The Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) today presented Representative Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) with the annual Congressional Champion for Cancer Care Award in recognition of her exceptional commitment to bipartisan support for cancer research and treatment. The award honors a Member of Congress who is a leading champion for patients and survivors of cancer, their families, and their cancer care teams.  

As the Chairwoman of the House Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) Subcommittee, Rep. DeLauro secured a $2.6 billion funding increase for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a $300 million funding increase for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20); over the last five years as a Ranking Member and Chairwoman of the LHHS Subcommittee, Rep. DeLauro has increased NIH funding in total by $11.6 billion.

A 30-year survivor of ovarian cancer, Rep. DeLauro is a fierce advocate for funding biomedical research—such as studies by NIH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—which is critical to ensuring that cancer care teams are able to deliver high quality, high-value treatments to patients with cancer.

“We are so grateful for the thoughtful leadership of Representative DeLauro, who is working in Congress every day to advance legislation that supports the cancer research enterprise," said ASCO Chair of the Board Monica M. Bertagnolli, MD, FACS, FASCO. “We applaud her dedication to supporting clinical trials, which improve the care of every patient with cancer.”

As a member of the House Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Subcommittee, Rep. DeLauro helps oversee food and drug safety and was instrumental in achieving a $3.2 billion funding increase for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Fiscal Year 2021—a $40.8 million increase from FY2020—to ensure continued progress against cancer. Additionally, she is a member of the Congressional Biomedical Research Caucus, the House Cancer Caucus, and the House NIH Caucus where she advocates to ensure continued progress against cancer.

“As a cancer survivor, I personally know how this disease affects individuals and their family members,” said Rep. DeLauro. “That experience motivates my work every day to further our progress against cancer by supporting the innovative new treatments that come from robust funding for NIH and NCI.”

Dr. Bertagnolli presented the award to Representative DeLauro during the 2020 ASCO Advocacy Summit, where Association volunteers from across the United States will virtually meet with lawmakers to educate them about critical issues facing patients with cancer and their cancer care team.