Adrienne Waks, MD, was honored with the Mentorship Yvonne Award during the Yvonne Awards Ceremony at OncoDaily Party 2026, held on May 29 at Park West in Chicago.
Natera was the exclusive partner of the Yvonne Awards Ceremony and OncoDaily Reception.
The recognition highlights Dr. Waks’ work as a breast medical oncologist, clinical investigator, educator, and mentor whose career has been shaped by a deep commitment to research training, patient-centered care, and the development of future leaders in oncology. Her work at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School reflects a rare balance of scientific rigor, clinical responsibility, and sustained investment in trainees.
The Yvonne Awards, presented by OncoDaily, celebrate outstanding achievements in oncology and recognize professionals whose work advances cancer care through leadership, innovation, service, and impact. The 2026 Yvonne Awards Ceremony was part of OncoDaily Party 2026 in Chicago, bringing together the oncology community to honor individuals shaping the future of cancer care.
A Career Built in Breast Oncology and Academic Medicine
Adrienne Waks earned her undergraduate degree in molecular biology from Princeton University, graduating summa cum laude, before receiving her medical degree from Harvard Medical School. She later completed a certificate in applied biostatistics through Harvard Catalyst, strengthening the quantitative foundation that would become central to her clinical research career.
Her postgraduate training included residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, fellowship in hematology/oncology through Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare, and service as Chief Resident in Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. This training pathway placed her at the center of clinical care, teaching, and translational oncology from the earliest stages of her career.
Today, Dr. Waks serves as Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Senior Physician in Medical Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Associate Physician in Medical Oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Leading Clinical Research in Breast Oncology
At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Adrienne Waks holds several major leadership roles. She is Co-Director of the Breast Oncology Seminar Series, Associate Director of Clinical Research for the Breast Oncology Program, and Co-Medical Director of Biospecimen Research in Breast Oncology.
These roles reflect her influence across the full clinical research process: developing studies, supporting research infrastructure, integrating biospecimen science, mentoring investigators, and helping ensure that breast oncology trials are designed and conducted with scientific depth and clinical relevance.
Her research has focused heavily on HER2-positive breast cancer, treatment de-escalation, mechanisms of resistance, biomarker-driven therapy, circulating tumor DNA, antibody-based therapy, and immune mechanisms in breast cancer. Her work asks questions that matter directly to patients: who needs more treatment, who may safely receive less, and how can therapy be tailored with greater precision?
Shaping the Future of HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Care
A major part of Dr. Waks’ research has centered on HER2-positive breast cancer, particularly the effort to individualize curative-intent treatment. She has led or contributed to multiple studies evaluating de-escalated treatment strategies, novel HER2-directed therapies, antibody-drug approaches, and biomarker-guided risk assessment.
Her work includes a prospective trial of treatment de-escalation following neoadjuvant paclitaxel, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab in HER2-positive breast cancer, as well as leadership in studies such as MARGOT, ADEPT, CompassHER2, and SATEEN. These trials explore important questions across early-stage and metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer, including chemotherapy-sparing approaches, post-neoadjuvant therapy, antibody-based strategies, and treatment after trastuzumab deruxtecan exposure.
Dr. Waks has also led work on HER2DX, circulating tumor DNA, HER2 heterogeneity, and immune mechanisms of margetuximab versus trastuzumab. Her research reflects the modern direction of breast oncology, where treatment decisions increasingly depend on biology, response, resistance patterns, and patient-specific risk.
Mentorship Embedded in Daily Academic Practice
The Mentorship Yvonne Award recognizes more than academic output. It honors the less visible but essential work of guiding trainees, supporting early-career investigators, and creating environments where younger physicians and scientists can grow.
Dr. Waks’ CV reflects a long and consistent record of teaching and mentorship. She has taught medical students, graduate students, residents, oncology fellows, breast surgery fellows, and postdoctoral research fellows. Her teaching roles include Harvard Medical School courses, internal medicine resident education, oncology fellow lectures, journal clubs, ambulatory clinic preceptorship, and one-to-one research supervision.
Her mentored trainees include undergraduate students, medical students, residents, clinical fellows, junior faculty, international research fellows, and postdoctoral researchers. This range matters. Mentorship in oncology is not limited to one career stage; it begins when students first encounter cancer medicine and continues as fellows and young investigators learn how to ask better questions, design stronger studies, and care for patients with both precision and empathy.
Training Researchers Who Can Think Clinically
Dr. Waks’ mentorship is closely tied to her identity as a clinical investigator. Her research program is not separate from her teaching; it is one of the settings where mentorship happens most directly.
Her work with fellows and trainees often sits at the interface of clinical questions and translational science. Studies on HER2-positive disease, CDK4/6 inhibitor resistance, immune mechanisms, ctDNA, and genomic assays require a generation of oncologists who can understand trial design, biospecimen science, statistics, patient selection, and clinical decision-making. Dr. Waks has helped create that environment through research supervision and structured academic guidance.
This kind of mentorship has lasting value. It does not simply help trainees publish papers or complete projects. It teaches them how to think carefully, interpret data responsibly, and keep patient benefit at the center of research.
A Record of Excellence in Care, Research, and Teaching
Dr. Waks has received multiple honors recognizing her work in research, patient care, leadership, and clinical investigation. These include the Dunne Award for Compassion and Dedication to Patient Care from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the ASCO Annual Meeting Merit Award, the Lee M. Nadler Extra Mile Award from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the George P. Canellos, MD Award for Clinical Investigation and Clinical Care from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
These recognitions reflect the breadth of her contributions. Her career brings together the qualities that define strong academic oncology: scientific productivity, thoughtful trial leadership, compassionate care, and sustained mentorship.
Bringing Knowledge to Patients and the Public
Dr. Waks has also contributed to patient education and community-facing oncology communication. She has presented for metastatic breast cancer forums, CancerCare Connect Education Workshops, Living Beyond Breast Cancer, Susan G. Komen, EMBRACE, and Dana-Farber patient programs. Topics have included clinical trials, HER2-positive breast cancer, metastatic breast cancer updates, treatment advances, and clinical trial basics.
Her educational work for patients and caregivers reflects another dimension of mentorship: helping people affected by cancer understand research, treatment options, and the changing oncology landscape. In breast cancer, where new data frequently change clinical practice, this ability to translate evidence clearly is an important form of service.
Honoring a Mentor in Breast Oncology
The Mentorship Yvonne Award recognizes Dr. Adrienne Gropper Waks for a career that has strengthened breast oncology through research, teaching, trainee development, and patient-centered education.
At OncoDaily Party 2026, her recognition highlighted the importance of mentorship in oncology’s future. New treatments, better biomarkers, and smarter clinical trials all depend on people who are trained to ask meaningful questions and carry the field forward with integrity.
Through her work at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Dr. Waks continues to shape breast oncology not only through the studies she leads, but also through the clinicians, researchers, and trainees she helps guide.
Written by Nare Hovhannisyan, MD