Fox Chase's Michael H. Levy, MD, PhD, to Receive American Society of Clinical Oncology’s First Annual Excellence in Teaching Award

PHILADELPHIA, PA (March 25, 2014)—Michael H. Levy, MD, PhD, Vice Chair of Medical Oncology and Director of the Pain and Palliative Care Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center, will be honored with the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) inaugural Excellence in Teaching Award at the organization’s 2014 Annual Meeting in Chicago in May. Dr. Levy is a leading palliative care expert who, in addition to his role at Fox Chase, is past president of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

An active ASCO member, Dr. Levy serves as a master trainer for ASCO’s Education for End-of-Life Care–Oncology (EPEC-O) train-the-trainer program in addition to being a member of ASCO’s Supportive Care Guidelines Advisory Group.

“We’re very proud of Michael Levy and congratulate him on receiving this important award from ASCO,” says Richard I. Fisher, MD, President and CEO of Fox Chase. “Dr. Levy has been with our Center for more than 30 years and has had a great impact on the development and direction of not only Fox Chase’s Pain and Palliative Care Program, but on palliative care initiatives throughout the field of oncology.”

The Excellence in Teaching Award recognizes an individual who has had a demonstrable impact on his or her trainees and who has inspired and shaped the trainees’ practice of cancer medicine. The award underscores ASCO’s belief that teaching is as important to the future of cancer medicine as are research, care delivery, and clinical work.

In addition to Dr. Levy’s establishment of the Pain and Palliative Care Program at Fox Chase, he has also contributed significantly to the field by sharing his knowledge and skills with colleagues and future generations of oncologists. He began teaching early in his career after noticing how many of his colleagues felt comfortable administering high-dose chemotherapy yet uncomfortable administering high-dose opioids for pain management. Convinced of the importance of oncologists knowing how to safely and effectively treat their patients’ pain, Dr. Levy began delivering lectures to spread the knowledge of this important topic.

“I felt strongly that teaching palliative care would empower other clinicians and would expand the impact that I could have in the field,” says Dr. Levy, who also developed and chairs the Medical Ethics Committee at Fox Chase.

Dr. Levy is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in medical oncology and hospice and palliative care, and by the American Board of Hospice and Palliative Care. He received his MD and PhD from Jefferson Medical College and completed a fellowship in hematology-oncology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Fox Chase Cancer Center (Fox Chase), which includes the Institute for Cancer Research and the American Oncologic Hospital and is a part of Temple Health, is one of the leading comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. Founded in 1904 in Philadelphia as one of the nation’s first cancer hospitals, Fox Chase was also among the first institutions to be designated a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center in 1974. Fox Chase is also one of just 10 members of the Alliance of Dedicated Cancer Centers. Fox Chase researchers have won the highest awards in their fields, including two Nobel Prizes. Fox Chase physicians are also routinely recognized in national rankings, and the Center’s nursing program has received the Magnet recognition for excellence six consecutive times. Today, Fox Chase conducts a broad array of nationally competitive basic, translational, and clinical research, with special programs in cancer prevention, detection, survivorship, and community outreach. It is the policy of Fox Chase Cancer Center that there shall be no exclusion from, or participation in, and no one denied the benefits of, the delivery of quality medical care on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/expression, disability, age, ancestry, color, national origin, physical ability, level of education, or source of payment.

For more information, call 888-369-2427

Fox Chase Cancer Center (Fox Chase), which includes the Institute for Cancer Research and the American Oncologic Hospital and is a part of Temple Health, is one of the leading comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. Founded in 1904 in Philadelphia as one of the nation’s first cancer hospitals, Fox Chase was also among the first institutions to be designated a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center in 1974. Fox Chase is also one of just 10 members of the Alliance of Dedicated Cancer Centers. Fox Chase researchers have won the highest awards in their fields, including two Nobel Prizes. Fox Chase physicians are also routinely recognized in national rankings, and the Center’s nursing program has received the Magnet recognition for excellence six consecutive times. Today, Fox Chase conducts a broad array of nationally competitive basic, translational, and clinical research, with special programs in cancer prevention, detection, survivorship, and community outreach. It is the policy of Fox Chase Cancer Center that there shall be no exclusion from, or participation in, and no one denied the benefits of, the delivery of quality medical care on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/expression, disability, age, ancestry, color, national origin, physical ability, level of education, or source of payment.

For more information, call 888-369-2427