Empowering Women in Oncology: LEAD 2024 Recognized Rana McKay and Nazli Dizman

Dr. Rana McKay and Dr. Nazli Dizman were honored at the LEAD 2024

The Leadership, Empowerment, and Development (LEAD) Conference  took place from September 27 to 28, 2024, at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort in Coronado, California. This event focuses on enhancing the roles of women in oncology and hematology through education, networking, and professional development opportunities. The conference aims to foster leadership skills and discuss critical issues facing women in these fields.

At the LEAD2024 Dr. Rana McKay was honored as the 2024 Woman Oncologist of the Year, while Dr. Nazli Dizman received the title of Rising Star of the Year. This recognition highlights their significant contributions to the field of oncology, particularly in empowering women within the profession.

Rana R. McKay

Dr. Rana R. McKay, MD, is a medical oncologist specializing in the treatment of urogenital cancers, including bladder, kidney, prostate, and testicular cancers. She is recognized for her leadership in oncology and her commitment to advancing cancer care through research and education.

McKay leads a prostate cancer clinic at UC San Diego School of Medicine, where she collaborates with a multidisciplinary team to provide advanced treatment options for patients with aggressive prostate cancer.

She earned her medical degree from the University of Florida College of Medicine and completed her residency in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. McKay also completed her fellowship in oncology/hematology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, affiliated with Harvard Medical School.

Her research interests include designing clinical trials aimed at improving outcomes for patients with genitourinary malignancies. She is involved in several early-phase trials for kidney and prostate cancer, utilizing new biomarkers and therapies to enhance treatment efficacy.

She has published in medical journals such as Nature, Lancet, and Journal of Clinical Oncology, contributing significantly to the body of knowledge in her field.

Nazli Dizman

Dr. Nazli Dizman is a hematology/oncology fellow currently training at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Her career has been marked by a strong commitment to clinical and translational cancer research, with a focus on improving outcomes for patients with various cancers.

Dr. Dizman began her fellowship at MD Anderson in July 2023, where she is involved in advanced cancer treatment and research. Before her fellowship, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship at City of Hope and an internal medicine residency at Yale University School of Medicine. She also trained in internal medicine in Turkey, where she completed her residency and served as chief resident.

Dr. Dizman graduated from Ege University School of Medicine in Turkey in 2012. She has also pursued medical education at institutions such as the University of Szeged and RWTH Aachen University.

Her research interests include The microbiome’s role in cancer treatment, Immunotherapy, particularly in renal cell carcinoma and other genitourinary cancers. She has contributed to several significant publications in the field, focusing on innovative treatment strategies and patient care improvements.

Healthcare professionals and organizations sent their congratulations to their achievement:

Sumanta K. Pal:

“Thank you LEAD24 for honoring 2 people I am insanely proud of.

Nazli Dizman is like a daughter to me. She joined us at

City of Hope 8 years ago and has worked tirelessly since then, continuing projects with our team and others while at Yale University School of Medicine and MD Anderson Cancer Center. Her papers in

Nature Medicine, The Lancet Oncology and other top journals are a reflection of the countless hours she has poured into pursuing her dreams. She will definitely be my boss one day.

Onto Dr Rana McKay – when there’s ever a time I’m feeling exhausted or overwhelmed, I look to her for inspiration. What she manages to juggle (highly successfully) is 10x what I could ever take on. Beyond establishing herself as a leader in our field early on, she’s a role model to everyone in oncology.

Wish I could have been there in person this year but sending my sincerest congratulations to both of you!

Toni Choueiri:

“Congratulations to Dr. Rana McKay and Dr. Nazli Dizman on being named the 2024 Woman Oncologist of the Year and Rising Star of the Year at LEAD2024 Both exceptional role models!”

IMG Oncologists:

“Huge congratulations to our incredible chair Nazli Dizman for being recognized as the 2024 LEAD Rising Star! Your leadership and dedication inspire the entire IMG oncologist community! We’re beyond proud of you and excited to see what’s next!”

Yüksel Ürün:

“Congratulations to both Nazli Dizman, MD and Rana McKay, MD for their outstanding achievements at LEAD2024! Their dedication and leadership continue to inspire the entire oncology community. Well deserved!”

BioAscend:

“Congratulations to our inspirational LEAD2024 Rising Star Nazli Dizman and to our LEAD2024 Woman Oncologist of the Year Rana McKay!”

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