Directors. She is a scientific editor for Cancer Discovery is on the editorial board for JAMA Oncology.

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Her Excellency Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu is the First Lady of Kebbi State (Nigeria), a global cancer advocate, a pediatrician, a UICC Board Member, a Founder of the Medicaid Cancer Foundation, and the Chairperson of First Ladies Against Cancer (FLAC), a coalition of the spouses of current and former state governors in Nigeria who are working to address gaps in the cancer continuum of care. In her role as the First Lady of Kebbi State, Dr. Bagudu is working with the state ministries of health, education, and women affairs to implement programs to sustainably improve menstrual hygiene, girl-child education, economic empowerment of women, and put an end to gender-based violence. Her Excellency is a member of the Editorial Board of OncoDaily.

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Dr. Nita Radhakrishnan is an Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at the Post-Graduate Institute of Child Health, Noida, India. She serves as the honorary secretary of the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Chapter of Indian Academy of Pediatrics, the largest body of medical care providers for children with blood diseases and cancers in India. She is the Co-Chair of the Partnerships Working Group of SIOP Global Health and Chair of the International Pediatric Association Program Area Working Group on Childhood Cancer. Dr. Radhakrishnan is on the Editorial Board of OncoDaily.

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Dr. Rachel Riechelmann is the Director of the Clinical Oncology Department and Professor at AC Camargo Cancer Center, Sao Paulo, Brazil and also serves as the President of the Brazilian GI Tumors Group (GTG). Prof. Riechelmann is a member of ESMO Scientific Committees (Colorectal and NET), Latin American Society of GI Oncology (SLAGO), the European Society of Neuroendocrine Tumors Advisory Board and Chair – GI LACOG (Latin American Cooperative Oncology Group).

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Dr. Maria T Bourlon is an Associate Professor and Head of the Urologic Oncology Clinic at Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico. She is the Director of the Genitourinary Cancers Program at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Dr. Bourlon is the chair-elect of the American Society of Clinical Oncology IDEA Steering Group and in 2023 received the prestigious ASCO CCF International Women Who Conquer Cancer (WWCC) Mentorship Award. She is on the Editorial Board of OncoDaily.

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Dr. Georgina Long is Co-Medical Director of Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA), and Chair of Melanoma Medical Oncology and Translational Research at MIA and Royal North Shore Hospital, The University of Sydney, Australia. In recognition of her ground-breaking research and work, Professor Long was recognized with the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences Outstanding Female Research Medal (2021), was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia (2020).  In February 2023 she was ranked the world’s 1st melanoma expert in all fields and disciplines. She is Past President of the Society for Melanoma Research.

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Dr. Serena Nik-Zainal is a Professor of Genomic Medicine and Bioinformatics and an NIHR Research Professor at University of Cambridge, UK. She is an Honorary Consultant in Clinical Genetics at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. She was awarded the Crick Lecture by the Royal Society for her work on the etiology of cancer and contributions to cancer therapies. She was the first woman to win the Josef Steiner Cancer Research Award in 2019.

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Dr. Myriam Chalabi is a Gastrointestinal Oncologist and clinician scientist at the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam. In 2022 she was named one of the 11 early career researchers to watch by Nature Medicine. In 2023 she was awarded the ESMO José Baselga Fellowship for Clinician Scientists.

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