Julie Gralow receives Woman Oncologist of the Year award
Women Leaders in Oncology (WLO) presented Dr. Julie Gralow, professor emeritus (Hematology and Oncology) with the Woman Oncologist of the Year Award. She was honored as a true leader in this field, distinguished not only by her work to advance breast cancer research but also to promote greater equity across cancer care.
She was presented with the award at the fifth annual LEAN conference, which strives to empower women leaders in the fields of hematology and oncology by providing essential clinical updates, career development, and professional networking.
Since 2014, Women Leaders in Oncology has evolved from a single, annual networking event to an ongoing effort to establish, nurture, and support connections among women in oncology.
Dr. Gralow is the chief medical officer and executive vice president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). She serves as a public spokesperson and expert commenter for ASCO, and an ambassador to ASCO members and cancer organizations across the United States and worldwide.
As a breast medical oncologist and faculty member at the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine, she served >25 years as director of breast medical oncology, founding member of the UW Breast Cancer Equity Initiative, and medical director for Women’s Cancer-related Population Health. She is currently a professor emeritus.
She also served as an adjunct professor in the University of Washington’s Department of Global Health, as a faculty member of the UW’s Ellison Center for Russian, East Europe and Central Asian Studies, and as an advisory council member for the Uganda Cancer Institute’s adult Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Training Program.
She is a recognized leader in breast cancer clinical research and is the former executive officer for breast and lung cancer and vice chair of the breast cancer committee for the SWOG Cancer Clinical Trials Network.
Dr. Gralow is committed to improving the quality of life for patients with cancer and is co-founder of Team Survivor Northwest, a non-profit aimed at helping female cancer survivors improve their health through fitness and exercise. She is also strongly committed to advancing equity in cancer care.
As founder of the Women’s Empowerment Cancer Advocacy Network (WE CAN), she supports patient advocates in low- and middle-resource countries. She received the ASCO Humanitarian Award in 2018 for her work in empowering women cancer patients and survivors globally.
Dr. Gralow received her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and her medical degree from the University of Southern California School of Medicine. She trained in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard Medical School and completed a medical oncology fellowship at the University of Washington/Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.