American Cancer Society receives AAHPM Presidential Citation Award for palliative care research

Feb 19 2011

The American Cancer Society has been selected to receive a Presidential Citation Award from American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) recognizing the Society's commitment to support research to address quality of life issues and to promote patient-centered care. The award was received by Otis W. Brawley, M.D., American Cancer Society chief medical officer at a ceremony at the AAHPM Annual Assembly of AAHPM and Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association in Vancouver, Canada.

"The American Cancer Society has truly been a leader in promoting palliative care for persons living with cancer," said R. Sean Morrison, M.D., FAAHPM, president of the AAHPM Board of Directors in a letter to the American Cancer Society. "Your efforts to foster and fund palliative care research; educate the public on the benefits of palliative care for persons living with serious or life-threatening illness; and promote effective healthcare policy that improves quality of life for persons living with cancer and other serious illness are just a few of the reasons why the American Cancer Society is so deserving of this recognition."

Palliative care focuses on improving a patient's quality of life by managing pain and other distressing symptoms of a serious illness like cancer. Since 2007, a collaborative effort by The American Cancer Society and National Palliative Care Research Center has awarded 51 grants totaling almost $7 million in dedicated extramural research support, as well as funding the annual Kathleen Foley Palliative Care Research Retreat & Symposium. These grants, which are in addition to other grants in this area funded by the American Cancer Society, have brought much-needed research dollars to a field that has become an increasingly important part of patient-centered care, but for which federal funding has been inadequate.

The Society also works through its advocacy partner, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), to develop policy and spearhead advocacy activities, which this year will include launching a new legislative agenda to help make quality of life a higher priority in the U.S. healthcare system.

"This recognition from AAHPM reinforces the strong need for our collective and continued commitment to improving quality of life for patients, survivors, and their families by making symptom management and other aspects of palliative care an integral and essential part of health care for all individuals living with serious or life-threatening illness." said Dr. Brawley.

Source: American Cancer Society