Nominating Committee – Undesignated Member
Neha Vapiwala, MD FACR FASTRO is Professor and Vice Chair of Education in the Department of Radiation Oncology, and Dean of Admissions at the Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania. She specializes in the management of patients with genitourinary (GU) cancers, serving as the department's first Chief of GU Oncology. Her research interests focus on biological and technological improvements in multimodality cancer therapy, as well as molecular imaging and integrative medicine for disease- and treatment-related symptom management. She is the Principal Investigator on several therapeutic trials, including a NCI-sponsored randomized phase III national cooperative group trial exploring the use of PET-directed therapy in patients with recurrent prostate cancer. Dr. Vapiwala is a proud graduate of ASCO’s Leadership Development Program, and holds positions in multiple national oncology societies and organizations, including as Track Leader on the ASCO Annual Meeting Scientific Program committee, Co-chair of the ECOG-ACRIN GU Early Modality committee, and Treasurer/Secretary on the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO)’s Board of Directors. She currently serves on the editorial board for ASCO Digital Education, as well as the Journal of Clinical Oncology and JAMA Oncology. In addition, Dr. Vapiwala is a recognized leader in undergraduate and graduate medical education. Prior to her role as Dean of Admissions, she served as Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, and also sat on the Executive Committee of the Association of Directors of Radiation Oncology Programs. She just concluded a 3-year term as Chair of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's Residency Review Committee for Radiation Oncology.
Why do you want to serve on the Nominating Committee?
The ASCO community is deeply important to me, and has been an integral part of my professional identity since I joined in my first year of residency training. Service to ASCO throughout my career has thus been an opportunity to support ASCO’s mission and to collaborate with a broad swath of ASCO members and staff, from junior trainees to senior thought leaders in the field. My longstanding membership in ASCO and other professional oncologic societies has enabled me to better understand the myriad issues facing oncology patients, care providers, researchers, and our field. Furthermore, as the Dean of Admissions at a medical school; departmental Vice Chair of Education overseeing 5 training programs; and former member of numerous Chair/faculty search and departmental review committees, I have breadth and depth of experience in reviewing applications, performing incisive interviews and assessing candidates with a discerning eye. In my professional roles, and in particular as the Chair of the Executive Committee on Medical School Admissions, I have acquired skills to work closely with faculty and staff from various backgrounds on sometimes sensitive and difficult decisions, listening to their concerns, establishing our shared goals, and collaborating on a final If elected, I will respect the privilege of this role, and strive to engage and represent the general membership as well as fellow committee members as we develop and refine slates of potential nominees for open positions. I would comply with ASCO’s bylaws and policies and seek to ensure transparency, open-mindedness, and equity in my personal contributions as well as in our committee as a whole. Service on this committee would also enable me to assist ASCO’s Board of Directors in realizing the society’s long-range strategic plan and vision through diverse and thoughtfully determined nominations.