PHILADELPHIA (December 17, 2019) – Elizabeth Plimack, MD, MS, professor and chief of the Division of Genitourinary Medical Oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center, has been elected to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Board of Directors for a term of four years. She will begin her appointment in June 2020 and is eager to be representing Fox Chase as she works to encourage collaboration and methods of sharing information in oncology.
“I am very enthusiastic about this opportunity. Members of the board guide the focus and goals of the organization, and there are a lot of new challenges facing oncologists today. I hope to be able to address some of those during my time,” said Plimack.
As chief and director of Genitourinary Clinical Research, Plimack believes her experience has given her a unique perspective for her work at ASCO. “At Fox Chase, we have historically been a standalone institution and have a long history of collaborative work in cancer care delivery, clinical research, treatment, and basic research that I hope I can bring to bear while working with ASCO,” she said.
While serving as a board member, Plimack hopes to stress the importance of fostering collaborative models among researchers, as well as integrating patient perspectives and providing better avenues to access information. Additionally, she will encourage ASCO to pursue research on how new information can be shared with clinicians that will allow them to integrate new technologies and information into their workflows more easily. Plimack said she feels that part of her mission is to establish best practices for shared information and how industry interacts with researchers, clinicians, and patients.
“Social media is growing as a tool to spread information, and misinformation, and we should study different models and consider future best practices for the global dissemination of data,” Plimack said.
A professional medical society of nearly 45,000 members, ASCO works to conquer cancer through research, education, and promotion of the highest quality patient care.