ALEXANDRIA, Va – The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) presented its Advocate of the Year Award to Carolyn Hendricks, MD, FASCO, for her exceptional contributions and commitment to the Association’s advocacy efforts. As an ASCO Fellowship Awardee, through which she was honored with the “FASCO” designation, Dr. Hendricks has consistently gone above and beyond in volunteering, both nationally and internationally, to improve the delivery of cancer care.

Chair of ASCO’s Government Relations Committee, Dr. Hendricks dedicates much of her time to advocating on behalf of cancer care professionals and their patients. From meeting with her elected officials in Pennsylvania where she lives and Maryland where she works, to speaking at Capitol Hill briefings on issues important to cancer patients such as the need for interoperable electronic health records, the importance of federal funding for cancer research, and increasing Medicaid beneficiary access to clinical trials, Dr. Hendricks is always happy to help educate lawmakers on ASCO’s legislative priorities. She also frequently answers the call from ASCO to send personal messages to lawmakers through the ACT Network to ensure that her congressional representatives and state legislators hear the perspective of a cancer care provider.

“Dr. Hendricks has dedicated herself to advancing legislation that will broaden access to high-quality, equitable cancer care,” said ASCO Chair of the Board Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, FASCO. “The knowledge and experience she brings to lawmakers about cancer care delivery is invaluable to advancing healthcare legislation that is vital to patients. Beyond her advocacy work, her work in heightening breast cancer awareness, delivering quality care to people with the disease, and engaging in clinical trials for breast cancer is commendable.”

Dr. Hendricks is a practicing medical oncologist specializing in breast cancer genetics, screening, and treatment at Maryland Oncology Hematology in Bethesda, Maryland. She earned her medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, completed her residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and completed her fellowship at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Dr. Hendricks received her award during the 2020 ASCO Advocacy Summit, where the Association also recognized its 2019 ASCO Advocacy Champions for their extraordinary contributions to a variety of advocacy activities, including meetings with federal and state lawmakers and agency staff, participating in outreach, and hosting in-district meetings and site visits during Congressional work periods.

Visit ASCO’s Advocacy Toolkit to get involved in ASCO’s advocacy activities.