Board of Directors – Undesignated Member
Dr. Temel is a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, clinical director of Thoracic Oncology at the Massachusetts General Hospital, co-director of the Cancer Outcomes Research and Education Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, and co-leader of the Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Outcomes Research Program. She was the 2018 Walther Cancer Foundation Supportive Oncology Award recipient and the 2005 Conquer Cancer Career Development Award recipient. She is a past member of the Annual Meeting Education Committee and Supportive Care in Oncology Symposium Steering Committee.
Why do you want to serve on the ASCO Board of Directors?
As an oncology clinician and clinical investigator, I have always considered ASCO to be my “home” for engaging with and meeting new colleagues, knowing best practices for caring for patients with cancer, and remaining up-to-date on the science of cancer care. I vividly recall the excitement I felt attending my first ASCO Annual Meeting and being awarded my first grant with a Conquer Cancer Foundation Career Development Award. The early relationships I established through ASCO and the Career Development Award catalyzed my career in ways that would not have otherwise been possible. Being part of an international oncology community that valued and embraced my clinical and research interests was instrumental as I was building my research program in palliative and supportive cancer care. Through ASCO I met key advisors such as Jaime Von Roenn who provided immense support and guidance as I struggled without mentorship at my own institution. As I progressed in my career, my leadership roles in the Palliative Care in Oncology Symposium and on the ASCO Educational Committee, participation in multiple ASCO guideline committees, and as a mentor on Conquer Cancer Foundation Career Development Awards, contributed significantly to my career development and academic promotion. At this point in my career, my primary goal is to “give back” through mentorship to trainees and junior faculty and service to organizations focused on improving the experience and outcomes of patients with cancer and their family members while continuing to provide comprehensive cancer care to my patients. Serving on the ASCO Board of Directors to help implement the ASCO mission pillars of research, education, and quality would be the ideal platform for me to achieve this goal. I would also be honored to have the opportunity to serve an organization that has given me so much over my 20-year career.